Jake Leonard 
One of the most popular races in NASCAR in recent years is making its return to Chicago this weekend, and a former driver makes a bold prediction on this weekend’s winner.
Kevin Harvick and his crew discussed their picks for the upcoming street race during his Happy Hour podcast.
Harvick, a current analyst for NASCAR, weighed in on a single factor that might affect the race, making the call live on the show while still analyzing the upcoming race.
“I’m going to look at the weather forecast,” Harvick explained. “I’m going to make this super technical. Let’s see. And I’m not going to tell you if it’s raining, because you’re not changing your pick. 10-day, 50% chance of rain on Sunday. Hmm. Yep. I’m going to go with Ty Gibbs.”
Gibbs is a bold choice to win the race, especially given his recent success in the race in Chicago. He finished third in the race last year.
However, he has a spotty past on road courses. He finished 11th in Mexico City following a 34th-place finish at Circuit of the Americas, a 35th-place finish at the Charlotte Roval, and a 22nd-place finish at Watkins Glen.
However, in Chicago, Gibbs has top ten finishes in both street races in Chicago to date since it began. In addition, he has six top ten finishes on road courses, with four other top five finishes in his career.
Show’s co-hosts have differing predictions
Harvick’s podcast co-hosts, Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, took different paths in their predictions.
“My pick for the winner in Chicago is (Shane van Gisbergen),” she said. “SVG. Low-hanging f*cking fruit. I need help right now. I need help!”
van Gisbergen is currently one of the heavy favorites to win the race at +185, according to Fox Sports. Vincie’s pick was a safe one, considering the Vegas odds on the third annual race in Chicago.
Smith differed in his prediction, going for someone who was inching closer to beating eventual winner Alex Bowman before a late mishap last year.
“I’m really, honestly, I’m really up in the air about who I should pick on this one,” Smith said. “And I think I’m going to go with Tyler Reddick. He’s had speed there before. I think he kind of gave one up there before. And they need to keep these good runs going. So I’m going to go Tyler Reddick.”
Despite the mishap of clipping a wall which slowed down his momentum in the race’s final lap, Reddick finished last year’s race with a respectable second-place finish.
The Grant Park 165 kicks off Sunday, July 6 at 2 p.m. Eastern on TNT.
Is the Grant Park 165 returning in 2026?
There has been some speculation about the future of the race. The future of the race is currently unknown. NASCAR’s current deal with the City of Chicago expires after the conclusion of Sunday’s race.
However, the deal does include options to continue the event, according to the Chicago Sun-Times in an article published Monday.
There are a variety of factors that could suspend or terminate the event, but options are under consideration.
For instance, NASCAR is close to finalizing a deal in San Diego for a street race, which could leave the Chicago race in limbo.
However, Julie Giese, president of the Chicago Street Race / Grant Park 165, believes it is possible to hold both events on the calendar
“We’ve had great conversations with the city,” Giese told the Sun-Times. “I think right now, our focus is on this year’s event. We’re a week away, so we’re focused on hosting the best NASCAR Chicago Street Race yet. We have those two option years, and we’ll continue those conversations coming out of the event weekend.”
The original three-year deal between NASCAR and then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot came to fruition with NASCAR aiming to innovate with a street race and Lightfoot seeking to bring a unique event to the Windy City.
The racing organization previously held an annual race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet before being withdrawn from the schedule in 2019. However, another option involves bringing a race back to Chicagoland Speedway.
Perhaps we’ll wait to see what transpires after this weekend to see whether those option years are picked up.
