Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith
Chicagoland Speedway NASCAR Cup Series Race Advance
Chicagoland Speedway 400

Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026
Event: Race 21 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-miles)
#of Laps: 267
Time/TV/Radio: 6:00PM ET on TNT/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

FRM Points Standings:

Zane Smith (23rd)
Todd Gilliland (26th)
Noah Gragson (30th)

Noah Gragson Notes

Noah Gragson will face a new challenge this Sunday, the Chicagoland Speedway. Last raced in 2019, the 1.5-mile Joliet, Illinois, oval will make its return to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule with a 267-lap event. Gragson is one of the few drivers on Sunday’s entry list with previous NASCAR starts at the track, having made two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Chicagoland in 2017 and 2018 with Kyle Busch Motorsports, finishing eighth and fourth, respectively. Gragson also has a sole NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start in Joliet, finishing sixth in 2019 with JR Motorsports.

Long John Silver’s will join the No. 4 car this weekend, partnering with Gragson for the 267-lap event. Long John Silver’s will bring its signature, fan-favorite blue and yellow “Fish Yeah” scheme to Gragson’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

“It’s been a frustrating year, especially the past couple of weeks; they’ve taken a toll on everyone,” said Gragson. “Fortunately, there’s no quit in this No. 4 team and in racing, each week brings fresh opportunities to improve and build momentum.”
Road Crew

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Grant Hutchens

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Car Chief: Joey Forgette

Hometown: Iron Mountain, Michigan

Engineer: Dillon Silverman

Hometown: Chico, California

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Tony Infinger

Hometown: Fort Valley, Georgia

Tire Specialist: Chris Aunspaw

Hometown: Zelienople, Pennsylvania

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Spotter: Adam Fournier

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Transporter Co-Driver: Ron Miske

Hometown: Fairfield, Connecticut

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Tafton Hensley

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Sheridan Jones

Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum

Hometown: Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Tommy Bebie

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Fueler: Blake Baker

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Todd Gilliland Notes

Todd Gilliland will make his Chicagoland Speedway NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Illinois for the first time since 2019. While this will be Gilliland’s first NASCAR Cup Series start at the oval, the 26-year-old driver has two previous NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the track with Kyle Busch Motorsports, in 2018 and 2019. His best finish out of the two starts came from a sixth-place finish in the 2019 event. Gilliland, along with 15 other drivers, will go head-to-head in Round Two of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge in hopes of advancing for a chance to claim the $1 million prize. After surviving a bumpy Sonoma ride, Gilliland finished where he started in 29th place, but it was just enough to advance to Round Two over 31st-finishing Daniel Suárez. Gilliland will now face off with No. 9, seed Carson Hocevar, in the second round battle.

gener8tor, a nationally ranked venture capital firm and accelerator that brings together startup founders, investors, corporations, job seekers, universities, musicians and artists, will serve as the primary partner on the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the first time this season. The weekend’s race will mark gener8tor’s fourth year supporting Gilliland’s NASCAR Cup Series career.

“Going out west for San Diego and Sonoma was a blast, but I’m happy to be back home and heading to races that don’t require as much travel,” said Gilliland. “We made it to Round Two of the In-Season Challenge, going up against Carson (Hocevar), and I know he’ll bring a fight. We’ve struggled a bit on the traditional oval track this season, so we need to find our stride early in practice and lay down a decent qualifying lap in order to be ahead of the eight ball on Sunday.”
Road Crew

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Hometown: Medway, Ohio

Car Chief: Joe Marra

Hometown: Somers, New York

Engineer: Marc Rullo

Hometown: Ringwood, New Jersey

Engineer: Kevyn Rebolledo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brit Andersen

Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Mechanic: Michael Brookes

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Interior Specialist: Ethan Deguevara

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Tire Specialist: Billy John

Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Kyle Moon

Hometown: Troy, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Randy Bernier

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Grissom

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Danny Olszowy

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Paul Steele

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Hometown: Lindenhurst, Illinois

Fueler: Zeke Nance

Hometown: Calhoun, Georgia

Zane Smith Notes

Following suit with his teammates, Zane Smith will also be one of the many drivers making his first Chicagoland Speedway NASCAR Cup Series start. Smith does have previous experience at the 1.5-mile oval. In 2019, driving for JR Motorsports, Smith finished 17th in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at the track. Heading into this weekend’s event, Smith sits 23rd in the standings. Through the first 18-points paying races, Smith has earned two top-five and six top-10 finishes.

Vermeer Midwest will join Front Row Motorsports this weekend with Smith and the No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Established in 1971 by Junior and Bev Kool in Eureka, Illinois, Vermeer Midwest is a leading dealer of industrial equipment, proudly serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri for industries such as utility installation, landscaping, tree care, recycling, and vacuum excavation.

“It’s a bummer that we didn’t advance in the In-Season Challenge, but I’m excited for the challenge that Chicagoland will bring,” said Smith. “Theres only a handful of people in the field that have raced at Chicagoland before; for the majority of the field, including myself and my teammates, this is a brand-new track for us. We have a full 50-minute practice on Friday, that’s going to be crucial for Ryan (Bergenty) and our engineers to ensure we hit our marks in qualifying. Hopefully, we can hit the ground running and start July off with a strong result.”

Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith

Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris

Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme

Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Steve Godfrey

Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Interior Specialist: Matt Fowler

Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Mechanic: Austin Bloom

Hometown: Lowell, Oregon

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Bryan Whitman

Hometown: Newton, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Shawn Sellew

Hometown: Stafford Springs, Connecticut

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Josiah Wright

Hometown: Loganville, Georgia

Rear Tire Changer: Adam Riley

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Tire Carrier: Jarren Davis

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Jackman: Nate McBride

Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia

Fueler: Ray Hernandez

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

ABOUT LONG JOHN SILVER’S

Long John Silver’s was founded in 1969 and is on a mission to create treasured moments through high-quality food and bell-ringing service. With restaurants from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver’s continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at ljsilvers.com or join the conversation via social media on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

ABOUT GENER8TOR

gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities, and nonprofits to operate programs and conferences in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. The International Trade Council recognized gener8tor as the Global Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2022.

ABOUT VERMEER MIDWEST

Vermeer Midwest is a leading dealer of industrial equipment proudly serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri. Established in 1971 by Junior and Bev Kool in Eureka, IL, Vermeer Midwest has grown to 13 locations. Their commitment to exceptional customer service and high-quality equipment has made them a trusted partner for contractors in industries such as utility installation, landscaping, tree care, recycling, and vacuum excavation. Visit vermeermidwest.com and follow Vermeer Midwest on social media: Instagram at @vermeermidwest and Facebook at facebook.com/VermeerMidwest.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization competing in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, FRM has earned top honors including a 2021 Daytona 500 victory and the 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship. Based in Mooresville, N.C., FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and No. 38 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with the No. 34 and No. 38 teams in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. For more information, visit FrontRowMotorsports.com and follow Front Row Motorsports on social media — X: @Team_FRM, Instagram: @teamfrm, Tik Tok: @Team_FRM, YouTube: @FrontRowNASCAR, and Facebook: facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

• The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., after a seven-year hiatus. Spire Motorsports has one previous start at the 1.5-mile oval dating to 2019, though Daniel Suárez and Michael McDowell have combined for 12 Cup starts at the track.
• The eero 400 from Chicagoland Speedway will be televised live on TNT Sunday, July 5 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 19th of 36 points-paying races on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Modo Casino Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s eero 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
• Modo Casino is the premier free-to-play social+ gaming platform, designed for thrill-seekers who crave gaming action anywhere, anytime. Play for free today to earn loyalty rewards and participate in sweepstakes wins. 21+. Available only in select jurisdictions during limited periods.
• Suárez’s Modo Casino livery bursts with colorful sugar skull designs that celebrate Mexican heritage and brings a striking visual identity to the racetrack.
• The 2026 Coca-Cola 600 winner sits ninth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 484 points, trailing seventh place by just 25 points after Sonoma Raceway.
• The Monterrey, Mexico native has made three Cup Series starts at Chicagoland, where he’s earned two top-20 results and led one lap. He carries an average starting position of 17.0 and a 15.7 finishing position at the 1.5-mile oval. His series/venue best result came in 2018 when he finished 11th.
• Halfway through the 2026 season, Suárez is averaging a 14.6 finish, seven positions better than his average showing at this point last season.
• Last week at Sonoma, the final road course of the season, Suárez started 21st but handling issues and an unscheduled pit stop left him with a disappointing 31st-place finish.
• Out of Suárez’s 341 Cup Series starts, 163 have come on intermediate tracks, where he has consistently shown some of his strongest speeds. In those races, he has recorded two victories (Atlanta 2024/ Charlotte 2026), along with 12 top-five, 40 top-10 finishes and led 415 led. This season on intermediate tracks, he has posted finishes of fifth at Atlanta, 30th at Phoenix, 18th at Las Vegas, seventh at Darlington, 19th at Kansas and sixth at Texas.
• In his last start at Chicagoland in 2019, the 34-year-old driver qualified 28th and finished 24th.
• In NASCAR O’Reily Auto Parts Series competition, Suárez has recorded six starts at Chicagoland, earning two top fives, four top 10s and led 21 laps.
• The three-time NASCAR Cup Series winner is a veteran of 341 Cup Series starts and has notched three wins, 26 top fives and 80 top-10s in NASCAR’s premier division. Suárez has earned three poles and led 945 laps since making his series debut in 2017.
• Daniel Suárez Quotes
• Your last race at Chicagoland was seven years ago. What do you remember most about racing there and what do you think will be the biggest key to success when you return?
• “I’m excited to get back to Chicagoland. It’s a track where you have to stay patient because the race can change quickly over the course of a long run. Tire management is important, and you have to be willing to move around the racetrack to find grip as the conditions evolve. I feel like our team has done a good job this season of making our cars better throughout the race, and that’s something that can really pay off at a place like Chicagoland. The goal is to execute all day, avoid mistakes, and put ourselves in position to fight for a strong finish.”

Ryan Sparks – Crew Chief, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Ryan Sparks is the crew chief for Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and driver Daniel Suarez in the NASCAR Cup Series. Sparks has called 220 Cup Series races where he’s earned one win, six top-five and 15 top-10 finishes since calling his first race in NASCAR’s premier division in 2020.
• The Winston-Salem, N.C., native joined Spire Motorsports in 2021, where he served as both crew chief and Competition Director, leading the organization’s competitive and technical efforts. In 2026, Sparks serves in a singular role as crew chief for Suárez.
• Sparks brings more than a decade of experience across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series, highlighted by 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing and contributions to title-winning campaigns in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2011) and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2013).

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Delaware Life/Veterans 1001 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
• VETERANS 1001, Honoring Service. Empowering Veterans. Group 1001 recognizes the dedication, sacrifice, and unique experiences of our military veterans, service members and their families. The Veterans 1001 Employee Resource Group (ERG) is a community designed to support, connect, and empower our veteran employees while fostering a workplace culture that values their contributions. Group 1001 welcomes all employees who are veterans, military spouses, veteran family members, and others who are passionate about supporting those who have served.
• McDowell owns nine starts at the Joliet, Ill., venue which returns to the Cup Series schedule for the first time since 2019. In the division’s most recent visit, the 2021 Daytona 500 Champion qualified seventh and finished 20th.The event marked McDowell’s best qualifying effort and finish at the suburban Chicago mile-and-a-half.
• Chicagoland will mark the second round of NASCAR’s annual In-Season Challenge, where McDowell will be matched against Chase Elliott.
• Last weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, the 41-year-old driver qualified fourth, collected eight stage points and went on to earn his fifth top-10 finish of the 2026 season. Following his Sonoma result, McDowell earned back-to-back top 10s for the second time in 2026 after notching a 10th-place showing at Naval Base Coronado.
• After qualifying fourth last weekend, McDowell became tied for the highest average qualifying position on road courses in 2026 (5.25). Meanwhile, with all four road races in the rear view, Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 team earned a 6.5 average finish on road-course configurations this season.
• Across the last seven races, the 19-year Cup Series veteran holds an average finish of 13.2, while pacing the field two times for eight laps (Watkins Glen/Charlotte).
• After 19 points-paying races on the 2026 calendar, the father-of-five currently sits 21st in the Cup Series championship point standings. With eight races remaining before NASCAR’s playoff format begins in September at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, McDowell sits just 32 points below the cutline on the strength of two top-five and five top-10 finishes.
• McDowell has a pair of NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, where he earned a series/venue best 25th-place finish in 2009. In ARCA Menards Series competition, the Glendale, Ariz., native earned a trip to Victory Lane in 2007, marking his third of four ARCA victories that year.

Michael McDowell Quote
Chicagoland is back on the schedule. What are you expecting to see?
“I have a lot of experience at Chicagoland. I did a good bit of testing there for other teams before I earned my first full-time season. I am fairly comfortable on track and it always puts on a great show. It will be really cool to see how this NextGen car handles on the track. We got some laps on the simulator to test a few things, but you never really know until you’re there. Our No. 71 team has started to build some momentum over the last few weeks. We’ve started to close the gap on playoff cutline. We have to maximize our day as best as possible to keep this momentum rolling.”

Travis Peterson – Crew Chief, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Travis Peterson is the crew chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Michael McDowell.
• Sunday’s eero 400 will mark Peterson’s first opportunity to call a NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
• Peterson has called 131 races in NASCAR’s premier division where he’s led McDowell to one win, eight poles, nine top fives and 28 top 10s.
• In his previous role as a race engineer for Jr. Motorsports, the West Bend, Wis., native played a key role for driver Chase Elliott’s 2014 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chicagoland win. The victory was Elliott’s third of the season where he led 85 of 200 laps enroute to the division’s 2014 title.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Carson Hocevar will race Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
• Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 88 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. Besides its extensive automotive portfolio, the organization owns and operates Zeigler Motorsports, an 85,000-square-foot motorsports dealership and action park, offering 19 different powersports brands, plus its own onsite restaurant: Trak Houz Bar & Grill. Additionally, Zeigler Motorsports houses the Elevate Leadership & Team Building Academy, an executive training company. The Kalamazoo-based dealer group also owns three Byrider franchises, three finance companies, several insurance firms, and a leasing firm.
• Sunday marks Hocevar’s 100th NASCAR Cup Series start. He made his series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway in June 2023 in a fill-in role for Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet, and has since amassed one win, two pole positions, seven top-five and 22 top-10 finishes while pacing the field for 238 laps.
• Just over one year ago, Hocevar documented a trip to Chicagoland Speedway on his YouTube channel. Now, the third-year Cup Series driver returns to the facility for the first time competitively in the series’ first event at Chicagoland in seven years.
• Last Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, the 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year earned his second consecutive front-row start with a second-place qualifying effort. Hocevar maintained top-15 track position most of the day, and after leaving pit road 18th during the final round of green-flag pit stops, raced his way to an 11th-place finish.
• After defeating Zane Smith in the opening round of this year’s In-Season Challenge last weekend, the 23-year-old driver turns his attention to Todd Gilliland in the Round of 16. He’s outperformed Gilliland in 12 races this season, as well as 53 of the 99 Cup Series races the two have competed head-to-head. He also holds the edge in 11 of 20 races on 1.5-mile tracks.
• Through 18 races, the Portage, Mich., native sits eighth in points, just nine markers out of seventh. His one win, four top fives, seven top 10s, 509 points scored, average starting position of 10.8 and 14.6 average finish are all career highs through the first 18 points-paying races of the season. The team’s average starting position has improved by over eight spots while its average finish is seven positions better compared to this point in 2025.
• The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year registered his first-career victory earlier this season at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He survived a late-race restart with three laps remaining and brought home the checkered flag. Hocevar became the 13th driver to earn his inaugural series victory at Talladega, and registered Spire Motorsports’ first win since the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with driver Justin Haley.

Carson Hocevar Quote
What are your thoughts heading into NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway?
“I’m excited to get out there. I haven’t gotten the opportunity to race at Chicagoland yet. The last time there was racing there, I was still a few weeks from my Truck Series debut. I have flown over the track so many times and was able to walk around inside last year after a Zeigler Auto Group event. Here we are just over a year later and we are loading up to race at Chicagoland. We tend to run well on the mile-and-a-half tracks and have had super-fast cars this year. I’m looking forward to the weekend. It should be fun.”

Luke Lambert – Crew Chief, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Luke Lambert is the crew chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Carson Hocevar.
• Lambert is in his third season at Spire Motorsports and fourth with Hocevar. The duo has logged two pole awards, one win, seven top-five and 22 top-10 finishes in 98 races.
• While Hocevar has yet to compete at Chicagoland Speedway, Lambert brings years of experience. In eight NASCAR Cup Series events at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval, the Mount Airy, N.C., native earned a venue-best fourth-place finish in 2015 with driver Ryan Newman.
• The 16-year veteran crew chief led Elliott Sadler to NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Victory Lane at Chicagoland in the series’ first of two races at the facility in 2012. Sadler led 35 laps and survived a NASCAR Overtime restart to secure his third of four victories on the season.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado its first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent victory came May 24, 2026, when Daniel Suárez won the NASCAR Cup Series Series’ Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization also fields the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Racing Media Zoom Call
Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Zane Smith, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will be making his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start when the green flag falls this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Smith spoke about the milestone as part of this week’s Ford Racing media call.

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS BEING YOUR 100TH START? “I hope to get my first Cup Series win. I don’t know if that counts before 100 starts, but it would be awesome. It would be a great place to do it. We have Vermeer on board this weekend, which that was a crowd favorite when we ran that scheme last year, so it would be awesome to pull that off. The mile-and-a-halves have been good to us since Charlotte, so it’s exciting and I think definitely possible.”

HOW MUCH STOCK DO YOU PUT IN TO NEEDING TO HAVE SUCCESS WITHIN THAT FIRST 100 STARTS? IS IT REAL TO YOU? “Yeah, for sure. I think throughout the industry, especially in the Cup Series, they look at that. Everything has to go right for a race win and race wins, but showing that you’re running up front and having good runs is what’s super important. Fortunately, I’ve had glimpses of that throughout my early starts, but I would say since my 80th-ish start it’s been more consistent of being able to run up front more consistently. The recent race in Charlotte I was able to lead laps and contend for a race win. I have a few seconds and thirds or whatever, but I’m honestly leading these races at the wrong time. I just need to do it a little bit later, but I feel like that’s what’s mostly important. I feel like everyone kind of understands in the industry of how hard these races are to win, and then on top of that we’re a smaller team, too, so we’re doing a lot with a little and trying to make big strides each year. I’m proud of that and proud of how we’re running, but would love to put an exclamation mark on this 100th start.”

IT SEEMS YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE FRONT ROW GROUP ON A REGULAR BASIS. WHAT IS YOUR 38 TEAM DOING BETTER OR DIFFERENTLY THAN THE 34 OR 4 TEAMS RIGHT NOW? “I’m not sure. This sport goes in waves of you’ll run really good and then you might have a few bad weeks. My teammates will have that throughout the year, but we’re just focused on ourselves right now and trying to keep this momentum rolling. We’re proud that it’s this early in the year. I feel like we’ve had these glimpses, but were just too late in the year to where the offseason comes up and you hope you can hit the ground running. That’s easier said than done. You’ve got to survive those two superspeedways to go out maybe later in qualifying and have a good qualifying once you get to these mile-and-a-halves, which is always important. I feel like we had that this year, so I feel like that’s some of it, but our whole group is a really fun group to work with, which says a lot. We just had a year last year of just past communication and past times to know what to do for adjustments going from practice to qualifying and qualifying to the race more importantly, and I feel like some of that is showing, but just trying to carry the momentum is the main thing.”

HOW DOES THE SUCCESS OF THE TRUCK TEAMS AT FRONT ROW TRICKLE OVER TO THE CUP TEAM? “It’s cool to see them run well. I think Layne has won the past few races, so that’s awesome. Dylan Cappella is the crew chief on that. He was my engineer when I was on the 38 truck, so it’s awesome to see what he’s accomplishing. Those are two really fast trucks, and I feel like when I was racing trucks here my truck was on the same shop floor as the Cup cars in the same building that we’re in now. It was cool once I would win and everybody would get lunch since we were in the same building, and that part was exciting. They’re in a different building now since it’s two trucks, so it’s a little bit different now, but it’s awesome to see them winning on Friday or if it’s a Saturday race. It’s certainly exciting and I’m happy for them.”

100 STARTS SEEMS LIKE A LOT AND IT SHOWS HOW HARD IT IS TO WIN. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST LESSONS YOU’VE LEARNED TO GET TO THIS POINT? “Just the lessons you learn and the different situations that you get put in. In just one Cup race you will experience so much. There are so many ups and downs throughout a Cup race and it’s like that every weekend. I can probably count on one hand how many Cup races I’ve had where it’s like, ‘Man, that went really smooth and everything went right.’ I just feel like the main thing is you’ve got to take the little wins and pile them into bigger wins and eventually you’re gonna be racing for a race win. The harder thing is when you’re part of a smaller team going against a powerhouse team like a Penske, a Hendrick, a Gibbs, they have more people and we’re trying to become that one day. By doing that, you’ve got to win races and run up front and prove your worth, and I feel like we’re accomplishing that. I hope to keep that going, but there are so many ups and downs and I’m certainly a way different race car driver now versus what I was in my rookie year and certainly what I was in the Truck Series.”

DID ANYONE TEACH YOU A REALLY GOOD LESSON THAT HAS STUCK WITH YOU? “You learn a little bit from everybody, but certainly Denny (Hamlin) is really good. He’s been doing it a long time and he’s been in many different scenarios. His car is really fast and he’s really good too, so he’s really good at just being smart in a situation of like, ‘Hey, live to fight another day.’ That was the area where I’ve had to get better. When I was in the Truck Series, the races go by so fast so you’ve got to go, and you’ve got to take control of the race to where you’ve got to do that too and track position is extremely important in the Cup car, but at the same time just live to fight another day because a lot of things happen throughout the race. I feel like those really good guys are good at that. One that stands out to me is Joey Logano. He grinds out a race. There have been many times where I’ve been running around him and I end up 15th, and I look at the scoring pylon and he’s like fifth. I’m like, ‘How did he get up there?’ But it’s just a lot of small, right moves and good strategy. I’m seeing that in myself now, so I’m happy with that.”

DRIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO DO A LOT MORE THAN JUST DRIVING BETWEEN MEDIA OBLIGATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND SPONSORS. HOW DO YOU BALANCE ALL OF THAT? “It’s a part of the job. I guess I try to be myself and I fortunately have a good team around me to help take some of that weight off, to be able to show up on Sunday and put all my attention there, but certainly I feel like the team that you have around you helps make it easier, for sure.”

YOUR CHICAGOLAND EXPERIENCE IS ONE ARCA AND ONE O’REILLY START. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO APPROACH FRIDAY’S PRACTICE SESSION? WHAT HAS THE PROCESS BEEN LIKE PREPARING FOR YOUR FIRST CUP RACE AT THIS TRACK? “I definitely don’t remember my ARCA start there, and I remember a little bit of my Xfinity start there. I remember how hot it was, but David Ragan did the tire test, so trying to get some notes from them, but that’s difficult too because that’s a really green racetrack they were on. It’s all tough, but I’m hearing some comparisons to Charlotte with the bumps, and a combination of like Vegas bumps and wear is almost like Kansas. Who knows? I’m just trying to approach it like any other mile-and-a-half. The biggest question mark are the bumps with the Next Gen car and how it’s gonna handle that, but certainly one of the best mile-and-a-halves character-wise and the racing it produced. I’m excited to get back there and I’m looking forward to it. I’m glad we have good speed on mile-and-a-halves right now.”

HOW QUICKLY WILL YOU KNOW DURING PRACTICE IF YOU GUYS BROUGHT THE RIGHT SETUP? “Probably lap two.”

IT’S FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GET TO RACE ON THIS HOLIDAY? “It certainly is cool. I feel like throughout the whole field you’ll see a lot of different patriotic schemes that are incorporated into what you’ve got. That part is cool and nothing screams America more than NASCAR, so it’s awesome and I’m certainly looking forward to it at a place like Chicago. Hopefully, we have a good run ahead.”

CHICAGOLAND

Sunday, July 5– NASCAR Cup Series, 6 p.m. ET (TNT)

This weekend will mark the first NASCAR action at Chicagoland Speedway since 2019. Prior to that, the circuit made a yearly stop at the 1.5-mile track for 19 consecutive seasons, starting in 2001. The sport returned to the Windy City three years ago to race in the streets of downtown Chicago and completed a successful run last season.

BLANEY TOP 10 STREAK AT SIX

Ryan Blaney extended his streak of Top 10 finishes to sixth after his sixth-place run on Sunday in Sonoma. The only race keeping that streak from being eight came last month when he finished 11th at Watkins Glen International. The Team Penske driver currently sits third in the point standings as he heads to Chicagoland Speedway, where he has four career starts and a best finish of fourth (2016).

ZANE SMITH MAKING 100TH CUP START

Ford Racing’s Zane Smith will be making his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Smith is in the midst of a breakout year as he’s already established career-highs for most Top 10 finishes (6) and laps led (62) in a single season. He’s currently 23rd in the point standings and 61 points out of the final Chase berth with eight races remaining. This will mark his first Cup start at Chicagoland, but he does have one NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start at the facility with that coming in 2019 when he finished 17th.

FOUR IN CHASE POSITIONS

With eight races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, four Ford drivers find themselves in Chase positions. As noted above, Ryan Blaney is tops on the list in third while Chris Buescher is solidly in the field in seventh. Ryan Preece (15th) and Austin Cindric (16th) are both on the Chase bubble and are separated by only one point.

IN-SEASON CHALLENGE UPDATE

Four Ford drivers advanced to the second round of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge and are still alive for the $1 million bonus that will be awarded at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Todd Gilliland and Chris Buescher all emerged victorious in their opening matchups. This weekend, Cindric is paired against Alex Bowman while Gilliland battles Carson Hocevar. Blaney and Shane van Gisbergen are matched up on the other side of the bracket with Buescher set to face Christopher Bell.

SITTING ON 749

The next Ford win will be its 750th all-time in NASCAR’s top series. Ned Jarrett is Ford’s win leader with 43 while Bill Elliott is second with 40. Shirtless Jimmy Florian scored the Blue Oval’s first series victory when he upset the likes of Lee Petty, Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly at Dayton Speedway on June 25, 1950. Florian earned his nickname after getting out of his 1950 flathead Ford without a shirt. Overall, 91 drivers have won at least one series race with Ford, including notable drivers Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt.

RYAN BLANEY: YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE APRIL TEST AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY. WHAT DID YOU THINK? “It was nice to be there. That was the first time we’ve been there since ‘19 and the track was actually in really good shape. I thought the property looked great. A lot of fans came out. They said they had over 1,000 people that just came out to watch practice for a little bit. The track is very similar to what I remember it being. There’s a big patch bump into one, big bump over the tunnel. We didn’t get super wide. We only got to a couple lanes at the test, but it’s just dirty. If you don’t start up there, it just eventually gets too dirty to run it, but when we go back there we’re gonna use everything, which is good. The surface is pretty worn out, but I’m excited to get back there. I think it’s gonna put on a great show. I think this car is gonna perform really well there when it has multiple lanes and stuff like that, so I’m excited.”

KESELOWSKI RECORDS FIRST FORD WIN

Brad Keselowski owns the only Ford victory at Chicagoland Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series as he finally broke through on Sept. 14, 2014 while driving for Team Penske. Keselowski won the opening race of the postseason with an aggressive pass as he went between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson to take the lead with 16 laps to go. That marked Keselowski’s second straight series victory after winning at Richmond the week before and fifth overall that season.

FORD’S PAST NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT CHICAGOLAND

2014 – Brad Keselowski

The Ford Mustang® coupe is America’s best-selling sports car and has a global racing presence. With Mustang-based race cars competing in international sports car competition (GT3 and GT4), NASCAR, NHRA, Formula Drift, in Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke regional one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 12 Mustang race cars are scheduled to compete across all active disciplines. Learn more about Mustang at www.FordRacing.com.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 29, 2026) – Since its debut in 2001, Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, has hosted 94 races across seven series on its 1.5-mile oval. None, however, have been in the last seven years.

When the checkered flag waved on June 30, 2019, to mark the end of the Camping World 400 NASCAR Cup Series race, it also marked the end of racing on Chicagoland’s D-shaped layout. Save for serving as a storage area for pickup trucks awaiting microchips during the global shortage brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and hosting a one-off SuperMotocross event in 2023, Chicagoland has been dormant. Scooby-Doo vibes replaced the “Boogity, boogity, boogity, let’s go racing!” mantra made famous by NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and FOX broadcaster Darrell Waltrip.

This seven-year itch is finally getting scratched, with NASCAR returning to Chicagoland for a Fourth of July event weekend featuring the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the premier NASCAR Cup Series.

This gap in Chicagoland’s résumé means there’s a significant divide between drivers who have experience at Chicagoland and those whose experience is scant. In fact, of the 38 drivers who competed in the last Cup Series race at Chicagoland, only 18 are returning for Sunday night’s eero 400.

The most tenured in this group is Denny Hamlin. The NASCAR veteran has made 14 Cup Series starts at Chicagoland. The closest drivers behind him are Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, with 11 Cup Series starts apiece.

Many other drivers’ time at Chicagoland is far more limited.

“I have one race to my name at Chicagoland, so I can at least say that I’ve been there,” said Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Super.com Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing. “It was a 2014 Nationwide Series race, known now as the O’Reilly Series. Obviously, it’s not going to correlate much to our current Cup car, but it was enough to know that Chicagoland is still a difficult and bumpy mile-and-a-half oval.”

Technology, specifically time in the simulator, helps bridge the gap between memories from years ago and the Chicagoland of today.

“The sim tells us where the bumps are and how you need to attack the track. Every little input and angle of your steering, your arc on corner entry, how aggressively you’re tipping in and picking up your throttle, all those things matter,” Ware said.

“You might know the layout, but when it comes to understanding the nuances of the track – how much yaw you can have in the car, figuring out how free you can have the car, and then the overall balance of the car – that’s where the sim comes in.

“Sim time on ovals is more about making sure you’re precise and as perfect as you can be with consistent repetition, because that’s the only way you can make speed.”

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin competed in the Cup Series’ debut race at Chicagoland in 2001. He made 13 total starts at the track, winning in his ninth start on July 11, 2009 – a dominating performance in which Martin’s precision allowed him to lead 195 of the race’s 267 laps.

“Chicagoland is a really fun racetrack,” said Martin ahead of his final start at the track in 2013. “When you come across the start/finish line and you’re up to speed and you head out toward the wall on your entry into turn one, you almost bounce off that wall turning into the corner, and you’re able to usually stay in the throttle and you go off down into what feels like a hole.

“The car goes down into turn one before it picks up the banking, and it’s kind of a cool feeling. And then depending on where you run on the racetrack, coming up out of turn two the track tightens up on you pretty quick. So, you really have to have your exit lined up properly to be able to stay on the throttle all the way from the middle-off that corner.

“And then turn three, it feels really, really flat like the banking doesn’t come into the car, so the car’s usually really loose trying to get down into that corner. It’s a real challenge to get the kind of arc into that corner that you would like to have.

“Usually, going down the backstretch you’re starting to dread the entry into turn three because it’s so challenging. It’s got some bumps down there in (turns) three and four. That gives it some character and it’s sort of a multi-groove turn.

“Then coming up out of (turn) four, it opens back up because of the D-shape of the front straightaway. You’re able to be on the throttle early and for a long time coming up out of turn four.”

Martin’s detailed recall of a lap around Chicagoland is coveted intel, as memory is what drivers and teams have to go on ahead of NASCAR’s return to the track this weekend.

“Chicagoland is kind of like turns three and four at Charlotte, but on both ends,” Ware said. “Turns one and two are a little bit worse than three and four, from what I remember the last time we were there. But overall, Chicagoland is a very bumpy, very aggressive mile-and-a-half, and I think it’s kind of morphed into its own thing over time.”

Ware and his Cup Series counterparts will see how much the track has morphed on Friday when they get a 50-minute open practice beginning at 5 p.m. CDT/6 p.m. EDT. Qualifying follows at 2 p.m. CDT/3 p.m. EDT on Saturday. TruTV and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide live coverage of both. The eero 400 goes live at 5 p.m. CDT/6 p.m. EDT on Sunday with flag-to-flag coverage delivered by TNT and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Rick Ware Racing:

Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver’s seat and into full-time team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with his wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that competes full-time in the elite NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track, FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) and zMAX CARS Tour.