Chase Briscoe secured his first NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2026 season Sunday night at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, marking the series’ return to the 1.5-mile oval after a multi-year absence. Briscoe held off teammate Christopher Bell in the closing laps to claim the victory in front of a sellout crowd approximately 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
Briscoe, 31, a native of Indiana, celebrated his sixth career Cup Series win with a burnout and raised his hand from the driver’s window afterward. Bell finished a close second in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, marking his fourth runner-up finish of the year despite racing with a splint on his left arm as he continues recovering from a wrist fracture sustained in a crash at Michigan on June 7.
Denny Hamlin, who started on the pole, finished third, followed by William Byron—who won two early stages and led a race-high 94 laps—and Alex Bowman, rounding out the top five. Bubba Wallace drove a “Space Jam”-themed No. 23 Toyota Camry to a sixth-place finish, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Looney Tunes movie. Wallace’s team, 23XI Racing, is co-owned by Michael Jordan, who starred in the 1996 film.
Ryan Blaney continued his strong form with a seventh-place finish, marking his seventh consecutive top-10 result. Rounding out the top 10 were Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim, and Riley Herbst. Toyota enjoyed a successful day overall, placing seven cars in the top 10 positions.
The event marked NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway after the series had left Joliet following the 2019 season, citing struggles with attendance in a crowded sports market. NASCAR had raced on a downtown Chicago street course over the past three years but opted to return to the traditional oval format to test the performance of the Next Gen cars on the track’s rough, bumpy asphalt. Rain during the preceding days caused parking difficulties but did not significantly impede the race itself.
Championship contender Tyler Reddick experienced significant setbacks when his No. 45 Toyota developed an oil leak with approximately 32 laps remaining in the second stage. His crew worked extensively on the car in the garage, replacing the radiator due to a hole, leading to a caution period. Reddick, who won the first three races of the season, finished 36th and saw his points lead drop from one point entering the weekend to 44 points behind Hamlin.
Kyle Larson, who qualified second, also faced challenges after spinning out on Lap 93. He went off-track into the wet infield grass and required assistance to be pulled free from the mud, eventually finishing 34th. This result extends Larson’s winless streak to 43 races, despite strong performances in previous runs at Chicagoland where he finished second twice.
Sunday’s race showcased a competitive field and underscored the ongoing struggles and shifts in the NASCAR Cup Series championship battle as the season progresses.