Shane Van Gisbergen captured the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race on the Chicago street circuit, setting a lap speed of 88.338 mph. This marks the third pole position of his Cup career, following a previous pole earned in Mexico where he led the race to victory. Van Gisbergen also won the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023, which was his Cup debut.
Michael McDowell will start alongside Van Gisbergen on the front row, qualifying second with a lap of 87.979 mph.
Notable Qualifying Performances and Starting Positions
Carson Hocevar earned his best road course starting position by qualifying third with a speed of 87.824 mph. Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe followed in fourth and fifth, securing laps of 87.779 mph and 87.734 mph respectively. Richard Childress Racing placed two drivers in the top ten, with Kyle Busch starting sixth (87.639 mph) and Austin Dillon qualifying tenth (87.303 mph).
Will Brown, reigning Supercars champion, will make his second Cup start after qualifying 19th at 86.990 mph.
Top Points Leaders to Begin at the Rear
Championship points leader William Byron, second-place Chase Elliott, and fourth-place Denny Hamlin all opted out of qualifying and will start from the back. Byron and Elliott faced separate crashes during practice, prompting their teams to focus on repairs rather than qualifying. Hamlin’s car suffered an engine failure on his initial practice lap, forcing a similar decision.
Bubba Wallace, currently holding the final playoff spot with eight races remaining in the regular season, will begin 37th after encountering trouble during his qualifying attempt.
Entry List and Qualification Final Spot Drama
This race marks the first time since the Daytona 500 that over 40 cars entered a Cup event, with 41 teams attempting to qualify. Only 40 cars will make the field, creating intense competition for the final spot. Katherine Legge secured the last starting position after Corey Heim’s qualifying run was cut short by a crash.
“Made a mistake on my first lap and bent the toe link. Tried to get everything I could out of it after that but clearly wasn’t enough. That’s completely my fault and still trying to process all of it. Thank you @23XIRacing for a car plenty capable enough to make the race.” — Corey Heim
Implications for Sunday’s Race
Van Gisbergen’s pole puts him in prime position to contend for a win on a challenging street circuit where he has already demonstrated success. Meanwhile, top contenders starting at the back will face a significant challenge to move through the field, adding drama to the race strategy and outcomes. With a full field and key drivers recovering from practice incidents, Sunday’s event promises to be fiercely competitive on Chicago’s unique road course.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Why did Shane van Gisbergen quit Supercars?
A. Shane van Gisbergen believes he made the “right choice” by leaving Supercars to focus on a NASCAR career. This year, he starts his first full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing, after spending 15 years racing in Supercars.
Q. Why did Shane van Gisbergen leave Supercars?
A. I am stepping away from V8 Supercars for personal reasons that I prefer not to share publicly. I plan to return to live in New Zealand and currently have no set plans going forward.
