Best of the Rest: NASCAR’s Return to Chicagoland

NASCAR made it’s return to a revamped and essentially brought back to life Chicagoland Speedway. Located in Joliet, Illinois, the Chicagoland Speedway has a fairly tumultuous history for it’s young life (compared to similar tracks). Opening in 2001, the  “cookie cutter” 1.5-mile oval hosted ARCA, Cup, and what is now O’Reilly Series events annually from its debut season until 2019. The Craftsman Truck Series eventually got their turn as well, with the first event in 2009.

After such a successful debut, seeing many of the sport’s best reach victory lane, the track was shuttered following the 2019 season. Looking to fulfill the desire of such a big market, NASCAR made the debatable decision to race on the streets of Chicago from 2023 to 2025…jury is out on if that was truly a success or not. Following the last street course event in ’25, work had begun on resurrecting  the once dead Chicagoland Speedway. From the looks of the track this past weekend, one would never know it sat decaying for so many years. Credit to to everyone who brought such a fun track back from the dead.

Next week? Mini Daytona (or EchoPark / Atlanta) is on tap next, while ARCA and Trucks hit the road course of Lime Rock Park.

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ASHLEY FURNITURE 150

Winner: Connor Mosack

Pole: Thomas Annunziata

#77 Lanie Buice

Backing up such a strong performance in her last start in Pocono was Lanie Buice. One of the best surprises to come out of the ARCA Menards Series in 2026, Buice cemented her place as an up and comer in Chicagoland. Having never seen the track until last weekend did not deter Buice and her Pinnacle Racing Group team from showing up in a big way.

Following a 4th-place qualifying effort in the PRG #77 Chevrolet, Buice ran at the front throughout the event, led five laps mid-race, and finished the race with a historic second place run behind teammate Connor Mosack. This marked now the highest finish for a female in ARCA Menards Series history.

Lanie Buice has flourished in 2026 during her part-time schedule for Pinnacle Racing Group already. As a promising young talent, she has a bright future ahead, having scored top-five finishes in all four of her starts this season. Provided she is allowed to develop at her own pace, Buice clearly possesses the talent and maturity to become a proven success. The most critical stage of her career is now, as she hones her craft without the burden of pressure. Given Pinnacle Racing Group’s proven track record of development, the sky seems to be the limit for her future.

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CUERVO 300

Winner: Brandon Jones

Pole: Connor Zilisch

#20 Brandon Jones

NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland also welcomed Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones back to victory lane. Jones, who has always given the competition some serious heat at ovals like Chicagoland and Kansas continued that trend last Saturday.

Jones, who now enters his second season of his JGR return had a much needed boost in Chicagoland. In a season that has seen its fair share of bad luck, last Saturday may have finally broken that chain. Starting considerably behind his competition in 29th, the neon yellow #20 Toyota methodically worked its way through the field, led three times for 12 laps (including the final two), and Jones scored his eighth career NOAP Series win. 

Jones, who returned to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025 has found his way back to victory lane three times since reuniting with JGR. In a series dominated by Chevrolet in 2026, Jones became just the third non-Chevrolet driver to win this season (joining teammates William Sawalich and Taylor Gray).

#87 Nick Sanchez

The sudden release of Nick Sanchez from Big Machine Racing during the off season following a winning rookie campaign, is a bit of a head scratcher this season still. While Sanchez looked poised to break out in 2026 with Big Machine, he instead found himself scrambling for a ride. One of the (if not only) NOAP Series Ford teams came calling in a last minute deal starting at Daytona, with Sanchez joining AM Racing. 

Again, a once promising beginning was quickly pulled away after the first seven races this season, with AM Racing closing their doors. This left Sanchez on the sidelines again, until team owner Doug Peterson approached Sanchez about driving a limited schedule in the teams #87 Chevrolet. The 87, while still piloted by rookie Austin Green in many races this year, will see Sanchez behind the wheel for a 4-race schedule. 

Chicagoland was the second of those 4 races, with the team showing they can run towards the front given the chance. Starting the #87 Chevrolet from the 15th spot, Sanchez had a solid run and finished 12th. A great turnaround for a driver in such career turmoil currently…Sanchez’s previous best was a 3rd place effort with AM Racing in race 2 at Atlanta.

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EERO 400

Winner: Chase Briscoe

Pole: Denny Hamlin

**please note, since the eero 400 was dominated almost completely by Toyotas, there will be only one Cup pick this week**

#2 Austin Cindric

As mentioned above, the Cup Series return to Chicagoland was a microcosm of the entire 2026 season. Toyotas dominated the bulk of the event, with Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing drivers occupying seven of the top ten spots. With the exception of 34th-place Kyle Larson, Penske Racing’s Austin Cindric led 18 laps during the event, making him one of only two non-Toyota drivers to lead multiple laps.

Sporting a patriotic PPG scheme on this weekend, Cindric started his #2 Ford in 23rd. Cindric raced his way to the point on two occasions during the race, for 18 laps total. While Cindric did fade late in the race as the track changed, he collected a solid 13th-place finish in a field so heavily dominated by a rival manufacturer.

Nineteen races into the 2026 season, Cindric and his #2 Penske team have seen their fair share of ups and downs. Yes, the team has collected one top 5, and four top ten finishes…but also has three DNFs (Did Not Finish). Chicagoland was another notch in Cindric’s late season momentum, with it being his fourth top fifteen run in the last five races.