When NASCAR Cup driver takes the streets of Chicago for the third race in Windy City, one of the focal points will be a fight between Alex Bomon and Bubba Wallace.
Boman Sunday is the rescue winner of Grant Park 165 (TNT at 2 pm ET, MRN and SeriusXM NASCAR Radio). The driver of the number 48 hendric motorcycles Chevrolet has been matched against Wallace in the second round of these-season challenge.
Incidentally, Boman and Wallace are two drivers above the current elimination line for the cup playoffs. Boman has 39 points for good. The one is 23 points above the cutoff.
Bowman moved forward in the second round of challenge on the strength of third -place finish last Saturday at the Ecopark Speedway outside Atlanta. The truth is that Boman had very little concern to worry after his first round rival, Joy Logano, ended in 22-car pileup at Lap 69.
Boman said after the race, “I will take it to ensure it, and we will continue to dig it.”
On the other hand, Wallace, after his rival, Daniel Suarez, just proceeded by placing his car on the track, KO’D by the same debris that Logano was dropped. Wallace finished 22nd, but it was quite good to move forward.
Although these-season challenge will be a short-term focus for both Boman and Wallace, but the over-arching target is to create a playoffs. The serious reality is that both are on unstable ground in that relationship.
There are eight races left in the regular season. As things now stand, currently two more unique winners under Boman and Walece can eliminate both drivers, should they fail to win the race.
For logic, let’s say that AJ Allmander wins one of the three road courses left in the regular season – Chicago, Sonoma or Watkins Glenn (where he claimed the first of his three cups of win in 2014).
And suppose Eric Jones wins the final regular season event in Detona, where he has won earlier. Under those circumstances, clearly fictional, bubbles will put the playoff opportunities in strict crisis.
An winning of any of the next eight races resolves the problem, and Boman is eager to defend his victory from last year.
“It is very special to go back to Chicago,” Boman said. “Last year this victory was very big for me and it was 48 teams. It was one of the races where everything came together at the right time.
“Street course is such a unique challenge, and the atmosphere we’re contrary to see something else to see the whole year. I am excited to go back there, defend that victory, and hopefully maintain the construction pace for the playoff push.”
Between Boman and Victory Lane is a formidable appearance of Shane Van Gisbergen, who won the inaugural Grant Park 165 at the beginning of his NASCAR in 2023. SVG, who won the NASCAR XFINITY series in Chicago last year, was out of the 2024 cup event in the final place, but he expects to be together on Sunday.
“We must be very strong at the end of this week,” said New Zosender. “I know everyone is going to be better. There was a big step in the competition last year, and I know it will be a year too.
“We just have to continue to focus on us. We have worked very hard, spent the simulator time on Chicago last week, so hopefully we will reach there at the end of this week and are solid.”
Note: Tie Gibbs, Michael McDowell and Kyle Busch are only three drivers in the top 10 in the Chicago Street Race. Rain tires were used in each of the first two events.
-Shen Van Gisbergen goes to the second direct nascar xfinity win in Chicago
Given the level of the competition, it is ahead of time to accept Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Race in Shane Van Gisbergen, but still he brings a lot of swagger in Loop 110 on Chicago Street Course (CW, MRN and Siriusxm NASCAR radio) on 4:30 PM ET).
“It is like the tracks I have run,” he said about the 2.2-mile, 12-turn circuit. “The supercar has a lot of street circuits on the schedule, so I am comfortable with the walls.
“It is similar to some tracks that I run in Australia, while most of these people are not used for street circuits. There is just something with which I am comfortable and spent many years racing.”
A second straight Xfinity is complaining of SVG’s push to win a second, however, the presence of Connor Zilisk, which will be 19 years old on 22 July. In itself, a road course Finome, Zilisk won its first XFINITY Race in Watkins Glenn last year.
Three road courses begins in the series, number 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has three poles and two wins, the other one is going to come to the circuit of America in Austin, Texas in March.
The zilisk is eager to raise his skills against the three -time Australian Supercars Champion.
“SVG and I am good friends,” Ziliscly said. “I really never got an opportunity to run with him.
“This is a track that has a little more experience on Shane, but I like the street courses. I have won the race on the street course (Mazda MX -5 Cup), so hopefully I can pick up Chicago quickly and put a shot on it.”
-Rid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special for field level media
