Shane van Gisbergen’s dominant victory in Mexico City solidifies him as the driver to beat as NASCAR heads to the Chicago Street Course, where he outpaced his closest competitor, Michael McDowell, by nearly half a second.
Van Gisbergen expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance, especially praising his WeatherTech Chevy and his success in securing both Xfinity and Cup pole positions.
Following van Gisbergen and McDowell, Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top five qualifiers, with the rest of the top ten filled by Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, and Austin Dillon.
Despite some challenges during qualifying, SVG’s skill on the track ultimately positioned him as the driver to beat, with Spire Motorsports teammates McDowell and Hocevar trailing behind.
In a nail-biting battle for the final spots on the grid, Corey Heim and Katherine Legge fought for qualification, with Legge narrowly edging out Heim to secure her place in the race, showcasing a strong performance as a part-time Cup driver.
Incidents during practice led to William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Denny Hamlin opting out of qualifying, with Hamlin experiencing a blown engine, further intensifying the competition at the Chicago Street Course.
