Practice Session Highlights
Riley Herbst set the pace in the NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicagoland Speedway, posting a best lap of 30.326 seconds that left the rest of the field scrambling to keep up.
His teammate Bubba Wallace, piloting the Upper Deck/Space Jam entry, was right on his heels, trailing by just 0.023 seconds and securing second spot.
The 23XI Racing organization capitalized on the session, with all four of its entries cracking the top eight, underscoring the team’s strong package and competitive edge.
Defending champion Kyle Larson claimed third place, while points leader Denny Hamlin followed in fourth, and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five with a solid performance.
The session also featured rising star Corey Heim in sixth, and a cluster of strong showings from Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, Carson Hocevar and Chris Buescher that rounded out the top ten.
With the weekend’s qualifying format looming, the tight margins and the dominance of the 23XI stable suggest that fans can expect a fiercely contested race weekend at the 1.5‑mile Joliet, Illinois venue.