Shane van Gisbergen, the road-course king, just etched his name deeper into NASCAR lore at the 2025 Grant Park 165. The Trackhouse Racing star snagged his second win of the season on July 6, dominating Chicago’s street circuit from the pole to become the foreign driver with the most Cup Series victories, surpassing Daniel Suárez and Marcos Ambrose.
It was far from a flag-to-flag win for van Gisbergen. He trailed McDowell for much of Stage 1 and worked his way through the field multiple times. He passed Tyler Reddick on lap 57 and cleared Chase Briscoe three laps later to take the lead.
SVG’s Chicago triumph follows his Mexico City rout in June and his historic 2023 Chicago win, where he became the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win their Cup debut. With three Cup wins now, he’s the king of Chicago, leaving rivals scratching their heads. Not even AJ Allmendinger or Tyler Reddick could contest against SVG’s road and street racing prowess.
Organizers put out a yellow flag shortly after he took the lead from Briscoe so an ambulance could make it to the infield to assist a fan. Ty Gibbs jumped up to second on the restart to become van Gisbergen’s top challenger in a dash to the finish but the New Zealander kept Gibbs behind him on the restart with nine laps to go.
Cody Ware hit the wall with two laps to go but van Gisbergen had crossed the start-finish line by the time organizers threw the yellow flag, meaning the race would finish under caution.
After kicking the football into the roaring Chicago crowd, SVG let his emotions spill, “What an amazing weekend for me. Lucky guy to drive some great cars. I thank Trackhouse, Weather Tech Chevy and all these guys and girls here. What an amazing weekend. Thanks everyone for coming out and hope we put on a good show.”
When asked why he owns this track, he kept it real, “I think it’s just we made no mistakes, there were some really fast cars and we seemed to get everything right, make no mistakes and be smooth every lap. It was just so hot this weekend. The track was very slick and the times were a lot slower and the margin for error was really tiny so just had to get it right.”
The Chicago Street Race, possibly in its final year, was a scorcher, with slick pavement testing every driver’s precision. SVG’s flawless run outshone a stacked field, with Ty Gibbs finishing second in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by Tyler Reddick in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, and Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Toyota.
SVG’s ability to stay smooth under pressure, avoiding the tiny errors that could’ve cost him, sealed the deal. His third Cup win in 33 starts cements his road-course dominance, a nod to his Supercars roots where street circuits were his playground. Chicago’s tight corners and concrete walls played right into his hands, and he delivered a show fans won’t forget.
As Trackhouse celebrates, SVG’s historic milestone as the top foreign driver adds another chapter to his growing NASCAR legend. And even if there are more winners in the playoffs race, the Kiwi driver is secured with two wins to his name now.
Chicago’s Top 10 Finishers
SVG led the charge in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, fending off a fierce field. Ty Gibbs brought his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota home in second, proving he could hang with the road-course king. Tyler Reddick, in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, grabbed third, followed by Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, both showing street-circuit grit.
Kyle Busch rounded out the top five in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, a solid rebound after a tough Atlanta. AJ Allmendinger, a road-course veteran, took sixth in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, but couldn’t match SVG’s pace.
Ryan Preece in the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford and Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Austin Hill, driving the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, nabbed ninth, while Ross Chastain closed out the top 10 in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, giving Trackhouse two cars in the mix. The tight, slick Chicago streets sorted out the field, but SVG’s precision set the tone.
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