Alex Bowman broke an 80-race NASCAR Cup Series winless streak on Sunday, outlasting the rain and the field to win the Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago.
Bowman, earned his eighth career Cup Series win, holding off Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs in the rain-shortened race that ended with a countdown clock. When the clock hit zero, Bowman needed to maintain his lead for two laps – taking the white flag and the checkered flag – to earn his first win since March 6, 2022, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The past two years have been a struggle for the 31-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, who suffered a concussion in September of 2022 then broke his back in April of 2023.
“Man, I broke my back, I had a brain injury, and we've kind of sucked ever since,” Bowman said in an interview with NBC after the race. “You kind of second guess if you are ever going to win a race again. Last one we won, we didn't really get to celebrate.
“We're going to drink so much damn bourbon tonight. It's going to be a bad deal. I'm probably going to wake up naked on the bathroom floor again.”
Bowman became the 12th driver to win a race this season and most likely locks himself into the 16-driver playoff field with six regular-season races remaining.
The race was delayed for nearly two hours after Stage 1 ended as rain disrupted the race for the second consecutive year. Once the race resumed, every driver switched to wet-weather tires, but teams faced a conundrum on when to change back to primary slick tires once NASCAR instituted the countdown clock.
Christopher Bell, who led most of Stage 2 was one of numerous drivers to change tires before that stage ended, leaving him and many other race leaders in the middle of the pack. Bowman's team, by contrast, made the decision to continue on rain tires.
As the race wound down, Bell, driving on the faster slicks, began chasing down Bowman and made it all the way to sixth in the running on Lap 55 order before contact with teammate Martin Truex Jr. in Turn 2. Carson Hocevar then slammed into Bell, and any hopes Bell had of winning his fourth race of the season came to a screeching halt. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver ended up finishing three laps down in 37th.
Read below for a full recap and all the highlights from today's race.
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Here are the top 10 finishers in the Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago:
Moments after Alex Bowman took the checkered flag to win the Grant Park 165 on the streets of Chicago and before the Hendrick Motorsports driver began celebrating, his No. 48 Chevrolet took a hit into the retaining wall courtesy of Bubba Wallace, who drove up beside and hit the race winner on the cool-down lap.
Wallace had spun earlier in the race after Bowman made contact with his No. 23 Toyota, forcing the 23XI Racing driver to pit for repairs. Wallace rallied to finish 13th, and Bowman immediately apologize as soon as his post-race interview began.
"I want to apologize again to the 23 guys (Wallace's team)," Bowman said. "I just messed up trying to get my windshield wiper on, missed the corner and ruined their day. I hate that, and I'm still embarrased by that."
Alex Bowman held off Tyler Reddick to win the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race on the streets of downtown Chicago. Bowman, driving on wet-weather tires, maintained his poise as Reddick, who had changed to primary slick tires, tried to chase him down. But with the countdown clock expired, Bowman needed to just maintain his lead after the white flag flew to earn his first win of the 2024 season.
Alex Bowman passed Joey Hand on Lap 51 to assume the lead of the Grant Park 165. Bowman outbreaked Hand in Turn 5 before the Hendrick Motorsports driver surged past heading into Turn 6.
Bowman and Hand had remained on wet-weather tires while many of the drivers had changed to primary slicks. Christopher Bell, who had led most of the second stage was the first driver on slick tires on the track in ninth place.
NASCAR has instituted a countdown clock will expire at 9:20 p.m. ET (8:20 p.m. local). Once the clock expires, the white flag will wave and one lap later the checkered. If the caution flag comes out at the point, the leader of the race will be declared the winner.
After many of the leaders hit pit road under green before the end of the second stage to change from wet-weather tires to primary slicks, longshot Joey Hand assumed the lead and earned the first stage win of his NASCAR Cup Series career. The 45-year-old Hand held off a hard charge from Alex Bowman at the start-finish line as the stage ended.
Christopher Bell had led most of the second stage after the race resumed from a rain delay, but he was one of numerous drivers at the front of the field that changed tires. As a result, the top 10 at the end of Stage 2 were all drivers who were still racing with rain tires.
Here are the top-10 finishers of Stage 2:
Bell finished the stage in 13th place, the first of the drivers who changed tires.
Kyle Larson made slight contact with the bumper of Ty Gibbs' No. 54 Toyota then shot straight into the tire barriers in his No. 5 Chevrolet, rattling the retaining wall in Turn 6.
Larson and Gibbs were racing for second on Lap 34 of a scheduled 75 laps when his tires locked up as he grazed Gibbs' car and shot it straight forward at high speed. Larson tried to drive his car back to pit road after a toe truck pulled the car out of the tires, but the damage was so severe he was forced to exit the car, ending his day.
Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, came into the race as the points leader this season.
Christopher Bell passed Ty Gibbs moments after the green flag waved for the restart of the Grant Park 165. Gibbs has fallen to second with Kyle Larson in third and Tyler Reddick in fourth early in the second stage.
The Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race has resumed with the green flag waving on Lap 30 of a scheduled 75 – though the race is likely to end sooner because of darkness.
The top five drivers at the restart:
Following a red flag that lasted 1 hour, 43 minutes, cars have returned to the downtown Chicago street course under caution on Lap 27. The race will go green with a single-file restart.
NASCAR officials had called drivers back to their cars in hopes of restarting the Grant Park 165, but moments before engines were refired, another rain cell landed in downtown Chicago and forced another delay.
The race remains red-flagged as jet dryers continue to blow rain off the streets. NASCAR has announced the race will stop at 9:20 p.m. ET (8:20 p.m. local) – regardless of how many laps have been completed – due to darkness.
NASCAR officials have called drivers back to their cars in hopes of restarting the Grant Park 165 shortly. Jet dryers have been working diligently to blow standing water off the streets of downtown Chicago following a downpour.
The race was red-flagged just after Stage 2 began, on Lap 26 of a scheduled 75 laps.
NASCAR officials brought all the cars down pit road and brought out the red flag, temporarily halting the race as the rain continued to fall in downtown Chicago.
Tracker dryers headed out on the circuit to try to blow the standing water off the streets, so the race could resume – even under the rain. Nearly every driver had already been running on wet-weather tires.
Chase Briscoe lost control of his No. 14 Ford in Turn 6 , hitting defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen on Lap 25. Briscoe spun hard into the tire barrier, but SVG hit the wall hard on the right side of his No. 16 Chevrolet, bringing out the caution
Van Gisbergen, who also won Saturday's Xfinity race, was forced to retire from the race because of excessive damage to his car.
Ty Gibbs had taken the lead from Zane Smith when Stage 2 began and held the lead when the yellow flag came out. Christopher Bell was second, Kyle Larson third, Smith fourth and Tyler Reddick fifth.
Zane Smith, who had already been racing on rain tires, stayed out under the caution at the end of the first stage as most of the rest of the field – those on who remained on the lead lap – hit pit road to change from slick to wet tires.
The Spire Motorsports driver will lead the field to green for the start of Stage 2 in his No. 71 Chevrolet, followed by Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson and Shane van Gisbergen.
Defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen won the opening stage, which ended under caution as the rain began to come down harder.
Gisbergen, who also won Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity race on the streets of Chicago, took the lead on Lap 13 and held it through the end of the 20-lap first stage. Drivers then hit pit road to change to wet-weather tires.
Here are the top 10 finishers in Stage 1:
Lajoie brings out first caution in NASCAR Chicago street race
Corey Lajoie spun coming out of Turn 4, bringing out the caution on Lap 17. LaJoie, who started 20th, hit the wall with the back of his No. 7 Cheverolet and couldn't get turned around as the field of cars approached, forcing officials to to throw the first yellow flag of the day.
NASCAR officials decided not to open pit road before the end of the 20-lap opening stage, ending it under caution. With more rain fast approaching, teams will have a chance to decide whether to switch to wet-weather tires at the stage break.
Defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen passed Ty Gibbs on Lap 13 of the Grant Park 165. Gibbs was forced to slow as the leaders came up on the back of the field, and SVG took advantage, moving past the Joe Gibbs Racing driver on the inside of Turns 11 and 12. There are 20 laps scheduled in the opening stage.
Ty Gibbs, who started second, has led 10 lap so far in the Grant Park 165. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver surged past pole sitter Kyle Larson when the green flag dropped. Starting on primary slick tires, Gibbs has maintained the lead through the first half of the 20-lap opening stage.
Defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen has moved up to second, followed by Christopher Bell, Larson and Chase Briscoe.
The green flag has waved for the Grant Park 165 with pole sitter Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing leading the 40-car field past the start/finish line in Grant Park. Some drivers have changed to wet-weather tires, while others are driving with the primary slicks. Some of the downtown streets have puddles, while others remain mostly dry.
Ty Gibbs immediately jumped to the lead ahead of Tyler Reddick and Larson.
Cars have rolled out of pit road to take a one-lap inspection of the course for the Grant Park 165. Drivers are cruising down the downtown streets at pace-car speed trying to determine whether they should keep their normal slick tires or change to rain tires, which have treads.
While you should not expect the torrential downpour that happened in 2023, the Grant Park 165 has had a run-in with Mother Nature already on Sunday.
Prior to the start of the race, the streets of Chicago were sprinkled with a little light rain. Rain is expect to fall in light sheets over the next hour.
NASCAR designated the track as wet, and teams are prepped with rain tires in the event that wet weather does continue play into the festivities this afternoon.
A light rain has begun falling in downtown Chicago before the start of the Grant Park 165. Crew members have covered the cars on pit road to keep them from getting wet. NASCAR and Goodyear have brought rain tires to the event, so the race should be able to go green before long if the rain doesn't become too heavy.
Former Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte gave drivers the command to start engines for the Grant Park 165. The two-time NFL Pro Bowler played eight seasons in Chicago and two with the New York Jets before retiring in 2017.
Reigning series champion Ryan Blaney is among nine drivers that will drop to the rear of the field before the green flag waves for the Grant Park 165 in Chicago. Eight of the nine needed to make repairs to their cars following Saturday's on track-session, which NASCAR considers unapproved adjustments.
Aside from Blaney, the other drivers who made repairs are Chris Buescher, Josh Berry, Brad Keselowski, Corey LaJoie, Harrison Burton, William Byron and Erik Jones. Josh Bilicki's car failed pre-race inspection three times, invalidating the team’s qualifying time while also resulting in a pass-through penalty down pit road at the beginning of the race.
NBC is broadcasting the Grant Park 165 and will have a pre-race show at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. local).
The Grant Park 165 can be live streamed on Peacock, the NBCSports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.
The Grant Park 165 is 75 laps around the 2.2-mile street course for a total of 165 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) − Stage 1: 20 laps; Stage 2: 25 laps; Stage 3: 30 laps.
Kyle Larson is in pole position as drivers gear up for Sunday's race. Here's the lineup:
The forecast in Chicago Sunday for the Grant Park 165 is mostly favorable, though a chance of thunderstorms nonetheless looms.
The National Weather Service is projecting a 30% chance of precipitation at 3 p.m. local time, half an hour before the start of the race, with the chance of rain peaking at 4 p.m., at 31%. The NWS is also forecasting the chance of thunderstorms at that time between 30% and 50%.
As a band of storm clouds rolls through the area, traveling east, the chance for rain and thunder will gradually decrease as the afternoon wears on, with the chance of rain falling to 21% by 6 p.m.
Per the NWS, the temperature is expected to hover around the mid-to-low 80s, with a projection of 86 degrees at 3 p.m. Wind gusts of up to 17 miles per hour are expected throughout the afternoon.
Drivers will cruise down iconic streets like Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive and past famous landmarks like Buckingham Fountain during the Grant Park 165. The 12-turn, 2.2-mile circuit will start on Columbus Avenue and wind through the downtown streets before it hits the start/finish line in front of Grant Park.
Shane van Gisbergen won his NASCAR Cup Series debut, chasing down Justin Haley and Chase Elliott on July 2, 2023, in a memorable finish to the series’ first street race. The New Zealand native and three-time Supercars champion led the final eight laps and pulled away from Haley by 1.259 seconds to become the first driver to win his Cup debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.
Seven races remain in the regular season, including Sunday’s race in Chicago, before the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin on Sept. 11. A regular-season win virtually locks up a playoff berth, but the possibility still remains that there could be more race winners than available playoff spots since 11 drivers have a least won victory this season.
2024 winners (points in parentheses): Kyle Larson 3 (664); Denny Hamlin 3 (621); Christopher Bell 3 (576); William Byron 3 (570); Chase Elliott 1 (644); Tyler Reddick 1 (611); Ryan Blaney 1 (560); Brad Keselowski 1 (531); Joey Logano 1 (470); Daniel Suarez 1 (383); Austin Cindric 1 (367).
The Grant Park 165 starts at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. local) on the streets of downtown Chicago.
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