NASCAR insider picks winner, top-5 finishers, longshot for Chicago Street Race
The pick is officially in from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports for Sunday’s Grant Park 165 Chicago Street Race.
While the favorite surely has to be Shane van Gisbergen coming off his win in the inaugural event last year and in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, Pockrass is going in a different direction. He’s rolling with Kyle Larson, who sits on the pole for Sunday’s race.
Larson, who typically finds himself near the front of the field on a weekly basis, was there again at Nashville this past Sunday until he ran out of gas during the overtime period. His most recent victory came on a road course at Sonoma last month, and he finished P4 last year at Chicago. He finished P3 in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, often battling for the lead with van Gisbergen.
“I think my car is much more competitively matched to his car for tomorrow,” Larson said after the race. “And others, too. I think my car’s really good, I feel like, in five and in nine all the way to 11. That gives me confidence for tomorrow.
“But Cup races are really, really hard. There’s way more good cars, way more good drivers. A lot of drivers with great racecars. It’s tough, but I like my chances for tomorrow to at least have another good run. We’ll see.”
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Who can challenge Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen in Chicago Street Race?
Rounding out Pockrass’ top-five are Tyler Reddick, van Gisbergen, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. Reddick is an intriguing pick as he has tallied top-10 finishes in five of his last six starts, including a P3 finish at Nashville this past Sunday. In his last 12 starts at road courses, Reddick has 10 top 10s. He finished in the top three of both stages at Chicago last year before getting into the tire barriers and finishing 28th. He starts P4 on Sunday. van Gisbergen starts P5, Hamlin P11 and Elliott back in 18th.
Pockrass’ long shot to win is Justin Haley, one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 Cup Series season. The Rick Ware Racing driver has recorded four top-15 finishes in the last seven races, including top 10s at Darlington and Gateway. Haley starts from the 23rd position at Chicago.