NASCAR

Drivers to watch, favorites to win and predictions for NASCAR Chicago

Here's a breakdown of all the drivers who will race in the Grant Park 165 on Sunday in Chicago with possible winners, longshots and sleepers.

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The 2025 Chicago Street Race will see the world's greatest stock car drivers hitting the track. A combination of big name stars, past Chicago winners and young prospects will make up the field in Sunday's race.

Here's everything to know about the drivers competing in the Grant Park 165:

Who are the drivers in the NASCAR Chicago Street Race?

There are 41 drivers attempting to qualifying for the 2025 Chicago Street Race.

Thirty-six of the 41 entries are locked into the race by virtue of the NASCAR charter system. That leaves five drivers battling for four spots, with the slowest one going home after Saturday's qualifying session.

The five drivers who are not guaranteed a starting spot are Kaulig Racing's Will Brown, Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill, Garage 66's Josh Bilicki, 23XI Racing's Corey Heim and Live Fast Motorsports' Katherine Legge.

NASCAR pit stops are a sport themselves with how much planning goes into a perfect pit stop. Here's what you need to know about what happens during a pit stop.

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One of the standout drivers in Sunday's race will be Tyler Reddick, who competes for Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing. He'll be sporting a Jordan Brand-sponsored Toyota that will be tough to miss out on track.

Here's the full entry list for the Grant Park 165, with car numbers, driver names, team names and sponsors:

Car numberDriverTeamSponsor
1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingBusch Light Apple
2Austin CindricTeam PenskeDiscount Tire
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingBreztri
4Noah GragsonFront Row MotorsportsRasmussen Air & Gas Energy
5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsValvoline
6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingKroger/Blue Buffalo
7Justin HaleySpire MotorsportsGainbridge
8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingSlurpee
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsNAPA Auto Parts
10Ty DillonKaulig RacingSea Best
11Ryan TruexJoe Gibbs RacingProgressive
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeMenards
13Will Brown*Kaulig RacingMobile X
16AJ AllmendingerKaulig RacingCelsius
17Chris BuescherRFK RacingBody Guard
19Chase BriscoeJoe Gibbs RacingBass Pro Shops
20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingCraftsman
21Josh BerryWood Brothers RacingMotorcraft/Quick Lane
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeShell/Pennzoil
23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingMcDonald's
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsAll-Pro Auto Reconditioning
33Austin Hill*Richard Childress RacingUnited Rentals
34Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsGrillo's Pickles
35Riley Herbst23XI RacingLucy
38Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsVermeer Midwest
41Cole CusterHaas Factory TeamHaas/Andy's Custard
42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree
43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubAdvent Health
45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingJordan Brand
47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingRate
48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly
51Cody WareRick Ware RacingArby's
54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingMonster Energy
60Ryan PreeceRFK RacingBuildSubmarines.com
66Josh Bilicki*Garage 66PureKick
67Corey Heim*23XI RacingRobinhood
71Michael McDowellSpire MotorsportsDePaul University
77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsZeigler Auto Group
78Katherine Legge*Live Fast Motorsportse.l.f. Cosmetics
88Shane van GisbergenTrackhouse RacingWeatherTech
99Daniel SuárezTrackhouse RacingJockey
2025 Grant Park 165 entry list
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace is one of the most recognized names in NASCAR. Here’s what you need to know.

Favorites, picks, predictions for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88, Trackhouse Racing

The inaugural Chicago winner in 2023, SVG has only gotten stronger in the past two years. The former Australian Supercars driver has transitioned to full-time NASCAR, making him even more familiar with the American stock cars. He won the Xfinity Series race at Chicago last year and was in position to take the Cup victory again before an accident took him out. With one win already in 2025 at the road course in Mexico City, the 36-year-old Kiwi is again the heavy favorite in Chicago.

Christopher Bell, No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing

In the first two years, no one has led more laps in Chicago than Bell (51) -- he just doesn't have the finishes to show for it. The Joe Gibbs Racing star was 18th in 2023 after winning both stages and 37th in 2024 after hitting the wall late. Bell has already won a road course race this year (Circuit of the Americas) and finished second to SVG in Mexico City. He could be the top challenger for van Gisbergen this weekend.

Chase Elliott, No. 9, Hendrick Motorsports

Fresh off a hometown win in Atlanta, Elliott has more momentum than any driver. He's scored three straight top-fives, including a third-place finish in Mexico City behind SVG and Bell. Elliott's road course prowess matches anyone in the field, leading all drivers with seven career wins. Even though he hasn't visited victory lane at the track type since 2021, he's been more consistent than anyone (25 top-10s in 37 career starts).

We walked, biked and drove the Chicago NASCAR Street Race course to see what it’s really like—and how long it takes to complete without race-day speed.

Ty Gibbs, No. 54, Joe Gibbs Racing

Gibbs didn't get the finish in Mexico City (11th), but he was the only driver to match SVG out front. He led 27 laps in the race, often battling side-by-side with the eventual winner. In Chicago, Gibbs has finished ninth and third with laps led each year. Still searching for his first career win, the 22-year-old Gibbs could finally get it done on Sunday in his 106th career start.

Michael McDowell, No. 71, Spire Motorsports

He's not necessarily a household name, but McDowell is constantly in the mix at road courses. The 2023 Indianapolis winner started fifth and finished fifth in Mexico city -- the same finish he had in Chicago last summer. That came after a seventh-place run in 2023. McDowell, like SVG, is one of the series' best drivers at racing in the rain.

Longshots and sleepers to watch

There are plenty of skilled street course racers in the field on Sunday that haven't been mentioned -- Kyle Larson, A.J. Allmendinger, William Byron and Tyler Reddick, to name a few. Another name to monitor is Will Brown, who is coming over from the same Australian series that gave us SVG. Brown, driving for Kaulig Racing in a one-off entry, made his Cup debut in Sonoma last year but has never driven the Chicago Street Race.

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