JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — Chase Briscoe held off Christopher Bell on Sunday night in NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway, racing to his first Cup Series victory of the season.
Briscoe was followed closely by Bell in the final laps on the 1.5-mile oval about 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. But Bell was unable to run down his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
The 31-year-old Briscoe, an Indiana native, celebrated his sixth career win with a burnout before
standing in the window of his car and waving to the sellout crowd.
It was Bell’s fourth runner-up finish this season. He raced with a splint on his arm as he continues his recovery after breaking his left wrist in a crash at Michigan on June 7.
Denny Hamlin, who started on the pole, was third. William Byron, who won the opening two stages, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five.
NASCAR ran 19 Cup races in Joliet before pulling out after the 2019 season. It tried to build interest in the event in a crowded sports market, but the race struggled with attendance.
After racing on a street course in downtown Chicago each of the previous three years, NASCAR decided to go back to Chicagoland — eager to see how the Next Gen cars would do on the rough and bumpy asphalt at the facility. Rain on Friday and Saturday caused some parking issues, but the racing was compelling.
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