The Chicago Street Race marked just the third edition of NASCAR’s inaugural street-course venue in Grant Park, launched in 2023. For the year 2025, Shane van Gisbergen is now the event’s most successful driver, with 2 wins at this venue. His dominance on road/street circuits is notable: all three of his Cup Series wins to date have come on circuits like Mexico City and Chicago, reinforcing his reputation as a road-course specialist. With the Xfinity race in Chicago (The Loop 110) also won by van Gisbergen on July 5, where he led 27 of 50 laps, this weekend sealed a milestone weekend sweep.
Shane van Gisbergen solidified his road-course mastery at Chicago, delivering an extraordinary weekend by sweeping both Xfinity and Cup races from pole—matching a rare feat that only Kyle Busch had previously achieved. Despite challenges like early crashes and tight restarts, he and his Trackhouse team executed flawlessly. Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick delivered strong podium finishes, while McDowell’s early promise faded due to mechanical issues. With his third Cup win and back-to-back Chicago victories, van Gisbergen continues carving out an historic legacy on street circuits.
Shane van Gisbergen is a rare multi-disciplinary racing talent — a dominant force in Supercars and GT racing, now rapidly building an impressive legacy in NASCAR. His continued success across global motorsport platforms makes him one of the most dynamic drivers on the planet today. Shane van Gisbergen, often called SVG, is a highly accomplished New Zealand-born professional racing driver, now making waves in American NASCAR competition. Debuted in Supercars in 2007; went on to win three Supercars Championships (2016, 2021, 2022). Made a sensational NASCAR Cup Series debut in May 2023 in Chicago, winning the race — the first driver to do so in his first Cup start in over 60 years — and the first New Zealander in history to win a Cup event . Shane competed in 2024 in the Xfinity Series recording three wins (Sonoma, Portland, Chicago) and several top finishes, earning a full-time NASCAR Cup Series seat with Trackhouse Racing in 2025. SVG currently races full-time in the 2025 Cup Series driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, already achieving multiple victories, including major road-course wins in Mexico City and Chicago.
Here’s the quick synopsis of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course — a dramatic, action-packed race that crowned Shane van Gisbergen as the victor, This marked his second Cup win of 2025 (Mexico City being the first) and the third Cup victory of his career . He’s now the winningest foreign-born driver in Cup Series history. Ty Gibbs (JGR) finished 2nd, and Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) claimed 3rd, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch rounded out the Top 5.
The race featured 6 lead changes, 7 cautions (15 yellow‑flag laps), and a final-time win by SVG under caution after Cody Ware crashed. Stage 1 leader Michael McDowell claimed the stage win, dominating the early portion until a throttle issue forced him into the garage, costing 22 laps and knocking him from contention. A multi-car pileup occurred on Lap 3 at Turn 10 when Carson Hocevar triggered a wreck that collected several drivers and took 14 minutes to clear! As the race neared its end, fog and storm clouds rolled in over downtown Chicago. A late caution during the final lap froze positions, handing SVG the win. William Byron (points leader) suffered a broken clutch after just one lap, finishing 40th and seeing his points lead shrink to 13 points over Chase Elliott. On to Sonoma California for the next exciting race weekend!
