Alex Bowman wins Grant Park 165 in rainy conclusion to NASCAR Chicago Street Race

Driver Alex Bowman won first place in the Grant Park 165 on Sunday, marking a rainy conclusion to the 2024 edition of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race.

Driving the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, the Arizona native navigated a race impeded by heavy downpours and an hours-long delay. Racing against a hard cutoff of 8:20 p.m., Bowman ultimately prevailed with a 3.447-second lead over runner-up Tyler Reddick at the finish line, according to a statement from NASCAR.

Bowman, 31, claimed a spot in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with his victory at Sunday’s race. The win ended a long losing streak for Bowman, his first victory since March 6, 2022, in Las Vegas. The driver suffered a major injury in 2023 which left him off the track for an extended period. 

Bowman reflected on his 2023 injury stating, “I broke my back (in a sprint car accident), had a brain injury… you start to second-guess if you're ever going to get a chance to win a race again.”

Sunday followed a familiar pattern for the Street Race as inclement weather shortened the day's events for the second year. The Grant Park 165 was shortened from 75 to 58 laps due to the weather delay which lasted from 6:24 p.m. to 8:21 p.m.

Fans still turned out in droves for Sunday’s events, braving the deluge with rain ponchos and taking shelter in and around the grandstand. The day’s musical events luckily got off without a hitch, with Keith Urban and Lauren Alaina’s performances preceding the rain.

While Sunday’s race was largely a wash-out, NASCAR fans still enjoyed a full day of gorgeous weather on Saturday, and a relatively dry start to the second half of the weekend.

The City of Chicago and NASCAR have a three-year contract, and if all goes as planned, the Chicago Street Race will return for its third edition in early July 2025. Whether the third race will be the charm, fans will have to wait and see!