NASCAR at Chicago live street race results, updates, highlights from Grant Park 220

By | July 2, 2023
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All eyes will be on Chicago as NASCAR looks to add another tradition.

Street circuits may be all the rage in other motorsports. But for NASCAR, a competition whose history continues to manifest in the present day (just think about all those racing dynasties), change can prove intimidating.

That’s why makes this week’s Grant Park 220 is so valuable. For the first time in NASCAR history, a race will take place on the streets. Downtown Chicago will double as a living, breathing Cup Series track. And no matter what side of the spectrum you lie on, you’ll be watching.

So, who has the advantage? That’s a loaded question. None of these drivers has ever experienced the joy of racing a stock car on city-grade asphalt. Sunday’s race could share some similarities with races at Sonoma, COTA, Road America and Watkins Glen.

However, that would mean passes are hard to come by, not to mention the pileups that can occur at a moment’s notice.

Racing is hard. Racing in a city is even harder. But it’s that challenge, coupled with the spectacle that is the Windy City, that could prove so enticing.

MORE: Watch the Grant Park 220 with Fubo (free trial)

The Sporting News is tracking live updates from the Grant Park 220 in Chicago. Follow below for highlights and live results as the Cup Series makes its street debut.

NASCAR at Chicago live updates, highlights from 2023 race

(All times Eastern)

9:28 p.m.: Turn 11 and it’s SVG! He’s going to do it! He wins at Chicago! What a historic performance by the New Zealander!

9:27 p.m.: Through Turn 1. Van Ginsbergen on top! Haley’s wheels locked up. Half a course to go for SVG!

9:26 p.m.: Van Ginsbergen’s lead over Haley is approaching a second. He’s looking int he clear with a little less than two laps left. That single lane restart was a godsend.

9:24 p.m.: Haley and Elliott don’t have much fuel remaining. That could play a part as the race heads to perhaps its final two laps. Overtime at Chicago!

9:18 p.m.: CAUTION! Wallace craters into Stenhouse out of nowhere. Now, the No, 47 car can’t get out of the tire barrier. We’re headed to overtime!

9:16 p.m.: Van Gisbergen’s lead is up to 1.5 seconds. Three laps away from NASCAR glory: the New Zealander can become the first driver to win in his opening Cup Series start since 1963!

9:14 p.m.: Haley fading fast. It’s looking more and more like an SVG win. Four laps to go! Elliott trying to get himself in there as well. But they’re more than a second by the No. 91.

9:12 p.m.: SVG takes the lead! Then Haley takes it back! But SVG makes the crossover to retake it once more! What a showing!

9:11 p.m.: It’s Haley vs. Van Gisbergen at the front. Trackhouse’s Project No. 91 could bring them back to victory lane. Back to green! Just five laps to go!

9:05 p.m.: CAUTION! Eight laps to go and it’s SVG who takes the the lead! But a caution comes out after Truex tumbles into the tire barriers. My goodness! Doesn’t look like SVG completed the pass. Haley will return to the top of the pack. But don’t get it twisted: this is the No. 91’s race to lose at the moment.

9:03 p.m.: Van Gisbergen putting serious pressure on Elliott. Just a pair of excellent road course drivers. And it’s SVG who takes second! Pressure is on Haley who is half a second behind the No. 31.

9:01 p.m.: Van Gisbergen is on fire. He’s hitting his marks at two seconds faster than the cars in front of him. Haley and Elliott holding on for dear life.

8:56 p.m.: Dillon into the barrier! Put too much pressure on Haley and clipped into the inside wall. We’re staying green as he reverses into pit road. Haley and Elliott now sit at P1 and P2. Busch, Logano and Ginsbergen not too far behind, either. What a race!

8:53 p.m.: Race restart and things are getting testy! Dillon getting into Haley as they roll through various turns. The youngster Haley doing a wonderful job holding off the No. 3. Chase Elliott in third place as well. Three drivers without a win strutting their stuff. Just 14 laps to go.

8:45 p.m.: CAUTION! Reddick into Turn 6! He had just gotten up to fourth! Frustrating day for the 23XI Racing starlet.

8:41 p.m.: Now it’s Bell’s turn to get turned around. The No. 20 car ends up in reverse veering his car a little bit too close to the curl. That’s gonna knock him down some track position.

8:40 p.m.: Just a heap of laundry all over the track. Ross Chastain gets into Gilliland, who then turns hard into Suarez. Now, Suarez has a massive piece of debris hanging onto the body of his car like a piece of dead skin. Just Chi-Town things!

8:30 p.m.: Race restart will see *squints* Justin Haley and Austin Dillon sitting at the front of the pack. Just 21 laps remaining and it’s the No. 31 car in front! How enthralling!

8:25 p.m.: CAUTION! Nothing short of a pile up takes place as numerous cars get into one another after Kevin Harvick gets turned around. Unreal stuff.

8:20 p.m.: Race has been shortened to 75 laps due to dwindling light conditions. Things should only get that much more interesting.

8:11 p.m.: CAUTION! Bell takes Stage 2 as Bowman’s engine stalls out while coming out of pit road. Rough day for the Hendrick Motorsports talent, who will fall outside the playoff spots with his showing today.

8:01 p.m.: CAUTION! Bowman into the wall! Got too deep alongside Hamlin, who gave him a little love tap. Bowman was unable to get himself turned around in time, prompting the ribboning of that canary emblem.

7:54 p.m.: Larson finding his rhythm as the track dries up. P3 and rising for the No. 5 car, who has climbed himself up the ranks with relative ease.

7:52 p.m.: Back to green and back to the front for Bell. Reddick makes the pass to take P2 from Van Ginsbergen. In fact, SVG is dropping like a stone. Larson and Suarez zip past him as well, sending the New Zealander back to P5. Cup Series driver really don’t mess around.

7:37 p.m.: CAUTION! Gragson in Turn 6 again! Tough day for the youngster, who finds himself wedged in between the tire barrier on 6 for the second time in as many stages.

7:31 p.m.: Bell back out in front. Van Gisbergen took the lead for a bit, but was unable to hold on after rolling into pit road. Still, strong Cup Series debut by the No. 91 driver.

7:28 p.m.: Lots of challenges over the past few laps. Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Todd Gilliland among those to lose their footing while twirling around the course.

7:25 p.m.: Slick tires coming out on the track. Jenson Button nearly rams into Joey Logano on pit road spinning out. That could’ve been much worse.

7:20 p.m.: 20 laps down, one to go. Bell on his way to his first stage victory of the season. Strong showing in the opening 21 laps by the Joe Gibbs Racing talent.

7:14 p.m.: LaJoie proving extremely belligerent with Bowman. Into the back of Bowman once more. Things are getting testy.

7:13 p.m.: Green flag waved signaling the restart of the race. Bell leading things off well. Reddick just behind him in P2.

7:05 p.m.: CAUTION! Gragson with a collision in the tire barrier, much like Busch. Tow truck coming out. Doesn’t look like too much damage, all things considered.

7:03 p.m.: Van Gisbergen pushing hard on Reddick for second. Looks like the No. 45 car is losing speed while others are getting used to the conditions around them. Gotta see if Reddick can arrest the struggles.

7:02 p.m.: Corey LaJoie slips past Alex Bowman for P14 with an aggressive pass on the corner. Compelling stuff here.

6:57 p.m.: Bell takes the lead on Lap 9! Big mistake for Reddick, who lost his spot after a wider than necessary turn. Joe Gibbs Racing sits in first. Just 11 laps to go until the end of Stage 1.

6:55 p.m.: Bell making a run for first. The No. 20 car has been exceedingly aggressive on turns. Reddick and Bell already have plenty of dirt racing experience. Perhaps that expertise on the slickness of soot is helping them do their thing in the wet.

6:53 p.m.: Michael McDowell and Suarez putting on a great go for things in P4 and P5. Both are driving each other to the edge of each turn. At the moment, it’s McDowell with the advantage. A lot of distance between P4 McDowell and P3 Shane Van Gisenbergen.

6:51 p.m.: Back to green. Reddick handling things smoothly through six laps. Got himself a one second edge over Christopher Bell.

6:43 p.m.: CAUTION! Busch’s car wedges into the tire barrier. Slick as anything on this surface. Busch thinks he’ll be able to continue, but he needs help getting pulled up off the track. A tow truck is headed on the course.

6:40 p.m.: Things are proving chaotic through three laps. Already Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, Noah Gragson and Denny Hamlin have made contact, either with themselves or, in Hamlin’s case, the tire barrier on Turn 6. Unreal stuff here.

6:37 p.m.: We’re green in Chicago! Finally! Hamlin and Reddick lead things off!

6:25 p.m.: Interesting to see how Cup Series competitors handle facing odd with drivers more used to street circuits. Will the quality of car (or less thereof) make a major difference? Or could a Cup Series unknown make a major impression in the big city?

6:15 p.m.: Green flag set to be waved quite shortly. Bears quarterback Justin  Fields delivers a timid, but potent rendition of the drivers’ commands. We are almost back to business from the Windy City.

6:10 p.m.: Daniel Suarez is optimistic. Not only is the Trackhouse star confident. But he’s also excited about the prospect of whirling around in slick conditions.

5:55 p.m.: Track conditions improving rapidly. Looks like we’ll be back to green in about 20 minutes.

5:40 p.m.: Here’s how the agreement between the city of Chicago and NASCAR is worded. Note how the two parties have to reach a mutual decision on just when the race can be rescheduled.

5:35 p.m.: More drying equipment headed onto the track, per Pockrass. Not a great sight for those hoping to witness a race on Sunday evening.

5:20 p.m.: Things are not looking very good in the Windy City at the moment. Will be interesting to see at what point NASCAR makes a call (if at ever).

5:10 p.m.: All cars are suited and booted at the moment, protected from the tempest that is opening up above it.

4:55 p.m.: Drivers headed back to their haulers. The weather here is abysmal at the moment.

4:48 p.m.: Strong words by Denny Hamlin, who is adamant that the race should not go on today.

4:40 p.m.: By hook or by crook, this race will go down. Teams equipping their wet tires. Get ready for a wild day in the Chi-Town.

4:38 p.m.: Not looking too good for Sunday’s race at the moment. Raining cats and dogs thus far.

What channel is the NASCAR race on today?

  • TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Peacock, Fubo

The Grant Park 220 will be broadcast on NBC in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN5.

Veteran broadcaster Rick Allen will lead NBC’s coverage, serving as the race’s lap-by-lap announcer. He’ll be joined in the booth by Steve Letarte and on the course by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Mike Bagley.

Fans can watch online via Peacock or Fubo, which offers a free trial.

MORE: Why NASCAR is on NBC instead of Fox

NASCAR start time today

  • Date: Sunday, July 2
  • Start time: 5:30 p.m. ET

NASCAR has moved up the start time for Sunday’s race by almost 50 minutes because of the threat of thunderstorms in Chicago. The green flag will now drop at 5:05 p.m. ET (4:05 p.m. local time); the race originally was scheduled to start at 5:54 p.m. ET (4:54 p.m. local time).

MORE: Date, time, TV channels for every NASCAR Cup Series race in 2023

NASCAR at Chicago starting lineup 2023

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Tyler Reddick 45 23XI Racing
3 Shane Van Gisberger 91 Trackhouse Racing
4 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
6 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
7 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
8 Jenson Button 15 Rick Ware Racing
9 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
10 AJ Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
11 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ty Gibbs 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
13 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
14 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
15 Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing
16 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
17 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
18 Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing
19 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
20 Brad Keselowski 6 RFK Racing
21 Erik Jones 43 Legacy Motor Club
22 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
23 Noah Gragson 42 Legacy Motor Club
24 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
25 Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
26 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
27 Josh Bilicki 78 Live Fast Motorsports
28 Ryan Preece 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
29 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
30 Andy Lally 51 Rick Ware Racing
31 Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
32 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
33 Ty Dillon 77 Spire Motorsports
34 Ross Chastain 1 Trackhouse Racing
35 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
36 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
37 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing

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