Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Saturday, July 4, 2026
Herbst and 23XI Racing Dominate Chicagoland Cup Practice
Riley Herbst posted the fastest lap at 178.065 mph in Friday evening’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicagoland Speedway, leading a 23XI Racing sweep of the top two spots. Herbst’s No. 35 Toyota edged teammate Bubba Wallace, second at 177.930 mph, with all four 23XI Toyotas inside the top eight. Kyle Larson was third at 177.877 mph, Denny Hamlin fourth at the same speed, and Ty Gibbs fifth at 177.754 mph. In the long-run averages, championship contender Tyler Reddick paced the field in the 10-, 15-, and 20-lap runs, suggesting the No. 45 Toyota carries strong race pace despite Reddick dropping the points lead at Sonoma last weekend.
Sources: RACER NASCAR.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Hamlin Leads Reddick by One Point as Cup Championship Sharpens
Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings by a single point over Tyler Reddick heading into Sunday’s eero 400, the first time this season Reddick has not held the top spot. The change came at Sonoma, where Reddick suffered a power steering failure and finished last, while Hamlin overcame splitter damage to place 26th — enough to erase a 129-point deficit. A three-time winner in 2026, Hamlin said he is beginning to believe a championship is genuinely achievable. Reddick answered in Friday’s practice by recording the fastest long-run averages, signaling continued race pace from the No. 45 Toyota despite the standings slip.
Sources: Motorsport.com Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Rain Forces NASCAR to Shift Chicagoland Qualifying to Sunday
Weather concerns prompted NASCAR to move Cup Series qualifying from Saturday to Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, three hours before the eero 400’s 6 p.m. start at Chicagoland Speedway. Saturday carries a 75 to 80 percent chance of afternoon thunderstorms with highs near 86 degrees, making same-day qualifying the safer option. Storms on Friday had already disrupted lower-series schedules, with O’Reilly Auto Parts Series practice rescheduled and qualifying canceled outright. Sunday’s forecast improves to roughly a 35 percent rain chance. The weather complications add extra uncertainty to a weekend already full of unknowns, as the Cup Series makes its first appearance at the 1.5-mile Joliet oval since 2019.
Sources: RACER NASCAR.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Kyle Larson Targets First Chicagoland Win to End 42-Race Drought
Kyle Larson arrives at Chicagoland Speedway carrying a 42-race winless streak that dates to Kansas in May 2025, yet his track history offers genuine reason for optimism. The two-time Cup champion holds the best average finish at Chicagoland among drivers with multiple career starts at 6.17, though he has never converted there, finishing runner-up in 2018 and 2019. Larson has rebuilt momentum with top-five finishes in five of his last six races, including fourth at Sonoma, and placed third in Friday’s practice at 177.877 mph. A Sunday victory would end a prolonged drought and deliver his first career win at the Joliet oval for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Sources: NBC Sports Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Half the Cup Field Faces Chicagoland Debut as Series Returns After Seven Years
Roughly 46 percent of Sunday’s Cup field will make their first career start at Chicagoland Speedway, adding unusual uncertainty to NASCAR’s return to the Joliet oval after seven years away. Only three drivers ran a Next Gen car there before this weekend, during an April Goodyear tire test, leaving most teams without usable baseline data. The track’s pavement is seven years older and bumpier than in 2019, creating unpredictable tire behavior teams are only beginning to map in practice. Just 10 drivers have logged five or more Cup starts at Chicagoland, and only three — Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Alex Bowman — have previously won at the venue.
Sources: NASCAR.com Jayski Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Chase Elliott Calls Chicagoland Return ‘A Bit of a Challenge’ for Cup Drivers
Chase Elliott acknowledged that NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway presents a genuine relearning process for most Cup Series competitors. With only three drivers having lapped the Joliet oval in a Next Gen car before this weekend — all during an April Goodyear tire test — teams arrived without meaningful baseline data. Elliott, who had no prior Next Gen reference for Chicagoland, said the return required thinking through how the car would behave in an unfamiliar setting. Roughly 46 percent of this week’s 38-car Cup field will be making their first career Cup start at the 1.5-mile track, underscoring how wide the knowledge gap extends across the garage.
Keselowski Says Ford’s Collaboration Gap Is Costing Wins Against Toyota
Brad Keselowski offered a pointed assessment of Ford’s manufacturer struggles at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday, saying a lack of elite collaboration between Ford teams is the key gap against Toyota’s dominant 2026 campaign. Toyota has combined for 11 victories in the first 18 races of the season, while Ford’s entire stable has produced just one — Ryan Blaney’s win at Phoenix Raceway in March. Keselowski, who co-owns RFK Racing, said Toyota has pushed elite collaboration among its top organizations to create two top-tier programs, while Ford has not replicated that structure. “Toyota is making them pay for that with results on the race track,” Keselowski said Friday at Chicagoland.
Sources: NASCAR.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Alex Bowman Says Decision on NASCAR Future Coming ‘Sooner Rather Than Later’
Alex Bowman says he expects clarity on his NASCAR future soon as the 2019 Chicagoland winner navigates a contract year with Hendrick Motorsports. Multiple conversations have taken place as the two sides work through what comes next, though Bowman is not treating his results as an audition. “I don’t feel like I’m racing for my job or anything like that,” Bowman said, adding a decision would come “sooner rather than later.” Hendrick Motorsports has consistently backed the No. 48 driver, who sits 12th in points entering a Chicagoland weekend where he is one of only three drivers to have previously won at the track.
Sources: RACER Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Toyota Teams Win 11 of First 18 Races in 2026 as Manufacturer Gap Widens
Toyota has asserted commanding control of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer race, combining for 11 victories in the first 18 events while Chevrolet and Ford struggle to keep pace. Ford’s entire Cup stable has produced just one points-paying win — Ryan Blaney’s March victory at Phoenix Raceway. In manufacturer points, Toyota leads with 837, ahead of Chevrolet at 739 and Ford at 592. RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski attributed part of the gap to Toyota’s superior collaboration structure among teams, while 23XI Racing’s four-Toyota lineup demonstrated that depth Friday at Chicagoland, placing all four entries inside the top eight during practice.
Sources: NASCAR.com Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Denny Hamlin — 719 pts
2. Tyler Reddick — 718 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 615 pts
4. Ty Gibbs — 589 pts
5. Kyle Larson — 571 pts
6. Chase Elliott — 554 pts
7. Chris Buescher — 518 pts
8. Carson Hocevar — 509 pts
9. Daniel Suarez — 484 pts
10. Christopher Bell — 472 pts
11. Chase Briscoe — 468 pts
12. William Byron — 446 pts
13. Bubba Wallace — 444 pts
14. Shane van Gisbergen — 425 pts
15. Ryan Preece — 402 pts
16. Austin Cindric — 401 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 837 pts
2. Chevrolet — 739 pts
3. Ford — 592 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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