CHICAGO — If you ever need someone to drive you around Chicago — say from Grant Park to the Field Museum to the Art Institute — Shane van Gisbergen would be an excellent choice.
Never mind that he’s a New Zealander who doesn’t fancy big cities. SVG is fast becoming a Chicago legend.
On a steamy Sunday in the Windy City, van Gisbergen won his second Chicago Street Race in three tries, becoming the winningest foreign-born driver in NASCAR Cup Series history. For good measure, he won the Xfinity race on Saturday as well.
“This joint, it changed my life,” van Gisbergen said on Sunday.
Here’s a photographic look at the third running of the Chicago Street Race.
In anticipation of a third straight Chicago race featuring inclement weather, the rain tires rolled into pit road early on Sunday. The tires on the left are slicks, for dry conditions, while the tires on the right are rain tires. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
At 10 a.m., the cars could officially be uncovered, including the Jordan Brand Toyota driven by Tyler Reddick. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
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Joey Logano talks with fans and signs autographs in the Festival Field before heading to his garage. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
A couple of hours before strapping himself into a rocket, Noah Gragson races remote-controlled cars against young fans in the NASCAR Kids Zone. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
The Grand Marshal of Sunday’s race was former NBA MVP and Chicago legend Derrick Rose, wearing a custom race jacket presented by NASCAR. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Bubba Wallace was loving it during driver introductions. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the drivers before the race and looked ready to step in if needed. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
The 40 cars that raced on Sunday were lined up and ready for their drivers. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
After final photos with sponsors and family, Shane van Gisbergen got his game face on for the start of the race. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
After experiencing an electrical fire under the dash during the final stage of Saturday’s Xfinity race, Josh Bilicki (No. 66) came out firing on Sunday. Later in the race, his car suffered heavy nose damage, but he still finished 21st, his best road course finish. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Talk about a vanity plate! Tyler Reddick’s car featured an Illinois license plate referring to 23XI team co-owner Michael Jordan. Reddick was in the running late and finished third. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Daniel Suarez was involved in an accident late and was a lonely figure on pit road as the race finished. He completed 69 laps and placed 29th. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Van Gisbergen showed again why he’s built for road courses, especially the one in Chicago. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Van Gisbergen took the checkered flag under a caution because Cody Ware blew a brake rotor and slammed into the Turn 6 tire barrier in the final laps. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Just before the rain came, van Gisbergen celebrated his second win in two days in Chicago. It was quite a weekend for a driver who didn’t expect to race in NASCAR before a one-off opportunity two years ago. (Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
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