| NASCAR Cup Series Chicagoland Speedway eero 400 Team Chevy Post-Race Report July 5, 2026 |
| In the NASCAR Cup Series long-awaited return to Chicagoland Speedway, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team brought home a fourth-place finish to lead Chevrolet to the checkered flag of the eero 400. The result, his fourth top-five finish of the season, was accompanied by a sweep of the stage wins and a season-high 94 laps led. Rounding out the Team Chevy top-five, Alex Bowman put together yet another strong Chicagoland campaign – driving his No. 48 Chevrolet to a top-five finish and a spot into the third round of the In-Season Challenge. RACE RECAP: Stage One: With the first caution of the day falling on the opening lap, a second attempt at taking the green flag saw front-row starter, Kyle Larson, drive his Chevrolet to the command position. The reigning champion was able to hold onto the lead for the first 18 laps of the opening stage, ultimately losing the position to a hard-charging Denny Hamlin. Settled into the position until the second caution fell near the halfway point of the stage, Larson’s first report from behind the wheel indicated that he was fighting a tight-handling car in Turns Three and Four. With a call for four tires, fuel and a minor adjustment by crew chief Cliff Daniels, the No. 5 pit crew kept their driver in the second position to take the green flag for the restart. A side-by-side battle with Hamlin saw Larson be able to muscle his Chevrolet past the pole-sitter to retain the lead on the exit of Turn Four. With an assist from a three-position gain in the race off pit road under the caution, it was his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, that was able to capitalize on the track position during the restart to reach second just before the third caution of the day. A trio of early-race cautions saw the start of varying strategies along pit road. Returning to the track as the first cars on a four-tire strategy, Larson and Byron netted out in the 11th and 12th positions, respectively, to take the green flag with 27 laps to go in the stage. The advantage of fresh Goodyear rubber came to display early in the run as the teammates made their way back into the top-five in just five laps around the 1.5-mile oval. As the opening stage wound down, the speed of the No. 24 Chevrolet came to light as the driver climbed back up into the second position and quickly went to work on then race leader, Austin Cindric, in the closing laps – ultimately making the pass on Lap 69 to lead his first laps of evening. Keeping his teammate in his rearview mirror, Byron went on to cash in on the first green-white checkered flag with Larson in tow to give Chevrolet an one-two finish in Stage One. Stage Two: Under the stage break, crew chief Rudy Fugle made the call for four tires and fuel, and with a masterful stop by the No. 24 pit crew, Byron was able to maintain the top position for the start of Stage Two. Byron was able to lead the opening lap of Stage Two, but the stint was short-lived as Bubba Wallace traded positions just a few laps later. The green conditions turned yellow shortly thereafter when the third-place runner, Larson, spun off Turn Four. Lined up on the outside lane of the front-row for the restart, Byron was able to remain on the door of Wallace through the backstretch before settling back into the second position. As the race finally settled into a long run to set-up for a green flag pit cycle, Byron reported that the previous adjustment made an improvement to the handling of his Chevrolet, but he was still experiencing overall tight conditions throughout the track. Making the call to hit pit road just past the halfway mark of Stage Two, Byron made his way back up into the eighth position just as the fifth caution of the day flew amidst the tail-end of the cycle. With the remaining cars completing their stops under the caution, Byron found his way back to a position on the front-row to lead the field to the restart. This time, it was Byron that was able to power off a strong restart to take over the lead once again with 20 laps to go in the stage. Reaching up to just over an one-second lead over Briscoe, Byron started to build two-numbers tighter late in the long run but managed to hold him off to drive to a stage win sweep. Final Stage: With the No. 24 pit crew keeping their driver up front once again, Byron found his way back to the front-row to lead the field to the green flag for the final stage of the race. Electing the inside lane for the restart, it was no competition for the top position as Byron cleared Briscoe in Turns One and Two for the start of the run. With a two-stop strategy for the final run, Byron set the pace for the first-half of the stage as the field approached the final green flag pit cycle of the race. But with Briscoe making his stop just one lap before Byron, the No. 24 Chevrolet fell to the second position as the cycle was deemed complete. Going green to the end, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native went on to take the checkered flag with fourth-place finish. |
| Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos. Driver 4th – William Byron5th – Alex Bowman  Chevrolet’s season statistics with 19 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:Wins: 6Poles: 4Top-Fives: 36Top 10s: 68Stage Wins: 15 |
| The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at EchoPark Speedway with the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart on Sunday, July 12, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on TNT Sports, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| NASCAR Cup SeriesChicagoland Speedwayeero 400Team Chevy Post-Race ReportJuly 5, 2026 |
Byron, Bowman Lead Chevrolet with Top-Five Finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series Return to Chicagoland Speedway |
| MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
| In the NASCAR Cup Series long-awaited return to Chicagoland Speedway, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team brought home a fourth-place finish to lead Chevrolet to the checkered flag of the eero 400. The result, his fourth top-five finish of the season, was accompanied by a sweep of the stage wins and a season-high 94 laps led. Rounding out the Team Chevy top-five, Alex Bowman put together yet another strong Chicagoland campaign – driving his No. 48 Chevrolet to a top-five finish and a spot into the third round of the In-Season Challenge. RACE RECAP: Stage One: With the first caution of the day falling on the opening lap, a second attempt at taking the green flag saw front-row starter, Kyle Larson, drive his Chevrolet to the command position. The reigning champion was able to hold onto the lead for the first 18 laps of the opening stage, ultimately losing the position to a hard-charging Denny Hamlin. Settled into the position until the second caution fell near the halfway point of the stage, Larson’s first report from behind the wheel indicated that he was fighting a tight-handling car in Turns Three and Four. With a call for four tires, fuel and a minor adjustment by crew chief Cliff Daniels, the No. 5 pit crew kept their driver in the second position to take the green flag for the restart. A side-by-side battle with Hamlin saw Larson be able to muscle his Chevrolet past the pole-sitter to retain the lead on the exit of Turn Four. With an assist from a three-position gain in the race off pit road under the caution, it was his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, that was able to capitalize on the track position during the restart to reach second just before the third caution of the day. A trio of early-race cautions saw the start of varying strategies along pit road. Returning to the track as the first cars on a four-tire strategy, Larson and Byron netted out in the 11th and 12th positions, respectively, to take the green flag with 27 laps to go in the stage. The advantage of fresh Goodyear rubber came to display early in the run as the teammates made their way back into the top-five in just five laps around the 1.5-mile oval. As the opening stage wound down, the speed of the No. 24 Chevrolet came to light as the driver climbed back up into the second position and quickly went to work on then race leader, Austin Cindric, in the closing laps – ultimately making the pass on Lap 69 to lead his first laps of evening. Keeping his teammate in his rearview mirror, Byron went on to cash in on the first green-white checkered flag with Larson in tow to give Chevrolet an one-two finish in Stage One. Stage Two: Under the stage break, crew chief Rudy Fugle made the call for four tires and fuel, and with a masterful stop by the No. 24 pit crew, Byron was able to maintain the top position for the start of Stage Two. Byron was able to lead the opening lap of Stage Two, but the stint was short-lived as Bubba Wallace traded positions just a few laps later. The green conditions turned yellow shortly thereafter when the third-place runner, Larson, spun off Turn Four. Lined up on the outside lane of the front-row for the restart, Byron was able to remain on the door of Wallace through the backstretch before settling back into the second position. As the race finally settled into a long run to set-up for a green flag pit cycle, Byron reported that the previous adjustment made an improvement to the handling of his Chevrolet, but he was still experiencing overall tight conditions throughout the track. Making the call to hit pit road just past the halfway mark of Stage Two, Byron made his way back up into the eighth position just as the fifth caution of the day flew amidst the tail-end of the cycle. With the remaining cars completing their stops under the caution, Byron found his way back to a position on the front-row to lead the field to the restart. This time, it was Byron that was able to power off a strong restart to take over the lead once again with 20 laps to go in the stage. Reaching up to just over an one-second lead over Briscoe, Byron started to build two-numbers tighter late in the long run but managed to hold him off to drive to a stage win sweep. Final Stage: With the No. 24 pit crew keeping their driver up front once again, Byron found his way back to the front-row to lead the field to the green flag for the final stage of the race. Electing the inside lane for the restart, it was no competition for the top position as Byron cleared Briscoe in Turns One and Two for the start of the run. With a two-stop strategy for the final run, Byron set the pace for the first-half of the stage as the field approached the final green flag pit cycle of the race. But with Briscoe making his stop just one lap before Byron, the No. 24 Chevrolet fell to the second position as the cycle was deemed complete. Going green to the end, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native went on to take the checkered flag with fourth-place finish. |
| Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos. Driver 4th – William Byron5th – Alex Bowman Chevrolet’s season statistics with 19 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:Wins: 6Poles: 4Top-Fives: 36Top 10s: 68Stage Wins: 15 |
| The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at EchoPark Speedway with the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart on Sunday, July 12, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on TNT Sports, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| Post-Race Driver Quotes: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 24th“We were going in the right direction with the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Aptiv Chevrolet here today at Chicagoland Speedway, but as the race progressed, especially in stage 3, I was battling wear on the right rear. It was a frustrating day, but everyone across RCR and ECR gave it their all. We’ll take what we learned and reset as we turn our attention back to speedway racing next weekend in Atlanta.” William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Anduril Finished: 4th You wanted a big points day, so you can check that box. Do you walk away happy with this finish?“We definitely reached that objective. I’m happy with the finish because we maximized what we could do. A win would have been awesome. We’ve been craving that for a long time and working really hard to get there. We could kind of taste it there with a couple runs to go. We got jumped by the No. 19 (Chase Briscoe, race winner) there on that last green flag pit cycle, but I just didn’t quite have the pace that last run to keep up with him, and then those other guys had fresher tires at the end. Just thank you to Anduril, Chevrolet and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for working super-hard. We’ve been grinding a lot. For us on the No. 24 team, that last two ovals we’ve been to, we’ve had a shot to compete and win, so we just have to keep that going.” Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One. Finished: 37th“Not the day we should have had in the zone x 7-Eleven Chevrolet. Hate it for everyone who works at RCR, ECR, and CT Spring because they built a good car. We were making gains with the balance. Fired off a little tight but the adjustments on the first stop helped. A few laps after that stop, right past halfway of Stage 1, we got hit from behind under green which ended our day early. We will turn our attention to next week but proud to be a part of this team.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 5th “It definitely feels nice to have a good, normal, solid day for this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team. We didn’t start the day how we wanted to. We were super-tight taking off on those first couple of restarts. But at the end of Stage Two until the end of the race, I felt pretty good about the Ally Chevrolet. Hats off to the entire No. 48 team. We just needed a good, normal day. It feels like a win with how the season has gone, but we just have to keep digging every week.” |