NASCAR at Chicago results, highlights: Alex Bowman snaps 80-race winless run, punches ticket to Cup Series playoffs

Mother Nature couldn't help but leave her scorned grasp on Chicago's financial district — the site of this year's Grant Park 165 — this Sunday.

The second Cup Series street race went much like the first, with rain and slick conditions wreaking havoc on what NASCAR hoped would be a banner day for its brand. 'Twas a shame, too, because the racing on display was as good as advertised.

In the end, just one man could make it out unscathed. Hendrick Motorsports star Alex Bowman punched his ticket to the postseason by capturing the checkered flag, holding off a late rally by Tyler Reddick to notch his first victory in 80 Cup Series contests.

Sunday's race was a doozy from the get-go. The opening stage carried a sense of foreboding, almost as if an abominable mistress were to sweep the course in a blanket of rain.

Those fears were proved to be correct within three laps of the second stage's start. Following a pair of precarious events — Bowman sent Bubba Wallace spinning into the wall, then defending Chicago champion Shane van Gisbergen saw his day end after Chase Briscoe buried him in the tire barriers — NASCAR opted to pull out the red flag. Drivers wouldn't return to their cockpits until two hours later. At that point, NASCAR had already vowed to wave the white flag at 9:20 p.m. ET (8:20 p.m. local time).

Bowman took control during the race's second half. Much of the credit has to go to his team, who opted to keep him out on the track in wet tires as compared to slicks, which proved less effective in the short term but more successful in the long run.

He built up a big lead over his slicked-up counterparts like Reddick and Christopher Bell. Despite the pairings' best efforts, Bowman's lead was insurmountable, as Reddick's love tap into the barrier on Turn 5 on the final lap ensured it was Bowman who stood underneath the tempest of confetti in victory lane.

Bowman's win has major implications on the Cup Series playoff table. He entered the race clinging to the division's final playoff spot. Now, that cut line becomes even more ravenous: the likes of Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, and Chris Buescher all find themselves looking over their shoulders.

That will be just fine for Bowman, however, whose win ensures that all four Hendrick Motorsports cars take part in the Cup Series postseason. Given their consistency, it seems reasonable to believe they can enjoy deeper runs once the calendar flips, too.

The Sporting News traced live updates from Sunday's NASCAR race, the Grant Park 165. Check below for highlights, live results, and more as NASCAR's biggest stars left their mark on the Windy City...again.

MORE: Watch the Grant Park 165 with Fubo (free trial)

NASCAR at Chicago results

NASCAR at Chicago live updates, highlights from 2024 race

(All times Eastern)

9:23 p.m.: Reddick gets into the wall and it looks like Bowman will take the checkered flag!

9:22 p.m.: Reddick takes second from Hand. But it's looking like Bowman is in control.

9:20 p.m.: Bowman still holding firm atop the totem pole. White flag is out. He just has to finish this lap and he'll be home cooking.

9:18 p.m.: Bell falls out of the top 10! took contact from Martin Truex Jr. and that should end his hopes for the win. Bowman putting some serious distance between him and Hand with less than two minutes left. This one could be wraps.

9:15 p.m.: Bell is the closest driver with slicks, sitting in P9. He has five minutes to race beyond his adversaries and outgun Bowman for first place. Going to be challenging with nine car-lengths in between the two.

9:09 p.m.: CAUTION! Berry goes into the tire barrier on Turn 6. Clock is ticking and Bowman has the lead.

9:08 p.m.: Bowman takes the lead on Turn 5. He could secure his place in the postseason with a result here.

9:05 p.m.: Back to green. We have 15 minutes to go. Joey Hand (!) leading the way, followed by Bowman. Those at the front of the pack are on wet tires, while the likes of Bell, Briscoe and Gibbs are on slicks. This could get weird with 15 minutes to go.

8:55 p.m.: Joey Hand wins Stage 2, just outlasting Bowman to nab his first career stage win at the tender age of 45.

8:52 p.m.: A huge stream of cars took to pit road, including race leaders Bell and Gibbs. It's a slip-and-slide on the course at present. Slick tires for those in the front, while the rest of the pack looks to be sporting the wet ones.

8:41 p.m.: Back under green with nine laps remaining in the stage. Bell and Gibbs return to the front.

8:29 p.m.: CAUTION! Larson collides at that dastardly Turn 6, incurring serious damage after attempting to take on Gibbs for second-place behind Bell. Smoke emanates from his front hood. One of the harder hits we've seen at Chicago street race.

8:24 p.m.: Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. get turned around on that daunting Turn 6. They get themselves re-fired eventually, however, avoiding the caution flag. Real competitive contest between Gibbs, Bell and Kyle Larson at the front of the pack.

8:22 p.m.: We're back to green with the single file restart! Here we go! Gibbs returns to his stead up at the top of the totem pole.

8:13 p.m.: Our long national nightmare has finally ended! We're back to racing (or at least appear to be). Drivers are back on the track with about an hour to finish proceedings. We've got a hard stop of 9:20 p.m. ET.

6:24 p.m.: Red flag coming out as the air tundras attempt to soak up some of the standing water on the track.

6:18 p.m.: CAUTION! Chase Briscoe goes into the tire barrier after slipping and sliding on Turn 6. Took a serious shot as he twirled into the obstacle. He proceeded to take van Gisbergen out as he went into the corner, knocking the defending Grant Park champion out of the race.

6:17 p.m.: Back to green for Stage 2. Zane Smith — who has yet to pit — leads the troops out. Gibbs will likely eclipse him in the next few paces.

6:06 p.m.: Cars stream into pit road as teams attempt to swap their slick tires for wet weather ones.

5:53 p.m.: Stage 1 concludes under yellow. van Gisbergen will take the first stage of the night.

5:47 p.m.: CAUTION! LaJoie goes spinning on Turn 5.

5:41 p.m.: SVG to the lead! Outguns Gibbs as they attempt to get beyond the lap cards. Bit of a bottleneck at present, but things remain fairly orderly with seven laps remaining in the first stage.

5:38 p.m.: van Gisbergen has arrived. He's up to second-place after Reddick fell wayside with a slippery showing on Turn 4. The defending Grant Park champion is less than half a second behind race leader Gibbs.

5:30 p.m.: Big slide by Bubba Wallace as Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman overtake the 23XI Racing star for P5 and P6.

5:29 p.m.: McDowell goes into pit road to replace his slicks with wet tires. Rain falling on Turn 11.

5:25 p.m.: van Gisbergen now displaces Kyle Larson to get into P3. He's coming for the top. Again.

5:23 p.m.: Shane van Gisbergen with quite the pass, supplanting Michael McDowell to push into the top-five.

5:22 p.m.: And we're finally in green. Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick jostle atop the front of the field.

5:10 p.m.: Engines re-fired here at Chicago. Green flag should be imminent (or so we hope).

4:58 p.m.: Important decisions for NASCAR's finest. The weather delay could prompt teams to swap their rain tires for slick tires. NASCAR is offering teams the opportunity to take an inspection lap before figuring out their choice. We'll see what each team does.

4:50 p.m.: We're on hold at the moment, ostensibly due to rain. It shouldn't be eight inches worth of rain this time around, however. At least we have those assurances...

4:45 p.m.: It's worth noting that a whopping nine drivers — Josh Berry, Brad Keselowski, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton, William Byron, Erik Jones and Josh Bilicki — were sent to the rear for failing pre-race inspections. That's quite literally a quarter of the field damned for their team's illicit adjustments.

4:25 p.m.: Plenty of rain tires on site fort his one, according to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass. Will pit crews be compelled to place them on the bottoms of their chariots of fire? That remains to be seen.

4:15 p.m.: Chi-Town could get a little wet for tonight's race. However, it shouldn't be too much rain, if forecasts are to be believed.

3:55 p.m.: Tonight's race isn't just a Cup Series contest. It's also a musical event, one which a host of musicians, including Keith Urban and The Chainsmokers, have participated in. Perhaps that can explain the late start to Sunday's festivities.

What channel is the NASCAR race on today?

• TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
• Live stream: Peacock, Fubo

The Grant Park 165 will be broadcast on NBC in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN5.

Veteran broadcaster Rick Allen will lead NBC's coverage, serving as the race's lap-by-lap announcer. He'll be joined in the booth by Steve Letarte and on the course by Dillon Welch, Jeff Burton and Mike Bagley.

Fans can watch online via Peacock or Fubo, which offers a free trial .

NASCAR start time today

• Date: Sunday, July 7
• Start time : 4:30 p.m. ET

Sunday's race is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m ET, with green flag expected to be waved closer to 5:00 p.m ET.

MORE: NASCAR race schedule, TV channels, winners for 2024 races