eero 400
Joliet, Ill. – July 5, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 PPG FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 23RD STAGE 1: 4TH STAGE 2: 9TH FINISH: 13TH POINTS: 15TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 PPG Ford Mustang team recorded a steady 13th-place finish in Sunday’s eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, capping off a productive afternoon. Starting 23rd, Cindric and crew chief Brian Wilson utilized strategy and consistent pace to work their way into contention throughout the 400-mile event. An early caution helped the No. 2 team gain track position, and Cindric climbed as high as the race lead before going on to finish fourth in Stage 1. The PPG Ford Mustang remained a top-10 contender for much of the afternoon, with the team making a series of adjustments to keep pace with the changing track conditions. Cindric continued to run around the top 10 throughout Stage 2, ultimately earning another solid stage result with a ninth-place result. Over the final segment, the team focused on maintaining track position through the final green-flag pit cycle. When the checkered flag waved, Cindric crossed the line 13th. He moved up one spot to 15th in the Cup Series standings as the regular season winds down.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “We showed some speed today in our PPG Ford Mustang and put ourselves in position to have a solid afternoon. Credit to everyone on this 2 team for continuing to work on it all race long. We’ll take the points and move on to Atlanta where we’ve been strong.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/DUTCH BOY FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 14TH STAGE 1: 20TH STAGE 2: 5TH FINISH: 7TH POINTS: 3RD
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang Dark Horse team recorded their Cup Series-leading 14th top-10 finish of the season Sunday night at Chicagoland as the seventh-place effort marked the team’s seventh-consecutive top-10 result. After starting 14th, Blaney broke into the top-10 early on before handling issues relegated him back to his original starting spot by the time the caution flag flew on lap 48. The No. 12 team opted for a four tire stop while five teams stayed out and nine others took two tires, shuffling Blaney to 22nd for the ensuing restart before closing out Stage 1 scored 20th. Blaney battled his way through traffic during the opening run of Stage 2 prior to the start of the green flag pit cycle when crew chief Jonathan Hassler made the decision to run long, allowing Blaney to assume the lead on lap 133. The gamble paid off as the caution flag flew a lap later with only 16 teams scored on the lead lap. Following a four tire stop under caution, Blaney lined up to restart ninth with 22 laps remaining in the second segment and worked his way up to fifth by the conclusion of Stage 2. The race remained green the rest of the way after the ensuing restart with 95 laps to go as Blaney settled into sixth in the running order to begin the run before making his final stop of the night with 52 laps to go, following the leader down pit road on the front end of the green flag cycle. Blaney was scored fourth once the round of stops were complete before ultimately coming away with a seventh-place finish in the Cup Series’ return to Chicagoland.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “A blue-collar type day. We were OK early, not great. We lost some track position and caught a break by running it long and a caution came out to help us get some track position back and we were able to hang around the sixth-to-ninth place range. I thought we got better from the start to the end, so that was positive. Proud of everyone’s effort for sticking with it all night.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 31ST STAGE 1: 29TH STAGE 2: 21ST FINISH: 12TH POINTS: 18TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse team put together a late charge to come away with a 12th-place finish Sunday night in the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to Chicagoland Speedway. After starting 31st, Logano worked his way up to 20th by lap 40 prior to the caution flag flying eight laps later, prompting varying strategies throughout the field. Crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call to stay out under yellow – one of five teams to do so – allowing Logano to vault to third on the leaderboard and take the ensuing restart from the inside of row two with 27 laps remaining in the first stage. Logano led the opening lap of the run, but a loose-handling condition stemming from the previous run saw the Shell-Pennzoil Ford drop out of the top-20 by the conclusion of Stage 1. Logano worked to regain track position throughout Stage 2 as the No. 22 team ran long during the green flag pit cycle before Logano was called to pit road on lap 132. The caution flag flew a lap later, trapping Logano a lap down, but the wave around allowed him to rejoin the lead lap prior to the restart with 22 laps remaining in the segment before crossing the line 21st in Stage 2. Logano took the final restart of the night from 16th with 95 laps to go as the balance began to settle in over the course of the run. Wolfe called him to pit road with 49 laps remaining for four tires and a final adjustment as Logano was scored 17th when the green flag pit cycle was complete with 45 to go. Logano went on to pick up five positions in those final 45 laps to secure a 12th-place finish.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “A really solid effort from this 22 team tonight to stay with it and get us going forward by that last run. We were caught in the middle of getting the balance right and chasing track position for most of the night but were able to hit on something during that last run. Definitely gives us something to build on and keep pushing forward with.”
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 12 for the Quaker State 400. Coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
