While Joe Gibbs Racing swept NASCAR’s first Chicagoland Speedway weekend in seven years, with Chase Briscoe winning in Cup and Brandon Jones winning in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Ty Dillon and Nick Sanchez put together quieter runs worth a closer look.
Cup Series: Ty Dillon & Kaulig Racing
Ty Dillon earns this week’s Cup Series under-the-radar acknowledgement after bringing the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet home 20th in his 300th career NASCAR Cup Series start.
The milestone itself fits the nature of the finish. Dillon has never been one of the Cup Series’ headlining drivers, but reaching 300 starts requires a level of persistence that can be easily overlooked. Since making his Cup debut in 2014, Dillon has driven for multiple organizations, collected eight top-10 finishes and continued carving out a place at NASCAR’s top level.
Chicagoland was another example of the steady grind that has defined his career. He started 27th and finished 20th, earning his sixth top-20 finish of the season. He also made 125 green-flag passes, tied for the third-most in the field, while giving Kaulig Racing a clean result despite a lack of manufacturer support from Chevrolet.
In a race whose top five and 10 were filled by the bigger names, Dillon’s 20th-place finish wasn’t flashy, and that’s exactly what makes it fit here. As his future is in limbo, a clean top-20 finish for one of NASCAR’s journeymen drivers is worth noting.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Nick Sanchez & Peterson Racing Group
Nick Sanchez earns this week’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series under-the-radar acknowledgement after bringing the No. 87 Peterson Racing Group Chevrolet home 12th at Chicagoland Speedway.
The finish came during a season that has required Sanchez to pivot. After spending 2025 with Big Machine Racing, Sanchez opened 2026 with AM Racing before his full-time plans changed early in the year. The team withdrew from the Rockingham Speedway race in March, and Motorsport.com confirmed in mid-May that AM Racing had formally ceased operations. In June, Sanchez was announced for a limited schedule with Peterson Racing Group.
Chicagoland was a strong use of that opportunity. Sanchez started 15th and finished 12th, giving Peterson Racing Group a solid result in a race where established drivers like Chase Elliott, Brandon Jones and Connor Zilisch set the pace near the front.
The run was backed up by the numbers. Sanchez ranked 15th in driver rating, 11th in green-flag passes and 14th in quality passes, showing that his finish was more than simple attrition.
Sanchez’s run was valuable for both parties involved. In a car shared with Austin Green, who has impressed throughout the season, Sanchez helped continue showing that Peterson Racing Group can be competitive in its debut year as an independent full-time organization. For a driver whose season could have stalled after losing a full-time ride, a 12th-place finish was worth noting.