NASCAR heads to the Poconos

NASCAR shifts from the city streets of Chicago to the mountains of northeast Pennsylvania at Pocono Raceway.

Alex Bowman and Shane Van Gisbergen earned Cup and Xfinity victories, respectively, in the Windy City, or rather, soggy in Bowman's case after a rain-shortened Grant Park 165 Cup win.

Last year: Denny Hamlin led the final seven laps after a late restart and earned his milestone 50th Cup win under caution. He led a 1-2-3 Toyota sweep that included Tyler Reddick — in a ride co-owned by Hamlin and basketball great Michael Jordan — and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. Camrys claimed five of the top six spots in a race that featured 14 lead changes and 11 cautions.

Last race: Alex Bowman won the rain-shortened Grant Park 165 on the streets of Chicago to snap an 80-race drought. He overtook sports car expert Joey Hand on Lap 51 just before the fifth and final caution to win a race shortened from 75 to 58 laps following a rain delay of more than 100 minutes. Reddick was second as the event finished with a 20-minute clock to beat an 8:20 p.m. CDT cutoff in the twilight.

Fast facts: Bowman qualified for the Cup Series playoff and became the 12th driver to win this season, leaving four remaining postseason spots with six regular season events left. ... New Zealand's Shane Van Gisbergen, who made NASCAR history last year by winning the inaugural event in his Cup debut, was knocked out on lap 25 following contact with Chase Briscoe that heavily damaged his Chevy when he hit a temporary wall. Gisbergen won the Xfinity Series race a day earlier. ... Kyle Larson, who won the pole, remains atop the driver standings but is just 11 points clear of Rick Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott. Reddick is 23 points back in third with Hamlin fourth, 42 behind.

Next race: July 21, Indianapolis.

Alex Bowman gets out of his car after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Chicago.

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