
Wild cards: Phils’ Lorenzen out, Rangers’ Bush in
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Associated Press
Oct 3, 2023, 12:37 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA — Michael Lorenzen, Byron Buxton, Johnny Cueto and Jonathan Hernandez were among the players left off rosters for wild-card series that started Tuesday, while the Texas Rangers made the surprise inclusion of former top draft pick Matt Bush.
The Minnesota Twins included Carlos Correa and rookie Royce Lewis along with right-hander Chris Paddack, who made a pair relief appearances last week in his return from Tommy John surgery. Correa hasn’t played since Sept. 18 because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and Lewis has been sidelined since straining his left hamstring Sept. 19.
Outfielder Jose Siri made Tampa Bay’s roster after missing the final three weeks with a broken hand.
Milwaukee dropped first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who homered twice in the 2021 postseason but slumped this season.
Lorenzen, 31, no-hit Washington on Aug. 9. The right-hander then went 2-2 with a 7.96 ERA in his next five starts and was dropped from the Phillies’ rotation. His last four appearances were out of the bullpen.
Wes Wilson, a 29-year-old infielder who made his debut in August and played in eight games, was included on the 26-man roster against the Miami Marlins as a right-handed bat off the bench.
Cueto was dropped by the Marlins after going 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA in only 52⅓ innings. Miami included 23-year-old left-hander Ryan Weathers, acquired from San Diego on Aug. 1.
Correa said Monday he is good to go for the series against Toronto. Buxton hasn’t played since Aug. 1 and was limited to DH duty this year because of knee trouble. Rookie Andrew Stevenson was included over Jordan Luplow as a reserve outfielder.
Lewis could be a Twins designated hitter against Toronto, with Jorge Polanco playing third base and Edouard Julien at second base.
Paddack had Tommy John surgery May 18, 2022, and while a candidate for the rotation next season, he is expected to add bullpen depth in October. Starting pitcher Bailey Ober was left off, with Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray and likely Joe Ryan starting if there’s a Game 3. Kenta Maeda has been recalibrated for relief work.
Toronto kept 14 position players and dropped catcher Danny Jansen, who broke his right middle finger Sept. 1. Tyler Heineman is the backup to Alejandro Kirk. Rookie Cam Eden, who played in five games after a late-season call-up for his major league debut, is the fourth outfielder and a pinch running option.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, who made his season debut Aug. 1 after returning from Tommy John elbow surgery, was left off the roster with Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios lined up for the first two games and either Chris Bassitt or Yusei Kikuchi available to start Game 3 if it’s necessary.
Texas said Hernández has a right shoulder injury and included Bush, who hasn’t pitched a big league game since June 30 for Milwaukee. The right-handed Bush, 37, is the only player on the Rangers’ roster who was also part of the 2016 team that was swept by the Rays. That was the rookie season for Bush, which came 12 years after he was drafted — the longest gap for an overall No. 1 pick to make his debut — and after the period when Bush had several alcohol-related incidents even before a near-fatal accident and time in prison.
Bush missed all of the 2019 and 2020 seasons with Texas after twice having surgery. He had surgery in 2018 to repair and reinforce the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery.
When that didn’t work, he had Tommy John surgery in 2019. It was the second time the 2004 No. 1 overall draft pick had that ligament replacement surgery. The first was in 2007, soon after being converted from shortstop to pitcher by his hometown San Diego Padres.
Siri had been sidelined since his right hand was broken by a pitch from Minnesota’s Dylan Floro on Sept. 11. Siri hit .222 with 25 homers and 56 RBIs for the Rays.
Top prospect Junior Caminero, a 20-year-old infielder who was called up in late September, was included for the best-of-three series against Texas after hitting .235 with one homer and seven RBIs in seven games.
Outfielder Luke Raley was left off the roster. He has not played since Sept. 20 because of a cervical strain.
Tellez hit 35 homers for Milwaukee in 2022 but batted just .215 this season and has homered just once since May 22. His playing time started to dip after the Brewers acquired first baseman Carlos Santana and outfielder/designated hitter Mark Canha at the trade deadline.
Rookie outfielder Garrett Mitchell also was left off the roster against Arizona. The Brewers’ starting center fielder to open the year, he played three games last week after returning from an April shoulder injury.
Outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker was included. He hasn’t played a major league game since July 24 and hit just .199 with one homer in 197 plate appearances, though he had a .962 OPS in 23 games with Triple-A Nashville.
Utility player Owen Miller and rookie outfielder Joey Wiemer, who both ended the regular season in the minors, are on the roster.
Arizona left off utility player Jace Peterson, who hit .183 with nine RBIs after he was acquired from Oakland, but did include outfielder/first baseman Pavin Smith, who hasn’t played for the Diamondbacks since Sept. 11. Arizona omitted left-hander Kyle Nelson, who allowed nine runs over his last 7⅓ innings, and did take right-hander Bryce Jarvis, who debuted Aug. 14 and went 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA in 11 appearances.
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5-star OT Ojo picks Texas Tech, lands $5.1M deal
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July 7, 2025By
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Eli LedermanJul 4, 2025, 02:17 PM ET
Close- Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.
Five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, No. 20 in the 2026 ESPN 300, committed to Texas Tech on Friday upon signing a historic, seven-figure revenue share contract with the Red Raiders, his agent, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, told ESPN.
Ojo, a 6-foot-7, 285-pound prospect from Mansfield, Texas, is ESPN’s No. 4 offensive tackle and second-ranked recruit from the state of Texas in the 2026 class. He chose Texas Tech over Florida, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas following a slate of official visits this spring. Ojo will arrive as the program’s highest-ranked addition since ESPN began ranking high school prospects in the 2006 recruiting cycle.
According to Shelby, Ojo is set to join Texas Tech on a fully guaranteed three-year, $5.1 million contract.
The deal is believed to be one of the largest fully guaranteed revenue-share agreements in college football history under the recently approved federal settlement that allows college programs to pay their athletes directly. Ojo’s deal rivals the lucrative multiyear package that top-ranked 2026 offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell secured with Miami earlier this year, which sources told ESPN will earn the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect more than $2 million annually with incentives.
“Football is a brutal sport, and athletes are not able to play professionally until their graduating class has been in college three years,” Shelby told ESPN. “It was important to be able to secure Felix Ojo’s future and give him and his family some security as he continues to develop into a first-round NFL draft pick.”
Ojo’s agreement with Texas Tech marks the school’s latest move in a string of significant expenditures over the past year.
ESPN’s Max Olson reported in February that the Red Raiders spent more than $10 million on 17 new players in the winter transfer portal window. All told, Texas Tech made 21 portal additions while assembling the nation’s second-ranked transfer class this offseason.
The Red Raiders also made waves last summer when the Matador Club, the school’s NIL collection, helped the softball program land transfer phenom NiJaree Canady from Stanford on a one-year, $1,050,024 deal. Canady, who is also represented by Shelby, signed another seven-figure contract with the Matador Club last month after leading the Red Raiders to their first Women’s College World Series appearance and a national runner-up finish in her debut season with the program.
A multiyear starter at Texas’ Lake Ridge High School, Ojo will join Texas Tech and coach Joey McGuire in 2026 as the program’s first five-star signee since wide receiver Micah Hudson in 2024.
Ojo’s list of official visits this spring included stops at Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Utah and Texas along with the Red Raiders prior to his pledge. Sources told ESPN that Texas and Utah were among the programs that offered Ojo the most substantial revenue-share contracts in the final stages of his recruitment.
Ojo represents Texas Tech’s first ESPN 300 addition among 18 prospects committed to the program in the 2026 cycle, a group that includes 13 in-state pledges. He lands as a cornerstone commit in a Red Raiders offensive line class that also features a pair of spring pledges in three-star offensive guard Jerald Mays and offensive tackle Jacob Crow.
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Under-the-radar players who could emerge for every top 25 team
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July 7, 2025By
adminWith less than two months left before college football is back in full swing, we’re taking a look at players who could be considered sleepers — under-the-radar players who could make a big impact — on each team in our post-spring top 25.
From true freshmen who could make a name for themselves to players coming back from injury to transfers looking to make an immediate impact, there are plenty of players to watch for this fall.
Our reporters break down the potential sleepers they’re keeping tabs on.
Sleeper: C Nick Dawkins
Offensive linemen naturally get overlooked, and Dawkins is no exception, but he once again will occupy a vital role as Penn State chases its first Big Ten title since 2016 and its first national title since 1986. Dawkins is at the heart of an offensive line that has stabilized and excelled in recent years. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last fall, when he served as a captain, started all 16 games and allowed only two sacks. The 6-foot-4, 297-pound senior has drawn excellent reviews from the staff and will lead a line protecting quarterback Drew Allar and creating space for running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. — Adam Rittenberg
Sleeper: WR Tyler Brown
One of the reasons Clemson is expected to compete for a national championship this season is the return of its stellar receiver group, which made vast improvements a year ago to help the Tigers offense rediscover its footing. Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore have received the bulk of the headlines nationally, but don’t forget about Brown, a freshman All-American in 2023 who was forced to take a redshirt last season with an ankle injury. Coach Dabo Swinney spoke highly about Brown during spring practice and is expecting him to have a big role in the offense. Adding depth to a position that had been a weak spot until last season is crucial. — Andrea Adelson
Sleeper: TE Jack Endries
Endries had a breakout season at Cal last year, catching 56 passes for 623 yards and two touchdowns, making him less of an off-the-radar prospect. But the former Golden Bears tight end signed with Texas in April and slides into a talented Longhorns offense. With star recruits Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore returning at receiver, 1,000-yard rusher Quintrevion Wisner back at running back with Cedric Baxter and Christian Clark returning from injuries alongside him, Arch Manning will have weapons. But Manning singled out Endries, a former walk-on, as someone who could emerge as a household name by season’s end as he solidifies a position of need after Gunnar Helm, who caught 60 passes for 786 yards and seven TDs last year, developed into a fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans and Amari Niblack transferred to Texas A&M. — Dave Wilson
Sleeper: RB Bo Walker
Walker wasn’t the most heralded prospect in Georgia’s most recent recruiting class, but he turned some heads in spring practice with his physical style and speed. Walker ran for more than 2,000 yards as a high school junior before spending his senior year at a smaller private school. Nate Frazier and Illinois transfer Josh McCray will probably be the top two backs entering preseason camp, but Walker has a chance to earn playing time. Would you expect anything less from a tailback named both Bo and Walker in the SEC? — Mark Schlabach
Sleeper: WR Carnell Tate
Tate was overshadowed by first-round pick Emeka Egbuka and true freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith last season. But Tate still played a key role for the Buckeyes, starting every game for the national champions. In the playoff semifinals against Texas, he made the Longhorns pay for their coverages taking away Smith by hauling in a game-high seven passes for 87 yards. With Egbuka gone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tate is set to play an ever bigger role for the Buckeyes as a junior. He could easily surpass the 52 receptions and 733 receiving yards he had last season, and he should be a valuable wingman to Smith in yet another talented Ohio State receiving corps. — Jake Trotter
Sleeper: WR Barion Brown
If you’re familiar with Brown from his high school days, you may not consider him a sleeper. But the Kentucky transfer could finally reach his full potential in Baton Rouge. After a standout freshman season in Lexington, he never made the big statistical leaps many expected. But with Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback and other talent at receiver (Aaron Anderson, Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson) and tight end (Trey’Dez Green, Oklahoma transfer Bauer Sharp), perhaps Brown can break out in 2025. — Harry Lyles Jr.
Sleeper: DL Bryce Young
With Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III leaving for the NFL, the Fighting Irish are looking for another player who can rush the quarterback. The answer might be sophomore Bryce Young, who certainly looks the part at 6 feet, 7 inches and 273 pounds. Last season, he played in all 16 games and had 23 tackles with a team-high three blocked kicks. Young has the right potential too. His father, Bryant Young, was an All-American at Notre Dame and a Pro Football Hall of Famer after a standout career with the 49ers. His mother, Kristin, ran track and field for the Fighting Irish. — Schlabach
Sleeper: WR Malik Benson
It’s difficult to call a four-star wide receiver a sleeper, but given the kind of season Florida State had last year, Benson was not exactly the talk of the sport after putting up 25 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown. Now in Eugene, Benson has the tools to be exactly the kind of wideout that flourishes in Will Stein’s offense. With a new quarterback in Dante Moore taking the reins and Evan Stewart dealing with a serious injury, I wouldn’t be surprised if Benson becomes Moore’s top target this coming season. — Paolo Uggetti
Sleeper: S Bray Hubbard
Now in his third season in the program, Hubbard is poised to be an All-SEC caliber player and will team with a healthy Keon Sabb to give Alabama one of the best safety duos in the SEC. Hubbard, who chose Alabama out of high school over Mississippi State, Navy and Tulane, started the final six games a year ago after Sabb suffered a season-ending injury against Tennessee and made a name for himself with three interceptions. Look for Hubbard in 2025 to be one of the top names on Alabama’s defense. — Chris Low
Sleeper: RB LJ Martin
After rushing for 518 and 718 yards in the past two seasons, Martin has steadily become a key player for BYU, but he hasn’t quite broken out nationally. He already figured to see his role grow as a junior in 2025, but with quarterback Jake Retzlaff set to transfer, Martin could be relied on more heavily — especially early in the season as the QB situation gets settled. Martin had a pair of 100-yard rushing games last season and finished with a strong performance in the bowl win against Colorado, with 88 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. — Kyle Bonagura
Sleeper: S Miles Scott
Miles Scott isn’t even the most decorated Scott in the Illinois secondary — Xavier (no relation) earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 — but contributes to a unit that could be among the Big Ten’s best this fall. Miles had two interceptions last season and finished fifth on the team with 55 tackles (33 solo). The team captain also forced and recovered a fumble last fall. Scott has played in all 38 games during his Illinois career, starting the past 25, beginning his career as a walk-on wide receiver before moving to safety. He joins his roommate Xavier Scott, leading tackler Matthew Bailey, cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. and others in one of the nation’s most experienced secondaries. — Rittenberg
Sleeper: CB Nyland Green
The Arizona State defense returns eight starters, including both cornerbacks (Keith Abney II and Javan Robinson) — the Sun Devils are blessed with continuity on that side of the ball that most top-25 teams don’t have. But that makes cornerback Nyland Green one heck of a luxury add: The Purdue transfer, who started his career as a blue-chipper at Georgia, was an all-or-nothing playmaker with an overwhelmed Boilermakers defense last year, but in more select roles, with better experience and talent around him, he could turn into a major difference-maker for the defending Big 12 champs. — Bill Connelly
Sleeper: Edge Bryan Thomas
Much of the attention within the Gamecocks’ pass-rush depth will be centered on sophomore phenom Dylan Stewart and Charlotte transfer Demon Clowney, cousin of former two-time All American Jadeveon Clowney. But as South Carolina works to replace the production of 2024 SEC sack leader Kyle Kennard, fourth-year edge Thomas will have an important role to play as well. The 6-foot-2, 247-pounder logged career highs in sacks (4.5) and total tackles (23) a year ago, and he’s poised to step into a starting role opposite Stewart this fall following Kennard’s jump to the NFL. If the Gamecocks are going to feature one of the nation’s fiercest pass rushes again in 2025, Thomas will have to be a big part of it. — Eli Lederman
Sleeper: DL Tamatoa McDonough
McDonough arrives after solid career at Yale, where he developed into one of the Ivy League’s premier passers. He led the league with 6.5 sacks in 2024 and finished the season with eight tackles for loss. Coming off a season in which the Cyclones ranked last in the Big 12 in sacks — with just 16 in 14 games — McDonough could be an important addition to improve that deficiency. He’ll have to adjust to the increased physicality at this level, but certainly counts as a sleeper for Iowa State. — Bonagura
Sleeper: RB Derrick McFall
Aside from SMU’s game against FCS Houston Baptist, McFall got just eight carries as a true freshman in 2024, but he flashed a skill set that could make him an apt replacement for Brashard Smith in the Mustangs’ backfield. A four-star recruit, McFall is quick, elusive and versatile — a lot like his predecessor at SMU. At 5-11, 183 pounds, he’s still looking to fill out his frame a bit, but his explosiveness and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield figure to be serious weapons. More importantly, with Smith on to the NFL and LJ Johnson‘s transfer, McFall is the clear favorite to fill a major hole on SMU’s offense. — David Hale
Sleeper: DL Romello Height
A transfer from Georgia Tech, Height is not necessarily an unknown. But for as bad as the Texas Tech defense was last season (only Tulsa allowed more passing yards, and the Red Raiders allowed 35 points or more eight times), Height could play a massive role in Lubbock if he’s able to help fix what was a painful watch for Texas Tech fans at times in 2024. The more high-profile transfer on this defensive line unquestionably is David Bailey, who comes in from Stanford, but Height could very well become a name that Red Raiders fans will become familiar with given his potential. — Lyles Jr.
Sleeper: RB Roman Hemby
Stepping into a Hoosiers backfield without a settled returning starter, Maryland transfer Hemby has the opportunity to emerge as Indiana’s leader on the ground in 2025. Hemby hasn’t matched the 989-yard, 10-touchdown production he delivered in 2022 in either of his past two seasons, but the 6-foot, 208-pound rusher has averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry in each of his past three seasons and can be a threat in the passing game as well. Indiana spread its carries nearly evenly between top rushers Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton a year ago, and will likely do the same again with upperclassmen Kaelon Black and Lee Beebe Jr. also vying for carries. But Hemby has the potential to break through in a big way in 2025. — Lederman
Sleeper: Edge Tobi Osunsanmi
Kansas State returns four starters from last year’s defensive front six, but the Wildcats will need someone to replace the lost production of sacks leader Brendan Mott (13.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks). Enter Tobi Osunsanmi. The converted linebacker played a backup role last season, averaging about 22 snaps per game, but he actually averaged more havoc plays (TFLs, forced fumbles, passes defended) per snap than Mott — a 3.0% rate to Mott’s 2.5%. Between Osunsanmi and sophomore Chiddi Obiazor (2.5% havoc rate at 23 snaps per game), K-State has a couple of exciting options on the edge up front. — Connelly
Sleeper: LB Myles Graham
We saw what Graham was capable of as a freshman for the Gators with 30 tackles. He also had three tackles for loss, one sack, an interception and a forced fumble. With a line that should only be stronger in front of him, along with playing next to Grayson Howard, Graham has the potential to take another step in 2025. The great Florida teams of the 21st century have all had good linebacker play, and it feels like Graham could play that part for this team as it looks to rise again. — Lyles Jr.
Sleeper: CB Zeke Berry
From Mike Sainristil to Will Johnson, Michigan’s dominant defenses in recent years have featured a big-time cornerback. Berry is primed to become the next one, on the heels of a breakout junior season. After starting the year at nickelback, Berry slid to the outside following an injury to Johnson and thrived. Berry finished the year with 37 tackles and a team-high 11 pass breakups. He also forced a fumble to go along with his two interceptions. If Berry can take another step forward as the leader of the Michigan secondary, he quietly figures to be one of the top corners in the Big Ten — if not the country. — Trotter
Sleeper: S Zechariah Poyser
You may have heard of Poyser, one of the top available players in the transfer portal this past season. But he should still be considered a sleeper because of the impact he is projected to have in his first year with the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety played his first two seasons at Jacksonville State, earning Freshman All-America honors as a redshirt freshman this past season with 75 tackles and three interceptions. His addition gives the Hurricanes an instant upgrade at safety, where they struggled at times last season. Miami made other additions at defensive back in the portal, but safety was the most glaring area of need and it appears to be filled. — Adelson
Sleeper: S D’Angelo Hutchinson
The Cardinals struggled against the pass last season, and they’ll enter 2025 with a markedly different secondary that comes with its own share of questions. But one carryover from 2024 could help provide some answers. Hutchinson, a 6-foot-3 senior, saw action in all 13 games last season and came on strong down the stretch, including a standout performance in a win over Clemson in which he racked up nine tackles, two pass breakups and a blocked kick. Hutchinson brings length and speed to the back end, and head coach Jeff Brohm said he thinks the veteran could be in line for a breakout campaign. — Hale
Sleeper: CB Tyreek Chappell
Chappell returns after missing almost all of last season with an lower leg injury suffered in a non-contact setting in practice, making just three tackles. The Aggies’ secondary play was particularly frustrating to Mike Elko as last year wore on, and the return of Chappell, a former starter who was a three-star recruit and the team’s top defensive newcomer in 2021, is a key to the Aggies’ hopes of bolstering that unit. With the return of Will Lee III and the addition of Georgia transfer Julian Humphrey, Chappell, who had 88 tackles in his first two seasons, but just 24 in the past two, might be overlooked by fans. But inside the program, Chappell is expected to have a big year at the nickel spot. — Wilson
Sleeper: WR Cayden Lee
It’s odd to classify Lee as a sleeper following his breakout sophomore campaign in 2024, but hype around the third-year pass catcher has been buried this offseason amidst the Rebels’ additions of five transfer receivers, headlined by De’Zhaun Stribling and Harrison Wallace III. Lee finished second among Ole Miss receivers a year ago with 57 receptions, which he converted into 874 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. As the Rebels enter a new era at quarterback in 2025 with first-year starter Austin Simmons, Lee has the potential to become a critical, go-to target, particularly if he can find the end zone more. — Lederman
Sleeper: WR Zion Kearney
The Sooners were besieged with injuries at the receiver position last season, and some of their more talented pass catchers hit the transfer portal, including Nic Anderson. With new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and his Air Raid offense coming to Norman, that means Oklahoma will utilize even more receivers. Kearney, a true sophomore, has a chance to make a big jump after playing as a backup in 11 games as a freshman. He has the size (6-1, 207 pounds) and speed (4.28 40-yard dash in high school) to be a staple in the Sooners’ passing game, especially with John Mateer stepping in at quarterback. — Low
Sports
Van Gisbergen wins again to finish Chicago sweep
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4 seconds agoon
July 7, 2025By
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Associated Press
Jul 6, 2025, 05:46 PM ET
CHICAGO — Shane van Gisbergen burned out his tires in celebration, sending white smoke into the air. He signed a rugby ball and punted it into the stands in downtown Chicago. It was a familiar scene.
Van Gisbergen completed a Windy City sweep Sunday, winning the NASCAR Cup Series race on the tricky street course in downtown Chicago.
“Epic weekend for us. I’m a lucky guy,” van Gisbergen said.
A talented one, too. The 36-year-old New Zealand native became the second driver to sweep the Xfinity and Cup races in a single weekend from the pole, joining Kyle Busch at Indianapolis in 2016. With his third career Cup win, van Gisbergen also became the winningest foreign-born driver on NASCAR’s top series.
It was van Gisbergen’s second victory of the season after the Trackhouse Racing driver also won last month on a Mexico City road course.
“He’s the best road course stock car racer that I’ve ever seen,” Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said. “I think when he’s done with us all and walks away from the sport, I think he’s going to walk away as the best road course racer that this sport has ever seen.”
Marks brought van Gisbergen over from Australia’s Supercars for the first edition of NASCAR’s Chicago experiment in 2023, and he became the first driver to win his Cup debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.
Van Gisbergen also won Chicago’s Xfinity Series stop last year and the first stage in the Cup race before he was knocked out by a crash.
“This joint, it’s changed my life,” van Gisbergen said. “I didn’t have any plans to do more NASCAR races when I first came over here, and I never thought I’d be in NASCAR full time.”
In what might be the last NASCAR race on the downtown Chicago circuit, Ty Gibbs was second and Tyler Reddick finished third. Denny Hamlin and Busch rounded out the top five.
“My team called a great strategy and got me in position to get me up front to compete for the win,” Gibbs said. “It worked out for us today, so I’m glad to have a good finish, but we wish we could have gone for the win.”
Michael McDowell joined van Gisbergen on the front row and quickly moved in front. He won Stage 1 and led for 31 laps before he was derailed by a throttle cable issue.
Van Gisbergen regained the lead when he passed Chase Briscoe with 16 laps left. As fog and rain moved into downtown Chicago, van Gisbergen controlled the action the rest of the way.
AJ Allmendinger was sixth, and Ryan Preece finished seventh. Ryan Blaney, who won the second stage, was 12th.
“I thought overall it was a pretty decent day. It was nice to win that stage,” Blaney said.
William Byron‘s day was cut short by a clutch problem. The Hendrick Motorsports driver leads the point standings by 13 points over Chase Elliott.
After McDowell seized the lead early in the race, Carson Hocevar caused a multicar crash when he hit the wall and spun out between Turns 10 and 11. Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Will Brown were among the drivers collected in the wreck.
“I didn’t see it until the last second,” Keselowski said. “I slowed down and I actually felt I was going to get stopped and then I just kind of got ran over from behind. It’s just a narrow street course and sometimes there’s nowhere to go.”
Ty Dillon and Reddick moved into the third round of NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament when Keselowski and Hocevar were unable to finish the race. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Keselowski after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin last weekend at Atlanta.
Gibbs, Preece, Alex Bowman, John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith and Erik Jones also advanced. The winner of the five-race, bracket-style tournament takes home a $1 million prize.
Bowman, the 2024 champion on the downtown street course, won his head-to-head matchup with Bubba Wallace. Bowman and Wallace made contact as they battled for position late in the race after they also tangled in Chicago last year.
“I wasn’t expecting that to happen or to get raced like that, but we did,” Bowman said. “We just have to move on from it and keep digging. I don’t really know what I could have done much different.”
TOP-20 FINISH
Katherine Legge finished 19th for her best career Cup result. She became the first woman to finish in the top 20 in a Cup race since Danica Patrick at Texas in November 2017.
Legge was the first woman to qualify for the Cup race in downtown Chicago.
UP NEXT
The Cup Series is at Sonoma Raceway in California on July 13.
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