Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session is a single-car session in which each driver on the entry list is set to get one timed qualifying lap to determine the full starting lineup. Unlike there is for superspeedway races, there is no second round shootout for the pole position.
NASCAR's qualifying metric determined the qualifying order. This metric, which consists of only two variables, has been used since 2025 after replacing the four-variable metric that was used from 2020 to 2024.
The only two lineup changes since this past weekend's race at Sonoma Raceway include the additions of two non-chartered (open) cars. NY Racing Team are set to run the No. 44 Chevrolet for J.J. Yeley, and 23XI Racing are set to run the No. 67 Toyota for Corey Heim, who won his most recent race on Naval Base Coronado two weekends ago.
Garage 66 had planned on entering the No. 66 Ford for Josh Bilicki, but they withdrew that car from the entry list. They also withdrew from the race at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) back in February.
The Sonoma race was just the second of the season to feature only the 36 chartered cars.
Because there are just two open cars on the entry list at Chicagoland, all 38 drivers are locked into Sunday night's 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Joliet, Illinois oval.
Here's a look at Saturday's full qualifying order for Sunday's eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
NASCAR Cup Series qualifying order at Chicagoland
Order | Driver |
|---|---|
1 | J.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet |
2 | Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota |
3 | Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
4 | Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet |
5 | Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
6 | Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
7 | Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
8 | Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota |
9 | Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
10 | Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
11 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota |
12 | John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
13 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
14 | Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet |
15 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford |
16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet |
17 | Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
18 | Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
19 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota |
20 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
21 | A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
22 | Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
23 | Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
24 | Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford |
25 | Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
26 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford |
27 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford |
28 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
29 | Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
30 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
31 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
32 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford |
33 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
34 | Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
35 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford |
36 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
37 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
38 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
The Chicago 400 is set to be shown live on TNT from Chicagoland Speedway beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, July 5. Tune in and don't miss the start of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season's second half!
