The Cup Series will once again celebrate the 4th of July weekend in the Windy City. The Cup Series has been racing on the streets of Chicago over the last three seasons, but this year they will make the trip to Joilet, Illinois (just outside of Chicago) to race at Chicagoland Speedway. This track was known for providing many grooves to ran on and wearing out tires over the long run. It has aged seven years since the last race, so we can expect a lot of slipping and sliding as the drivers compete for the checkered flag. It is great to see this 1.5-mile, D-Shaped, Tri-Oval back on the schedule. The eero 400 can be seen Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on TNT.
Here are the picks for the race for the race Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. …
ONE & DONE CONTESTS
This pick is for games where you can only use a driver once throughout the season.
WILLIAM BYRON will be my pick in games where you can use a driver once throughout the season. The most similar tracks in size and shape to Chicagoland Speedway are Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. These are two of the tracks where Byron had his best races this year. The No. 24 finished 3rd in Sin City and 7th in the Heartland. Byron posted the fourth-fastest long-run speed in practice and the No. 24 car qualified 10th for the race. I will take my chances with Byron in my One & Done lineups Sunday night.
ONE & DONE (REGULAR SEASON/PLAYOFF GAMES)
The picks for the Regular Season / Playoff Games are rest this week. There are some One & Done Contests that reset when the playoffs start. That means you only need to use 26 Drivers for the regular season and then 10 drivers for the playoffs. We can be more aggressive in these types of One & Done Contests.
KYLE LARSON will be my pick in games that reset at the end of the regular season. Larson was the best driver at Chicagoland Speedway when the Cup Series used to race at this track. I doubt that is going to change Sunday night. Larson tested at Chicagoland Speedway in May and he had speed Saturday in practice and qualifying. Larson posted the third-fast speed in practice and he qualified 2nd for the race. The No. 5 car has a good chance to win the eero 400 Sunday.
ONE & DONE (USE A DRIVER MORE THAN ONCE)
There are some One & Done games that are not really “One & Done.” I play in a league where you can use a driver twice and another league where you can use a driver three times during the season. The picks posted below are for these types of contests (I am going to base these picks on being able to use a driver twice during the 2025 season).
CHRIS BUESCHER will be my pick in games where you can use a driver more than once during the 2025 season. Buescher has been one of the more consistent plays on the 1.5-mile, intermediate tracks this year. He finished 6th at Las Vegas, 10th at Kansas and 5th in Texas. Buescher posted the eighth-fastest long-run speed in practice and the No. 17 car qualified 3rd for the race. Buescher should score well for your One & Done Contest Sunday night.
NASCAR.COM 36 FOR 36 PICK
Good luck Sunday!
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