Chase Briscoe led a Toyota-heavy top ten to claim his first win of the season as NASCAR made its much-anticipated return to Chicagoland on Sunday night.

Briscoe outperformed the Hendrick Chevrolet driven by William Byron in the pit lane and then held off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates to seal victory ahead of Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin.

Having already clinched a spot in the 2025 Championship Four, Briscoe had been seeking his first win of the year. For the Indiana native, taking the victory in Illinois during the weekend celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary made the achievement even more special.

“How about that race?” Briscoe exclaimed to the packed Chicago crowd. “Was that a good race? It felt incredible. What an unbelievable weekend. I feel so proud to win in the Bass Pro Shops red, white, and blue car... Fourth of July weekend... 250 years. Man, what an amazing race car.”

With all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers finishing inside the top ten and three of the four 23XI Racing drivers joining them, Toyota celebrated one of its strongest NASCAR outings ever, claiming seven of the ten top positions.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was the only team driver to miss the top ten after an early crash, which inadvertently helped Hamlin extend his recently earned lead in the regular-season points standings.

Bell continued to chase his first victory while competing with a splint instead of a cast, whereas Hamlin was eyeing his sixth win. Finishing third, Hamlin not only scored valuable championship points but also benefited from Reddick’s misfortune, further strengthening his position atop the standings as the NASCAR regular season nears its end.

Starting from pole position, many expected Hamlin to dominate given his consistent performances on oval tracks. However, by his own admission, he felt he became complacent.

“I felt in control and probably got a little lazy on some restarts and things like that. I just assumed I’d go up there and get it done. Briscoe and Bell really improved their cars in the second half of the race, and Byron too. We lost balance in stage three—I got loose, lost time, dropped a few seconds. Then we stayed out longer and came out nine seconds behind. I thought I might still catch them, but I pushed too hard into the wall with a few laps left and had to settle for third,” Hamlin explained.