How to watch Sunday's Cup race at Chicago: Start time, TV info, weather
Rain heavily impacted the Cup Series' first two races on the streets of downtown Chicago. Shane van Gisbergen took the inaugural checkered flag on the third lap of overtime as darkness approached. A scheduled 5 p.m. ET start was delayed by afternoon storms, shortening the race from 100 to 75 laps.
Last year's race was reduced from 75 to 58 laps because of inclement weather. After a 4:30 p.m. ET start was delayed by an hour, a midrace downpour brought a red flag on Lap 26 for standing water on the course. After another delay for a shower, Alex Bowman took the victory.
With an earlier start time of 2 p.m. ET, the 2025 race has a better chance of reaching its scheduled duration of 75 laps even with delays.
Chicago will be the second round of the In-Season Challenge. Here are the matchups:
—Brad Keselowski (17) vs. Ty Dillon (32)
—Alex Bowman (8) vs. Bubba Wallace (9)
—Chase Elliott (5) vs. John Hunter Nemechek (12)
—Erik Jones (20) vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (29)
—Ryan Preece (15) vs. Noah Gragson (31)
—Tyler Reddick (23) vs. Carson Hocevar (26)
—Ty Gibbs (6) vs. AJ Allmendinger (22)
—Chris Buescher (3) vs. Zane Smith (14)
Dustin Long,
Details for Sunday's Cup race at Chicago
(All times Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given at 2:10 p.m. ... The green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:25 p.m.
PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 11 a.m. ... The drivers meeting is at 12:55 p.m. ... Driver introductions are at 1:35 p.m. ... The invocation will be given at 2 p.m. and the national anthem will be performed at 2:01 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 75 laps (165 miles) on a 12-turn, 2.2-mile street circuit in downtown Chicago.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 20. Stage 2 ends at Lap 45.
TV/RADIO: TNT will broadcast the race starting at 1 p.m. (there will be an alternate broadcast focused on the In-Season Challenge on truTV). ... Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Cloudy with occasional rain showers. The high will be near 80 degrees and winds from the northwest at 10-15 mph and a 50% chance of rain. It's expected to be 79 degrees with a 48% chance of scattered thunderstorms at the start of the Cup race.
LAST TIME: Alex Bowman qualified for the playoffs with his first victory of the season, leading the final eight laps to beat Tyler Reddick by 2.863 seconds in the July 7, 2024 race.
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