Race Recap: NASCAR Xfinity Series Chicago Street Course Showdown

The NASCAR Xfinity Series took on the Streets of Chicago this past Saturday afternoon, and as usual, the drivers trying to make a name for themselves laid it all on the line and put on a show. This 2.2-mile Street Course is one of the most challenging tracks on the circuit and the Loop 110 has become an instant classic, after the third year of this event.

Stage 1

Shane van Gisbergen started on the Pole alongside Austin Hill. SVG led the charge early on, as Sheldon Creed worked his way up to second and was still looking to secure his first-career victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Creed went bumper-to-bumper with SVG going into Turn 7, overtaking him very briefly, before Jack Perkins slammed into the tire barrier on Lap 5. Perkins backed it up into Turn 6, but after taking the car down pit road, the V8 Supercars driver was able to continue.

SVG led the field back to green with six-to-go in the first stage, as Connor Zilisch made strides through the field, charging up through the pack. Connor Mosack overdrove one of the corners, but no caution since he backed it up and continued. With one lap remaining in the first stage, Brad Perez crashed into the tire barrier, losing control going into Turn 4, prompting a caution. This allowed SVG to win Stage 1, as Creed, Hill, Sam Mayer and last week’s winner, Nick Sanchez, rounded out the top-5.

Stage 2

After pit stops, SVG led the field to the green once again, this time alongside Jeb Burton. Burton has had a strong showing this season, collecting enough points to be over the playoff cutline in 11th-place. Throughout the second stage, a lot of drivers were on save-mode, trying to keep their cars off the wall and in one-piece to be there at the end. On Lap 25, Matt DiBenedetto’s tire carcass came off, prompting a yellow for cleanup.

When the Green Flag dropped with two-to-go in Stage 2, it was Creed and Love on the front row, as Hill followed close behind in third. In the middle of the pack, SVG made a lot of strides through the pack, but Creed would end up winning the stage, with Love, Hill, Zilisch and Sammy Smith rounding out the top-5.

Final Stage

The final stage began with Creed leading Love to the green, with 15-to-go in The Loop 110. Creed was hungry for that first-career win, as an accident ensued in the back of the pack. Thomas Annunziata slammed into the tire barrier and was piled into by Taylor Gray, but no caution was thrown. Creed’s task was to hold off Zilisch, as Zilisch was able to overtake Creed with 13-to-go. Simultaneously, SVG was driving like he stole it through the pack, catching Zilisch with six-to-go. A caution was thrown due to the #35 slamming the Turn 6 tire barrier, prompting a Green-White-Checkered finish to end the race.

On the final restart, Zilisch and SVG took the green from Row 1, allowing SVG to have the advantage, pushing hs teammate into the Turn 1 wall before taking the white flag. Zilisch and SVG battled for the win for the last few laps, as SVG won his second NXS race in a row at the Chicago Street Course. This was also JRM’s 97th-career win in the series, closing in on #100.

Exiting Chicago, Justin Allgaier find himself +49 over Austin Hill and Sam Mayer, going into Sonoma Raceway. The NASCAR Xfinity Series takes on Wine Country Saturday, July 12th at 4:30PM EST/1:30:PM PST on the CW. Catch the action from Northern California, as the up-and-comers look to put on a show on the West Coast.