Shane van Gisbergen once again roams the streets of Chicago as a NASCAR Xfinity Series winner, beating JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch head-to-head in The Windy City on Saturday (July 5).
SVG took full advantage of the final restart set up by a late-race caution with six laps to go for Andre Castro hitting the tire barriers in turn 6. JR Motorsports made history with this win, as it has become the first team in series history to put six different drivers in victory lane in a single season.
Zilisch brought home the runner-up spot, followed by Sheldon Creed in third. Creed had a strong performance, as he was in the mix up front for the majority of the afternoon. Austin Hill and Nick Sanchez filled out the remainder of the top five.
Shane brought the smoke. 😶🌫️ pic.twitter.com/SWDgjKB6Cw
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) July 5, 2025
The Winners
How about Creed’s strong performance? He really needed a good rebound after back-to-back DNFs coming at EchoPark Speedway and Pocono Raceway, and he was able to deliver on Saturday. If it wasn’t for the two road course prodigies in front of him, Creed would’ve had the strongest performance of the weekend.
Richard Childress Racing continues to look like one of the strongest teams on speed in the garage. That includes Big Machine Racing’s No. 48, as the trio of Hill, Sanchez and Jesse Love all finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. If their good form continues, RCR could emerge as the overall favorite team to score the championship this season.
Two underdogs scored great finishes in the top 10. Austin Green is no stranger to grabbing great finishes for Jordan Anderson Racing at road courses. Brennan Poole, on the other hand, is a notable surprise, scoring a solid 10th-place finish. It was Poole’s first top 10 at a road course since 2017. While he may not be a road course specialist, he has been a standout for Alpha Prime Racing, snagging two top fives and three top 10s so far this season.
The Losers
Joe Gibbs Racing as an organization had a horrendous day. The team’s highest finisher was Brandon Jones in 21st. The rest of the team all ended up below 30th due to either mechanical failures or on-track damage. Jack Perkins, hailing from Australia, finished 32nd in his series debut in the No. 19, followed by Taylor Gray in 34th. William Sawalich‘s nightmare season continued with a 37th-place result.
Ryan Sieg also had horrible luck this weekend after entering tied on the playoff bubble. Mechanical woes in qualifying caused him to not turn a lap and start from the rear. Then, contact with the wall early in the race didn’t help his attempt to climb through the field; in fact, it ended his day just five laps into the race, securing Sieg a finish in dead last.
Fuel for Thought
Is it time for Joe Gibbs Racing to hit the panic button?
Early in the season, JGR looked like a championship favorite. Aric Almirola and Jones scored wins, along with great performances from Gray and Sawalich.
Now, with eight races remaining in the regular season, Jones is still the only Gibbs driver locked into the playoffs. Gray continues to be a part of the intense battle at the bubble, but Sawalich needs to win to make the dance. It’s not looking likely that a JGR driver will hold the championship trophy in November.
Paint Scheme of the Week
While he may have finished runner-up, Zilisch had the best scheme on track this weekend. It was hard to miss this Red Bull on its hard charge to the front of the field.
From 35th to the top-10 already for @ConnorZilisch 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yMFjksPQsU
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) July 5, 2025
Where to Next?
The Xfinity series is off to wine country to take on Sonoma Raceway for the Zip 250. van Gisbergen won there last season and will be looking to defend his title.
Coverage starts at 4:30 p.m. ET, and it will be broadcast on The CW.
