The Xfinity Series starting lineup in Chicago will feature several big names coming from the rear of the field after some adversity in practice.
While Shane van Gisbergen won the pole with a blistering lap of 90.085 seconds, several cars were not able to take part in qualifying due to various issues.
MORE: Chicago starting lineup
Sage Karam, in particular, failed to make the starting lineup after an oil pump belt broke on his No. 53. The only way he could make the show would be to have other drivers close in points face adversity of their own.
Other drivers had issues, but not those that Karam needed. Instead, it was the drivers much higher in points who dealt with unexpected setbacks. This includes two-time winner Connor Zilisch, who slammed hard into a tire barrier.
This significantly damaged the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and forced JR Motorsports to make repairs to the primary car. Zilisch still ended the practice session with the second-fastest lap (91.529 seconds).
Current leader in practice, Connor Zilisch, with his own problems. pic.twitter.com/GG11lsiTus
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) July 5, 2025
A fellow Chevrolet driver, Christian Eckes, was one of the earliest drivers to have issues. He smacked the wall on the opening lap of practice after making a mistake entering a turn. He took the blame for the incident while calling himself "an idiot."
Joe Gibbs Racing's Taylor Gray was the 15th-fastest driver during practice on Saturday morning. However, he slid through one of the turns. He clipped a tire barrier and then slammed nose first into the concrete barrier.
This contact damaged the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra to the point that Joe Gibbs Racing had to pull out the backup car. This ensured that Gray would join Eckes and Zilisch at the rear of the field.
The only other driver to not take a lap in qualifying was Ryan Sieg. The RSS Racing driver did not get any track time during practice, nor did he take part in qualifying. The team did not provide any details about the track absence.
Sieg will have to join Zilisch, Gray, and Eckes at the rear of the field for the start of Saturday's Xfinity Series race. He made the field over Kris Wright, who completed a qualifying lap, by virtue of owner points.