William Byron triggers massive pileup during Chicago Street Race

As William Byron found the wall on Turn 11, a chain reaction occurred and the streets of Chicago were stacked up with cars. These NASCAR drivers avoided this for the entire weekend, but on lap 49 of 75 in a shortened race, they couldn’t help it.

William Byron went into the wall. Then, Kevin Harvick spun out. As he spun, Corey LaJoie went around and then the entire field started to pile up into one another. Soon enough, no one could pass.

Just when you thought this race couldn’t get any more wild, this wreck happens and changes the entire race.

TRAFFIC JAM!#NASCARChicago | @NBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/t75M7Ll9cD

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 3, 2023

This race was shortened to just 75 laps and these drivers are going after it. After leading for two stages, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick found themselves fighting through the pack. It was shortly a disaster of a race as they both found themselves spinning into the wall at various points in the last 25 laps of the race.

William Byron was a benefactor of the shortened race as he pitted before the decision came out. It forced others to pit and he cycled through to the front of the race. He had a shot at a top-5 finish but couldn’t hang onto it in Turn 11. This pile-up was funny to watch and the crowd in Chicago went nuts for it. A little goofiness never hurt anyone.

SVG takes advantage of William Byron traffic jam

After the Byron traffic jam, things heated up even more. Shane van Gisbergen was on fresher tires and had a ton of speed. He started to move up through the field and within just 20 laps, he went from 18th to 1st. When van Gisbergen took hold of the lead, he didn’t give it up.

The battle for the lead was not easy. While he had a lot of speed, he still had to make a pass on multiple cars. He did it without bumping and without causing any issues with other drivers. That included a talented Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott at one point.

In the end, Justin Haley didn’t have enough to hold off SVG either. The Supercars champion took the lead and on the final restart in overtime, he was perfect. For the first time in decades, a driver wins in their Cup Series debut. Truly remarkable.

William Byron would bounce back to finish P13 in the Grant Park 220.