Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Monday, July 6, 2026
Chase Briscoe Ends 20-Race Winless Streak with NASCAR’s First Chicagoland Victory Since 2019
Chase Briscoe earned his first win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season at Chicagoland Speedway, claiming the eero 400 in NASCAR’s first race at the 1.5-mile oval since 2019. Briscoe took the lead via pit strategy on lap 215 and held off Christopher Bell over the final 46 laps to win by 0.276 seconds — his sixth career Cup victory, snapping a 20-race winless streak. “Honestly did not see this coming,” Briscoe said. “James [Small] and the group did a great job. Man, just so cool.” The race featured 28 lead changes among 13 drivers and seven cautions for 43 laps.
JGR Makes History: 1-2-3 Finish Plus Seven Toyotas in Top 10 at Chicagoland
Joe Gibbs Racing fashioned its eighth 1-2-3 finish in organization history at Chicagoland, with Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and pole-winner Denny Hamlin sweeping the podium. Seven Toyota cars finished inside the top 10, described by Jayski as “a high-water mark for the manufacturer in a Cup Series race.” Alex Bowman and William Byron gave Hendrick Motorsports the fourth and fifth spots, while Ryan Blaney placed seventh as the lead Ford. Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim and Riley Herbst completed the top 10, extending Toyota’s extraordinary dominance in the second half of the 2026 season.
Reddick Radiator Failure at Lap 134 Drops Championship Gap to 44 Points Behind Hamlin
Tyler Reddick’s 2026 championship bid suffered another significant blow at Chicagoland when a splitter stay from another car punched a hole in the radiator of his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota on lap 134, forcing a caution as fluid spilled onto the track. Reddick lost 29 laps in the garage for repairs and fell 44 points behind Denny Hamlin in the standings — the fourth significant mechanical issue in his last five races. Reddick had led the championship by as many as 129 points after Watkins Glen before a power steering failure at Sonoma last week gave Hamlin the points lead for the first time all year.
Sources: NASCAR.com RACER Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
William Byron Sweeps Both Stages but Loses Lead in Final Pit Cycle at Chicagoland
William Byron led a race-high 94 laps and swept both stage victories at Chicagoland, positioning himself for a win before losing the lead in the final pit cycle. Briscoe made his final stop on lap 215; Byron pitted a lap later but emerged second and could not reclaim the front. “We got jumped by the No. 19 there on that last green flag pit cycle, but I just didn’t quite have the pace that last run to keep up with him,” Byron said. Bell and Hamlin also cleared Byron in the closing laps as his Chevrolet faded on older tires, posting a fourth-place finish.
Larson and McDowell Hit with Pre-Race Inspection Penalties at Chicagoland
NASCAR levied pre-race inspection penalties against two teams on July 4 at Chicagoland. The No. 5 of defending series champion Kyle Larson failed inspection twice before passing on the third attempt, resulting in lost pit-stall selection and the ejection of car chief Jesse Saunders for the weekend. The No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Michael McDowell failed three times before passing on a fourth attempt, with car chief Travis Young also ejected. McDowell was barred from attempting a qualifying lap and started Sunday’s eero 400 from 38th position, additionally receiving a pass-through penalty when the green flag flew.
Sources: NASCAR.com Jayski Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Kyle Larson Spins Out at Lap 93, Extends Winless Streak to 42 Consecutive Races
Defending series champion Kyle Larson’s Chicagoland race unraveled on lap 93 when his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet spun sideways in Turn 4 while running third, sliding into the infield grass and requiring a tow truck to pull the car back to the racing surface. Larson lost two laps recovering from the incident and finished 34th. The spin also eliminated Larson in his In-Season Challenge quarterfinal matchup against teammate William Byron, who advanced after leading a race-high 94 laps. The winless run for Larson extended to 42 consecutive races. Larson had qualified second, beaten to pole by Hamlin by just 0.001 seconds.
Christopher Bell Posts Fourth Runner-Up of 2026 While Racing Through Hand Injury
Christopher Bell posted his fourth runner-up finish of 2026 without a win at Chicagoland — racing through a hand injury that saw him move from a cast to a splint in time for the event. Bell has led 417 laps in 2026 without a victory. In the closing laps, his Toyota tightened in dirty air behind race leader Chase Briscoe, preventing a decisive late move. “I’m just a second-place driver. That’s what I am,” Bell said. Bell also reflected on Toyota’s dominance: “It seems like a monkey can drive them, so it’s just disappointing when you get beat by another monkey.”
Rookie Connor Zilisch Eliminated in Lap 1 Crash, Fourth Last-Place Finish in Seven Races
Rookie Connor Zilisch’s difficult 2026 season continued when a Lap 1 chain-reaction crash ended his day immediately at Chicagoland. Contact between John Hunter Nemechek’s Toyota and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Chevrolet through Turn 2 collected Ryan Preece’s Ford and Zilisch’s Chevrolet, sending Zilisch’s car hard into the inside wall and destroying the Camaro beyond repair. Zilisch finished 38th — the fourth time in his last seven races he was eliminated in last place. The 19-year-old was evaluated and released from the infield care center. Zilisch had earned his first career top-10 Cup finish at Sonoma Raceway last weekend.
Sources: RACER NASCAR.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Ford Winless in 18 of 19 Races as Toyota Leads Championship with Dozen Victories
Brad Keselowski acknowledged at Chicagoland that Toyota has “earned its flowers” in a season where Toyota teams combined to win 11 of NASCAR’s first 18 Cup Series races. Ford’s 10 weekly entries from Team Penske, RFK Racing, Front Row Motorsports and Wood Brothers Racing produced just one points-paying win — Ryan Blaney’s victory at Phoenix Raceway in March. Blaney finished seventh at Chicagoland as the top Ford on Sunday. RFK Racing’s Keselowski and Buescher swept the second row in qualifying but could not sustain that pace in the race. Keselowski confirmed RFK Racing has a long-term contract with Ford Motor Company.
Sources: NASCAR.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Denny Hamlin — 764 pts
2. Tyler Reddick — 720 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 651 pts
4. Ty Gibbs — 627 pts
5. Chase Elliott — 584 pts
6. Kyle Larson — 583 pts
7. Chris Buescher — 541 pts
8. Chase Briscoe — 538 pts
9. Carson Hocevar — 524 pts
10. Christopher Bell — 512 pts
11. Daniel Suárez — 507 pts
12. William Byron — 499 pts
13. Bubba Wallace — 484 pts
14. Shane van Gisbergen — 437 pts
15. Austin Cindric — 434 pts
16. Erik Jones — 411 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — season leader
2. Chevrolet — 2nd
3. Ford — 3rd (1 win)
Points: official post-race standings pending
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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