The Grant Park 165 drops the green flag on Sunday, July 6, 2025, at 2 PM ET on the Chicago Street Course. This 75‑lap, 165‑mile race marks the second round of NASCAR’s inaugural In‑Season Challenge and delivers high‑stakes excitement through the heart of Chicago’s downtown streets. With only two previous editions, and Alex Bowman the defending champion, this year’s edition promises prime betting opportunities around tight turns and unforgiving walls. Here, I give you my Grant Park 165 prediction for the weekend.
Our Grant Park 165 Pick
- Pick: Christopher Bell (+750)
- Confidence: ★★☆☆☆
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Grant Park 165 Preview
Street‑course racing demands a blend of precision, technical prowess, and nerves of steel, factors that elevate outlier specialists above traditional oval aces. In Chicago, where 12 tight turns confine a narrow two‑mile circuit, mistakes are magnified and gains earned inch by inch. The winner of the inaugural 2023 race, Shane van Gisbergen, and 2024’s champion, Alex Bowman, showed that mastery of this environment pays dividends. Drivers skilled at road‑course strategy and control through rapid direction changes will stand out this Sunday.
SVG is the favorite to win this race, as is the case in most road course events. He won the road course race in Mexico City a few weeks ago and has had success here as well. But as we saw last year, chaos can mean problems for anyone in Chicago and SVG is far from a guarantee to win this race even with his short odds to do so.
Season momentum also matters when picking a winner in Chicago. Christopher Bell secured three straight Cup wins earlier in the year and arrives with strong recent form. Similarly, Chase Elliott ended a 44‑race drought with victory at Atlanta and returns to Chicago with confidence. I think either one of those drivers could also easily come away with the checkered flag here.
Grant Park 165 Track Info
- Location: Chicago Street Course in Grant Park, Chicago, IL
- Length: 2.2 miles, 12 turns
- Distance: 75 laps, 165 miles
- Stages: Lap 20, Lap 45, Final to Lap 75
- Surface: Asphalt street course lined with concrete walls
- Broadcast: TNT (TV), MRN/SiriusXM (Radio)
- Second round of NASCAR In‑Season Challenge
Betting Odds
The latest odds from DraftKings Sportsbook have the following drivers as the Grant Park 165 favorites:
- Shane van Gisbergen +185
- Kyle Larson +650
- Christopher Bell +750
- William Byron +1200
- Tyler Reddick +1200
- Ty Gibbs +1200
- Chase Elliott +1400
- Will Brown +1800
Grant Park 165 Prediction
Van Gisbergen leads all metrics going into this race. He’s one of two drivers to have won this event previously, owns the lap record on this circuit, and commands the shortest odds. His aggressive yet controlled style fits Chicago’s unforgiving layout perfectly. I expect him to qualify near the front and dictate the pace early, avoiding mid‑pack incidents.
Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson represent the best outside value. Bell’s strong road‑course resume makes him a solid contender. Larson’s past road‑course performance and pole speed at Sonoma and Chicago increase his upside, though past street setbacks introduce risk.
My model favors Van Gisbergen to win outright, but I like Bell more at his price than I like SVG at his. SVG probably should win this race, but sports betting isn’t always about who should win, it is often about playing the value wherever it lies. That is Bell in this situation, as he has the second-best chance to win the race and is certainly a better value in what should be a fun race from the Windy City.
