Information By: SAM MAHONEY / TOYOTA RACING – CHICAGO, IL – In another rain-impacted and time-shortened Chicago Street Race, Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs finished second and third once darkness entered the streets of Chicago on Sunday.
Taking slick tires and full fuel at the end of Stage 2, the two Camry XSE drivers battled their way back up the running order to be within striking distance as time expired in the shortened race but were not close enough to capture victory.
The result marks the eighth top-five for Reddick, his third top-10 finish in a row, and the fifth top-five for Gibbs this season.
Rain was present throughout the day in downtown Chicago, forcing a hectic race where Gibbs, Reddick and Christopher Bell were at the front of the field most of Sunday afternoon. Gibbs and Bell kept out of trouble as other leaders wrecked in Stage 2 and led a combined 31 of the 58 laps run. Bell also pitted at the end of Stage 2 for slicks, but was caught in a late-race incident that ended in a 37th-place finish.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway next Sunday, July 14 with race coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Chicago Street Course
Race 20 of 36 – (rain-shortened to 58 laps)
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Alex Bowman*
2nd, TYLER REDDICK
3rd, TY GIBBS
4th, Joey Hand*
5th, Michael McDowell*
13th, BUBBA WALLACE
29th, ERIK JONES
30th, DENNY HAMLIN
33rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
35th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
37th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
Did you think you had enough to catch Alex Bowman for the win today?
“Yeah, I’m upset. I was catching Alex (Bowman) by a large margin there. I don’t know. That puzzles me. I clearly just screwed up. Trying to stay in the dry groove and I had more than enough room of dry groove. Yeah, I cut the wheel a little too hard — just not focused enough, I guess. I knew I was going to get to him and the earlier I could get to him the more options I would have, and it was going to get a little bit more slick off line beyond turn 8. Yeah, just didn’t even give ourselves a shot to race him unfortunately. I hate it. Not what this Jordan Brand Toyota Camry is about and what this team is about. Just got to start capitalizing on these ones.”
You looked fast out there. Did you think you had an opportunity to catch Alex Bowman?
“Until I wasn’t. I got the opportunity to run him down. Just obviously couldn’t get the job done. A clean lap was all I had to do and couldn’t even do that.”
How intense was the racing knowing you were racing to a time with the rain delay?
“The intensity really picked up. I didn’t do a good job all day. I really didn’t even have any business to be in contention to catch the 48 (Alex Bowman), but just I was very fortunate all day long. A lot of people wrecked around me. I don’t think I really ever passed a sole to be honest. I just avoided the mess.”
Can you describe how the last 10 laps unfolded?
“Well, I mean the last 10 entirely there was a lot going on. The 20 (Christopher Bell) and the 54 (Ty Gibbs) were obviously ahead of us most of the day and the situation just played out to where they got collected in other people’s nonsense. We were in a position to run down the 48 (Alex Bowman), it was going to be really close and had I not made the mistake – just crazy. Run all day long and know where my limits are and here at the end when it matters most I made the dumbest mistake.”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How do weekends like this, third-place finishes in both races, feel?
“Yeah, we had a really good weekend and I’m thankful to have two great race cars that my team brought me. It’s kind of rare, right, to have two great cars to make speed off of. You know, I feel like we were really fast in both races. We’re just so close, super close both days. I mean, all I can ask for is a win, but we’re right there. It’s been really fun running the Cup Series. Just appreciative of what I get to do and thankful for what I get to do.”
What was it like racing in those conditions today?
“Yeah, it’s really fun. I feel like it’s kind of like a dirt track, honestly. Pick and choose your lines, see what lane is drying up and is faster. You have to look around, which makes it fun as we don’t get to do that a lot. I like that and it takes a lot of racing awareness to do that, and it’s fun to be looking and saying, ‘that line is drying up’ and you hit that line and I just gained two car-lengths on the guy in front of me, so it’s really fun to do that.”