NASCAR Cup Series teams finally got their first opportunity to put the Next Gen car on Chicagoland Speedway Friday, ending a seven-year absence from the 1.5-mile oval. While Riley Herbst topped the speed chart with a lap of 30.326 seconds, the practice session offered far more insight than a simple leaderboard.
Several teams showed race-winning speed, drivers learned plenty about the aging racing surface, and one organization may have quietly established itself as Sunday’s team to beat.
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Here are the five biggest takeaways from NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicagoland Speedway.
1. 23XI Racing may have the strongest cars for Sunday’s race
Riley Herbst led the session, Bubba Wallace finished second, Corey Heim was sixth, and Tyler Reddick ended the afternoon eighth.
But the headline numbers only tell part of the story.
Reddick quietly posted the fastest 10-lap, 15-lap, 20-lap, and 25-lap averages during practice, an indication that his No. 45 Toyota could become one of the strongest long-run cars when the green flag drops Sunday.
All four 23XI Racing entries finished inside the top eight, making the organization arguably the biggest winner of Friday’s session.
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2. Tire wear wasn’t what drivers expected
One of the biggest surprises came from the track itself.
Drivers anticipated Chicagoland’s aged pavement would produce significant tire falloff. Instead, the grip level remained much more consistent throughout longer runs.
Reddick admitted the session left him scratching his head.
“I think our Camry is really good,” Reddick said. “We don’t get a lot of 50-minute practices anymore, but today was a bit weird. The falloff was pretty flat.”
He added that the track surface behaved differently than expected despite its age.
“The surface has age to it, but it was just strange. It didn’t act like the surface is as old as it is. You’re just trying to understand what we can fine tune on our Toyota Camry.”
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If Sunday’s race follows the same trend, teams may place a greater emphasis on track position than tire management.
3. The top groove still isn’t ready
Another interesting development came from where drivers chose to race.
Very few competitors ventured into the higher lanes near the outside wall during practice. Instead, nearly everyone stayed glued to the preferred racing groove while learning how the Next Gen car behaves at Chicagoland.
Reddick even expressed hope that Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Series race would help improve the racing surface.
“I thought we were going to be ripping the top today, but it just took forever to clean up. Hopefully those O’Reilly boys will go clean it up for us and we have a wide race track to work with.”
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If additional rubber gets laid down Saturday, Sunday’s Cup race could feature multiple racing lanes by the final stage.
4. Pit road could become a storyline
Not every challenge came on the racing surface.
Several drivers struggled entering pit road during practice, repeatedly missing the narrow pit entrance while adjusting to the track after such a long absence.
Those mistakes won’t show up on the timing sheet, but they could become costly on race day if drivers overshoot pit entry during green-flag stops.
On a track where strategy often plays a major role, one missed pit entrance could completely change a driver’s afternoon.
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5. Don’t overlook the usual contenders
Although Herbst led practice, several championship favorites showed exactly why oddsmakers continue to view them as Sunday’s favorites.
Kyle Larson finished third after participating in an earlier Chicagoland tire test alongside Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. Hamlin was fourth, Ty Gibbs fifth, and Reddick’s long-run speed remained among the best in the field.
Friday’s results suggested plenty of teams have speed, but the organizations expected to contend for the victory still appear firmly in the mix heading into qualifying and Sunday’s race.
With a freshly rubbered-in surface, more track time on Saturday, and multiple organizations showing winning pace, Chicagoland’s long-awaited NASCAR return is already shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable races of the season.
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