NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Turn Chicagoland into the Win-dy City on Sunday?
From the twists and turns of Wine Country, NASCAR’s second half begins on the wide open Chicagoland Speedway. Marking this track’s first NASCAR appearance in seven seasons, a tripleheader weekend is on deck from the nation’s third-largest city. Almost half of Sunday’s field will make their maiden Cup start at this intermediate oval. Never repaved since being built in 2000, Chicagoland will be one of the oldest surfaces drivers will face all year. Amid this unique track’s highly anticipated return, here are a few who hope to capture the first checkered flag back at Chicagoland.
Denny Hamlin
Three guarantees in life for 2026 are death, taxes, and Denny Hamlin being a contender. Now the Cup Series points leader for the first time all season, Sonoma saw the No. 11 Toyota complete a 129-point charge to take the top spot. Hamlin is a past Chicagoland Speedway winner from 2015, and was one of three drivers to turn laps there in a recent Goodyear tire test ahead of this weekend.
“It’s just been so long since I raced there,” Hamlin said. “You know? And we hadn’t run there in the Next Gen Car. So my thing was I don’t remember the track being that rough. But also the last time we ran there had suspension on the cars. Now with the underbody being the main source of downforce, we have to run our cars so low. That makes the surface of the track feel bumpier than I remember.”
A lot was different in Denny Hamlin’s life the last time he raced at Chicagoland Speedway. 2015’s victory was his 26th career triumph; 11 years later he now sits at 64 Cup checkered flags. Hamlin also was not yet a team owner, now being partnered with Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan. Trash talk and internal rivalries between both diehard competitors have stepped up this season. Hamlin remains in a dogfight with 23XI Racing’s No. 45 of Tyler Reddick for the top Chase seed. Sunday could easily be another heavyweight bought between both Toyotas. Hamlin’s recent momentum may just put the 11 over the edge near MJ’s home court.
Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry on the grid from Charlotte Motor Speedway before the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Kyle Larson
Shockingly winless across six Chicagoland races is Kyle Larson, but he’s been close enough to taste victory here. Chicagoland Speedway is Larson’s best statistical track with multiple starts, where he has five top-10s and an average finish of 6.2. That includes second-place showings in Larson’s last two trips to the Windy City. Also in April’s tire test here, Larson says he really likes what he saw at the reborn track.
“It was really fast,” Larson said about his April test laps here. “Had a lot more grip than I was expecting it to have, and a little less falloff than I was expecting it to have. A challenging track all around, super rough surface, and yeah I’m excited to get there.”
“It’s been a while. But Chicago was an awesome track, you know, back then. I feel like it’s going to be a lot of fun with this car. I think this car produces a little bit more exciting racing on the intermediate style tracks. I’m just curious to get there, see what you kind of condition the facility’s in at this point and the racing surface and how it’s changed in the last six years.”
Kyle Larson will always live on in Chicagoland Speedway history, being on the losing end of 2018’s iconic finish here. Kyle Busch got the upper hand that day, only for future teammate Alex Bowman to also get by Larson late the next year. Can the Chicago bridesmaid finally be the belle of the ball? Larson looks to erase a 42-race losing drought with his first checkered flag of 2026. Earning five top-fives in the last six weeks, Larson may just be peaking in perfect time for a Chicagoland walk off.
Kyle Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.Com Chevrolet Camaro on the grid at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 12, 2026. Photo credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Ryan Blaney
The third and final taker in Goodyear’s April Chicagoland test, Ryan Blaney also eyes a return trip trophy. Team Penske’s No. 12 Mustang leads all Fords at third in points. Sunday will see Blaney look to improve on a career-best fourth-place run at Chicagoland. This high water mark came all the way back in Blaney’s rookie season, showing he’s always been adept at this tricky track.
“It was nice to be there,” Blaney said. “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.”
Top-10 in seven of his last eight starts this season, Blaney has been firmly set at third in points. Ford’s championship frontrunner from the first half of 2026 will look to make inroads on the points lead at Chicagoland. Looking to continue his hot summer stretch, Blaney is gunning for a series-leading 14th top-10 on the year.
Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang on the grid at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 12, 2026. Photo credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Tyler Reddick
A co-favorite for Chicagoland alongside his boss Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick looks to make more Chicago winning memories with Michael Jordan. The six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls turned NASCAR owner eyes adding a Chicagoland Speedway trophy to 23XI Racing’s case.
Reddick has never started a Cup race at this track, but he’s been lights-out fast on similar ovals this season. Between its high speeds and aged pavement, Chicagoland Speedway can be called a mix of Kansas and Darlington, two of Reddick’s five 2026 wins. If Reddick’s Toyota can stay free of mechanical issues this week, the 45 should be a constant top-five threat. This optimism comes despite sub 25th-place results in three of Reddick’s last four races. Losing his stranglehold on the points lead held since Daytona, Reddick hopes for a rebound run around Joliet.
Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Pinnacle Toyota Camry on the grid from EchoPark (Atlanta) Speedway before winning the Autotrader 400 on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Photo credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Chase Elliott
Eleventh or better in three of his four Chicagoland starts, including two podium results, is Chase Elliott. Driver 9 claimed one O’Reilly Series Windy City win from 2015, and turned that into a third-place outing here as a Cup rookie. Runner-up the next season remains Elliott’s best Sunday showing from Chi-Town, a record he’s looking to break this weekend.
Despite coming out of the gates strong to start 2026, Elliott and the No. 9 team have faltered in recent weeks. Seventh at Nashville is Elliott’s lone top-10 since winning Texas in May, a span of seven starts. Currently sixth in points, Elliott looks to rise up again as a winning threat on Chicagoland’s familiar confines.
Chase Elliott’s No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro at Martinsville Speedway before the winning the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 29, 2026. Photo credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Brad Keselowski
No list of potential Chicagoland winners is complete without at least mentioning Brad Keselowski. The Michigan native has two Illinois triumphs, from his championship season (2012) and his winningest Cup campaign (2014). Past that last victory here, BK had been ultra-consistent on this intermediate oval with an active streak of nine-straight top-10s.
Shifting to 2026, Keselowski and RFK Racing need to find some foundational success. The No. 6 hasn’t been in the top-10 since Kansas in April, a streak of nine starts. This same span has seen Keselowski stumble from ninth to 18th in points, now on the outside looking in for The Chase. Having conquered Chicagoland Speedway before, this weekend could begin a second half turnaround for the veteran and his Chase-hungry crew.
Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 BuildSubmarines.Com Ford Mustang on the grid from Charlotte Motor Speedway before the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Sunday’s eero 400 could be the biggest regular season unknown left for all drivers, as the first Next Gen race on this worn out track. Past stats are discounted with how radically different the new generation of racecar drives on all tracks. Sunday’s green flag will fly at 6 p.m. ET on TNT, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. With tight points battles across the Chase grid, Chicagoland could cause max chaos for championship favorites.
Written by Peter Stratta
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