Chase Briscoe held off Christopher Bell on Sunday night in NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway, racing to his first Cup Series victory of the season. Briscoe was followed closely by Bell in the final laps on the 1.5-mile oval about 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.

NASCAR Return to Chicagoland

NASCAR ran 19 Cup races in Joliet before pulling out after the 2019 season. It tried to build interest in the event in a crowded sports market, but the race struggled with attendance. After racing on a street course in downtown Chicago each of the previous three years, NASCAR decided to go back to Chicagoland — eager to see how the Next Gen cars would do on the rough and bumpy asphalt at the facility.

Denny Hamlin, who started on the pole, was third. William Byron, who won two stages while leading a race-high 94 laps, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five. Led by Briscoe, Bell and Hamlin, Toyota accounted for seven of the top 10 cars — continuing a strong season for the manufacturer.

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.