2026 Cuervo 300
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Chicagoland Speedway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 Cuervo 300 was a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race held on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Contested over 201 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt oval, it was the 20th race of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season, and the 20th running of the event and the first since 2019.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 33 in the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series | |||
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| Date | July 4, 2026 | ||
| Location | Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles ({{{Course_km}}} km) | ||
| Distance | 201 laps, 301.5 mi (485.217 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 118.119 miles per hour (190.094 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | JR Motorsports | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Chase Elliott | JR Motorsports | |
| Laps | 78 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Connor Zilisch | JR Motorsports | |
| Time | 31.073 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | The CW | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Jamie McMurray, and Parker Kligerman | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and Todd Gordon | ||
| Turn announcers | Kurt Becker (1 & 2) and Tim Catalfamo (3 & 4) | ||
In a dramatic finish, Brandon Jones, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, took the lead from Chase Elliott in the final overtime restart, holding him off in a close battle to earn his eighth career NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series win, and his first of the season.[9] Connor Zilisch won the first stage and led 48 laps, while Elliott won the second stage and led the race-high 78 laps. Elliott finished second, and Jesse Love finished third. Brent Crews and Austin Hill rounded out the top five, while Justin Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Sam Mayer, Cole Custer, and Zilisch rounded out the top ten.
Report
Background
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR races. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes, including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and is located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.
This race marked the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series' return to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019.
On July 1, Cuervo Tequila was announced as the title sponsor for the race.[10]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, July 4, at 12:30 PM CST, and lasted for 50 minutes.[11] It was originally scheduled to be held on Friday, July 3, at 3:30 PM CST, but was postponed due to inclement weather, and took over the time slot of qualifying.
Jesse Love, driving for Richard Childress Racing, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.118 seconds, and a speed of 173.533 miles per hour (279.274 km/h).[12]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.118 | 173.533 |
| 2 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 31.406 | 171.942 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.424 | 171.843 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Starting lineup
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, July 4, at 12:30 PM CST, but was cancelled due to practice taking over the time slot from inclement weather the previous day.[11][13] Connor Zilisch, driving for JR Motorsports, was awarded the pole position as a result of NASCAR's pandemic formula with a score of 2.000.[14]
Starting lineup
Race
Race results
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Connor Zilisch (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 17 | Corey Day | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 88 | Chase Elliott (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 54 | Taylor Gray | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 96 | Anthony Alfredo | Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage Two Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Chase Elliott (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 54 | Taylor Gray | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 17 | Corey Day | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Connor Zilisch (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 19 | Brent Crews (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 111
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | 20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 201 | 12 | Running | 60 |
| 2 | 11 | 88 | Chase Elliott (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 78 | Running | 0 |
| 3 | 6 | 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 5 | Running | 52 |
| 4 | 2 | 19 | Brent Crews (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 201 | 0 | Running | 34 |
| 5 | 16 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 17 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 40 |
| 7 | 25 | 54 | Taylor Gray | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 201 | 55 | Running | 43 |
| 8 | 9 | 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 9 | 21 | 0 | Cole Custer (i) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | Connor Zilisch (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 48 | Running | 0 |
| 11 | 3 | 9 | Carson Kvapil | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 15 | 87 | Nick Sanchez | Peterson Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 10 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 5 | 99 | Parker Retzlaff | Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 18 | 24 | Harrison Burton | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 201 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 8 | 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 17 | 26 | 26 | Dean Thompson | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 201 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 23 | 42 | Garrett Smithley | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 4 | 17 | Corey Day | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 20 | 22 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 31 | 92 | Leland Honeyman (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 22 | 28 | 02 | Ryan Ellis | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 12 | 91 | Myatt Snider | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 32 | 32 | Rajah Caruth | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 24 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 7 | 96 | Anthony Alfredo | Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 27 | 27 | 48 | Patrick Staropoli (R) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 34 | 45 | Lavar Scott (R) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 13 | 18 | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 201 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 30 | 33 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 3 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 30 | 31 | Blaine Perkins | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 35 | 53 | Tyler Tomassi | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 4 |
| 34 | 37 | 55 | Joey Gase | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Running | 3 |
| 35 | 20 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Running | 2 |
| 36 | 19 | 07 | Josh Bilicki | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | Running | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Ford | 55 | 0 | Power | 1 |
| 38 | 36 | 47 | Dawson Cram | Team Stange Racing | Chevrolet | 35 | 0 | Engine | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 16 among 6 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 7 for 40 laps
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 2 hours, 33 minutes and 9 seconds
- Average speed: 118.119 miles per hour (190.094 km/h)
Standings after the race
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