Kyle Larson Claims Pole Position for Chicago Street RaceKyle Larson Claims Pole Position for Chicago Street Race Kyle Larson has proven his exceptional driving skills once again by securing the pole position for NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race. With a record-breaking speed averaging over 90 mph, Larson edged out Ty Gibbs by a mere 0.01 seconds. This triumph marks his continued dominance as the NASCAR Cup Series standings leader and 2021 champion. While Shane van Gisbergen, the New Zealand native who stunned the racing world last year, remains a formidable threat, drivers acknowledge that they are closing the gap. Michael McDowell and Tyler Reddick qualified third and fourth, respectively, demonstrating the growing competition. The atmosphere surrounding the event has been vibrant, with fans enjoying ideal weather and a lively ambiance. The race, which airs Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, promises to be an exciting spectacle.
CHICAGO — Kyle Larson continues to show why he is considered one of the most talented drivers in the world.
Larson won the pole position for NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race on Saturday, beating Ty Gibbs (grandson of three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Joe Gibbs) by 0.01 second. His course-record speed put him averaging more than 90 mph on the twists and turns of a track that includes Michigan Ave. Du Sable, Lake Shore Drive and the streets of Grant Park.
Larson, the NASCAR Cup Series standings leader and 2021 champion, recently attracted attention with his attempt at the Memorial Day Weekend “Double,” which resulted in him leading laps in his first Indianapolis 500.
“It’s really cool to get a pole here in Chicago,” he said. “I checked the first box, so hopefully we can keep it going.”
Most of the talk in the run-up to NASCAR’s second running of the Chicago race has been about New Zealand native Shane van Gisbergen, who stunned the racing world by winning last year’s Chicago event in his first-ever NASCAR race.
He is now a full-time driver in the second division of NASCAR’s Xfinity Series (in which Van Gisbergen took pole position on Saturday). He qualified fifth for Sunday’s race and is again seen as a major threat.
But drivers said this weekend that they were closing the gap to van Gisbergen, a three-time champion in the Australian Supercars series who is far more familiar with street racing — a largely foreign concept to most of the NASCAR field. Michael McDowell, driving a Chicago White Sox car, qualified third. He was followed by Tyler Reddick, driving a Jumpman car for co-owner Michael Jordan.
The Chicago Street Course race airs Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
This is the setup:
- Kyle Larson
- Ty Gibbs
- Michael McDowell
- Tyler Reddick
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Bubba Wallace
- Christopher Bell
- Alex Boogman
- Daniel Suarez
- Brad Keselowski
- Denny Hamlin
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Carson Hocevar
- Ross Chastain
- Austin Dillon
- Chris Buescher
- Ryan Blaney
- Pursuit Elliott
- Kyle Busch
- Corey LaJoie
- Austin Cindric
- Pursuit Briscoe
- Justin Haley
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Erik Jones
- Todd Gilliland
- Willem Byron
- Noah Gragson
- Ryan Preece
- Zane Smit
- Harrison Burton
- Joey Logano
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Austin Hill
- Daniel Hemric
- Josh Bes
- AJ Allmendinger
- Joey Hand
- Josh Bilicki
- Kaz Grala
What is the atmosphere like during NASCAR’s second year in Chicago?
Unlike last year, when torrential rain washed out much of the festivities and dampened the spirits surrounding NASCAR’s first street race, fans were greeted with ideal weather on Saturday. The sun was shining and the ambient temperature was in the low 70s with a nice breeze off Lake Michigan.
An almost idyllic day – exactly what NASCAR had in mind when it decided to hold a race in downtown Chicago. Fans seemed to enjoy it, with many smiling and excited people milling about the track, taking in the sights and sounds. This was all before the Cup cars took to the track for practice and qualifying, both of which provided some excitement, including Larson turning in a blazing pole-winning lap and Gibbs narrowly missing out. — Jordan Bianchi, NASCAR Writer
(Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
