Shane van Gisbergen extended his dominance at Windy City, winning the third annual running of The Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Course on Saturday, July 5, amid a late battle with teammate Connor Zilisch.
The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, led twice for a race-high 27 of 50 scheduled laps, dominating the first stage period from the pole position. Then, his control of the event nearly slipped out of his reach when he opted not to pit during the first stage’s break period while a host of competitors did. After remaining on the track and continuing to lead despite having both his pit strategy mixed and motor issues linger, van Gisbergen would pit prior to the first stage’s conclusion.
Restarting in ninth place at the start of the final stage period with 16 laps remaining, van Gisbergen caused an ensuing caution two turns later by bumping and sending Thomas Annunziata into the tire barriers. During the next restart with 13 laps remaining, he restarted seventh and methodically carved his way up the leaderboard. After moving up to the runner-up spot with eight laps remaining, van Gisbergen started to reel in on teammate Zilisch for the lead when Andre Castro wrecked and drew a late caution.
During the final restart with two laps remaining, van Gisbergen dueled with Zilisch through the frontstretch before he forced his teammate wide and got the latter barely scrubbing the wall in the first turn. Despite having Zilisch reeling in during the final lap, van Gisbergen managed to retain the top spot without missing his line for a final time and cycle back to the frontstretch to notch his second consecutive Xfinity Series victory at Chicago.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Shane van Gisbergen started on pole position with a pole-winning lap at 87.917 mph in 90.085 seconds. Joining van Gisbergen on the front row was Austin Hill, the latter of whom clocked in his best qualifying lap at 87.662 mph in 90.347 seconds.
Prior to the event, rookies Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray started at the rear of the field in backup cars. The following names include rookie Connor Zilisch, Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Thomas Annunziata, and Matt DiBenedetto, also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments that were made to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the race started, pole-sitter Shane van Gisbergen rocketed his No. 9 WeatherTech/Red Bull Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead of the field through the front straightaway and past the start/finish line before he made the first left-hand turn (Turn 1) that led through E. Ballbo Dr. As van Gisbergen proceeded to lead from Turns 2 to 7, which included driving through S. Lake Shore Dr. and S. Columbus Dr., a bevy of competitors behind him trailed in single-line formation. With an early advantage working to his favor, van Gisbergen proceeded to lead through the remaining turns (Turns 7 to 12 and including stops at S. Michigan Ave. and E. Jackson Dr.) before he returned to the frontstretch and led the first lap over Sheldon Creed.
During the second lap, Creed nearly snatched the lead from van Gisbergen after he got beneath him and power-drove into Turn 7, but he had to regain his momentum through the turn. This allowed van Gisbergen to cross Creed over and they made light contact entering Turn 8, which involved Creed making contact with the wall, before van Gisbergen reassumed the top spot. As van Gisbergen led the second lap, Creed was being intimidated by Austin Hill for third place while Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer were trying to reel in from within the top-five mark.
Then on the sixth lap, the event’s first caution flew when Jack Perkins, an Australian Supercars competitor who was making his Xfinity debut and driving the No. 19 Shaw and Partners Toyota Supra entry for Joe Gibbs Racing, spun and wrecked against the wall in Turn 6. Prior to Perkins’ incident, Ryan Sieg had smacked the wall just past Turn 10 and had pitted under green to have his entry repaired while Connor Zilisch, who was carving his way from starting at the rear of the field, bumped and sent Thomas Annunziata nearly sliding into the Turn 11 wall.
During the caution period, rookie William Sawalich, who was scored in ninth place, briefly got out of his No. 18 Starkey Toyota Supra entry as the entry had stalled and had an electrical fire occurring in the cockpit. Eventually, the smoke cleared and Sawalich hopped back into his entry, but he would be pushed behind the wall and retire from further competition. In addition, the leader van Gisbergen reported a potential motor issue to his entry while Brandon Jones was black-flagged due to having no radio communication with his team.
The beginning of the next restart featured van Gisbergen retaining the lead. He motored away from Creed and the field amid his motor issues. Van Gisbergen proceeded to lead from Turns 1 to 7 while a bevy of competitors behind him jostled for spots. Creed, Hill, Allgaier and Sam Mayer trailed in the top five. Van Gisbergen stretched his advantage to a second as he led the next lap.
During the ninth lap, Connor Mosack hit the tire barriers in Turn 7 after sustaining a flat left-front tire on his No. 14 Invision Capital Chevrolet Camaro entry. Not long after, Perkins, who continued to race in his damaged No. 19 entry, was slowly limping around the track with a flat left-rear tire. Amid both incidents, the race resumed under green flag conditions. Van Gisbergen continued to lead by less than a second over Creed by Lap 10.
Then on Lap 11, rookie Taylor Gray made a strategic pit stop under green, though he was penalized for speeding. More names that included Jesse Love, Preston Pardus, Brandon Jones, Josh Williams, rookie Daniel Dye, Ryan Ellis, and Anthony Alfredo pitted their respective entries during the following lap.
Then on Lap 13, the caution flew when Brad Perez spun and slid into the tire barriers in Turn 4. The incident was enough for the first stage period to conclude on Lap 15 under caution. As a result, van Gisbergen was awarded the stage victory. Creed followed suit in second ahead of Hill, Mayer, and rookie Nick Sanchez. Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Connor Zilisch, rookie Carson Kvapil, and Alex Labbe were scored in the top 10, respectively.
Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Creed pitted their respective entries. The rest, including the leader van Gisbergen and those who pitted before the first stage’s conclusion, remained on the track.
The second stage period began on Lap 18 as van Gisbergen and Jeb Burton occupied the front row. Van Gisbergen wasted no time driving away from Burton and the field through the front straightaway, leading through the first two turns. As van Gisbergen led from Turns 3 to 6, Burton was overtaken by Jesse Love in Turn 7. Eckes, Josh Williams, and Preston Pardus followed suit in the top six. Amid the battles, van Gisbergen, who has yet to pit, led the following lap.
Through the Lap 20 mark, van Gisbergen stretched his advantage to more than three seconds over Love while Jeb Burton, Eckes and Williams occupied the top-five spots ahead of Pardus, Anthony Alfredo, Annunziata, Creed and Austin Hill. Behind, Daniel Dye was racing in 11th place ahead of Jones, Gray, Sammy Smith, and Allgaier, while Mayer, Zilisch, Ryan Ellis, Kvapil, and Harrison Burton were mired in the top 20, respectively.
On Lap 24, the caution returned due to a tire carcass that was spotted on the course. Prior to the caution, Matt DiBenedetto had wrecked against the Turn 1 tire barriers, though he managed to continue with damage to his entry. During the caution period, some led by the leader van Gisbergen, and Christian Eckes and Preston Pardus pitted their respective entries, while the rest led by Love remained on the track.
Following an extensive caution period due to Josh Bilicki’s entry being on fire and stalling on the course, the event restarted under green with two laps remaining in the second stage period. At the start, Love fended off Creed to lead just past the start/finish line and the first turn. Love proceeded to lead the next two turns until Creed got underneath Love and overtook him for the lead. Love then nearly reassumed the lead from Creed through S. Columbus Dr., but Creed managed to retain the lead in Turn 6 and he led the remaining six turns before he cycled back to the frontstretch.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 30, Creed scored his first Xfinity stage victory of the 2025 season. Love settled in second ahead of Hill, Zilisch, and Sammy Smith, while Jeb Burton, Williams, Allgaier, Jones, and Annunziata scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, van Gisbergen, who restarted in the top 20, was up to 13th place.
During the stage break, select names that including Jeb Burton, Jones, and Kvapil pitted their respective entries while the rest led by Creed remained on the track.
With 16 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Creed and Love occupied the front row. At the start, Creed gained a strong launch through the front straightaway to lead entering the first turn. Then, as the field navigated through Turn 2, the caution returned when van Gisbergen, who was racing in ninth place, threw a bold but tight three-wide move underneath Williams and Annunziata. This resulted with contact that sent Annunziata sliding and making contact with the tire barriers. With most of the field dodging Annunziata’s wrecked entry, Taylor Gray, who was racing towards the rear of the field, came to a full stop to avoid hitting Annunziata, but he ended up colliding into the latter after he made contact with both Jeb Burton and Andre Castro.
The next restart with 13 laps remaining featured Creed fending off Hill to lead through the frontstretch and the first turn. Behind, Zilisch, who restarted in the second row, battled and overtook Hill in Turn 2. While Parker Retzlaff spun in between Turns 4 and 5, Zilisch reeled in and overtook Creed for the lead in Turn 6. Despite getting bumped by Creed in Turn 7, Zilisch maintained his ground and continued to lead from Turns 8 to 10. Zilisch would proceed to lead back to the front straightaway and the next lap over Creed while Hill, Sammy Smith, and van Gisbergen were up in the top five.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Zilisch was leading by more than two seconds over Creed. Hill, van Gisbergen, and Sammy Smith, the latter of whom trailed by four seconds, were racing in the top five. Another lap later, van Gisbergen overtook Hill for third place. He then overtook Creed for the runner-up spot with eight laps remaining. With van Gisbergen in second place and reeling in his teammate, Zilisch’s advantage stood to more than three seconds.
Then, with six laps remaining, the caution flew due to Andre Castro crashing into the tire barriers in Turn 6. By then, Zilisch was leading by two seconds over teammate van Gisbergen. Creed, Hill, and Sammy Smith were scored in the top five.
Down to a two-lap shootout, teammates Zilisch and van Gisbergen dueled for the lead through the front straightaway. Then as Zilisch appeared to have the edge, van Gisbergen used the inside lane to force Zilisch wide in the first turn. From the move, Zilisch made light contact with the wall. This allowed van Gisbergen to storm ahead with the lead past the first turn. Meanwhile, Zilisch was left to fend off both Creed and Hill for the runner-up spot. Having fended off both Creed and Hill by the second turn, Zilisch proceeded to reel in van Gisbergen through every turn and straightaway despite the latter’s steady pace in maintaining the lead.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, van Gisbergen remained in the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Zilisch. As van Gisbergen led, Zilisch nearly got to van Gisbergen’s rear bumper in Turn 6. Zilisch then tried to reel in his No. 88 Red Bull/WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro entry to van Gisbergen’s through Turns 11 and 12, but the charge was not enough as van Gisbergen managed to steer back to the front straightaway and claim the checkered flag by eight-tenths of a second.
With the victory, van Gisbergen, who became the first two-time Xfinity winner at the Chicago Street Course, notched his fourth career win in the Xfinity Series division, his second in a row at the Chicago and his first driving the No. 9 Chevrolet entry for JR Motorsports. Having won Saturday’s Xfinity event from pole position and claiming the Cup Series’ pole for Sunday’s event at Chicago, van Gisbergen will attempt to become the first competitor to sweep a NASCAR weekend at Chicago.
The victory was the 16th of the 2025 season for the Chevrolet nameplate and the ninth for JR Motorsports, with the organization three victories away from achieving 100 victories in the Xfinity circuit.
“I thought it was going to be [a] lost cause when the [pit] strategy went wrong,” van Gisbergen said on the CW Network. “It worked out well. I knew [our pit strategy] was what we were going to do. But when so many cars didn’t follow us, it was a bit of a worry. But then, we had tire grip at the end. Really cool battles with everyone. I enjoyed it.”
“[Zilisch]’s a great young driver,” van Gisbergen added. “[It was the] First time I’ve really raced him. I knew that was my opportunity [during the final restart] and took it. It was an awesome one, two [finish] for the team. I would love to [sweep Chicago]. I’m lucky I got some great cars this weekend, driving for some great teams. I really look forward to tomorrow.”
As van Gisbergen celebrated, Zilisch was left disappointed on pit road over teammate van Gisbergen’s move on the final restart, which caused Zilisch to hit the wall and lose both his momentum and the race overall.
“I guess I should’ve just not let [van Gisbergen] get to my bottom,” Zilisch said. “I was clear there, just barely on the front straight. It just let him get to my inside and he took advantage of it. I hate it for my No. 88 group; I should’ve just been a little more aggressive there.” He continued, saying, “I just thought he was going to race me a little cleaner. I’ll learn from it, move on.”
Sheldon Creed led nine laps and won the second stage period. He settled in third place ahead of Austin Hill and Nick Sanchez. the latter of whom is coming off his first career victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Austin Green, and Brennan Poole completed the top 10 in the final running order.
There were four lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 18 laps. In addition, 31 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 18th event of the 2025 Xfinity Series season, Justin Allgaier leads the regular-season standings by 49 points over both Austin Hill and Sam Mayer, 65 over Jesse Love, and 75 over Connor Zilisch.
Results:
1. Shane van Gisbergen, 27 laps led, Stage 1 winner
2. Connor Zilisch, 11 laps led
3. Sheldon Creed, nine laps led, Stage 2 winner
4. Austin Hill
5. Nick Sanchez
6. Jesse Love, three laps led
7. Sammy Smith
8. Sam Mayer
9. Austin Green
10. Brennan Poole
11. Josh Williams
12. Alex Labbe
13. Harrison Burton
14. Dean Thompson
15. Christian Eckes
16. Carson Kvapil
17. Thomas Annunziata
18. Blaine Perkins
19. Daniel Dye
20. Kyle Sieg
21. Brandon Jones
22. Kaz Grala
23. Justin Allgaier
24. Parker Retzlaff
25. Ryan Ellis
26. Connor Mosack
27. Jeb Burton
28. Matt DiBenedetto
29. Preston Pardus
30. Brad Perez
31. Jeremy Clements
32. Jack Perkins, four laps down
33. Andre Castro – OUT, Accident
34. Taylor Gray – OUT, DVP
35. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Electrical
36. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Engine
37. William Sawalich – OUT, Electrical
38. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, for the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, July 12, and air at 4:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
