Chase Briscoe is a NASCAR driver. The host mentions him because he was involved in a finish where another driver held him off, affecting the championship picture.
Chicagoland is the NASCAR race at a specific oval track near Chicago. Track type matters a lot in NASCAR, so it changes who you might bet or pick for fantasy.
Term
in the chase
“In the chase” means a driver is still in contention for the championship. The host is checking if recent finishes keep them on track.
Qualifying is when drivers race against the clock to decide where they start for the main race. Starting position can matter a lot on ovals, so it’s a key moment for predictions.
NASCAR’s “next gen car” is the newer race car design the series uses. Because it’s different from older cars, it can handle differently on the track, which affects betting and predictions.
A “15 lap average” is based on many laps, so it’s more about steady performance than a single lap. That can be a better clue for how someone might do during the race.
A “10 lap average” means averaging several laps to see how consistently a driver is running. It helps you judge who’s truly fast, not just who had one good lap.
Kyle Larson is one of NASCAR’s leading drivers. The host is saying Larson looked especially fast in practice, so he’s a strong pick for fantasy this week.
Hamlin is Denny Hamlin, a well-known NASCAR driver. The host is saying he’s near the top in points and should be one to watch at Chicagoland.
Person
Dreddick
The transcript’s name here looks garbled, and it’s not clear which driver the host means. Later they mention “Reddick,” which is likely the intended reference.
A “cup car” is the main NASCAR race car used in the top Cup Series. Saying it’s his first time in a cup car at Chicagoland means he hasn’t raced that top-level car on this track before.
Christopher Bell is a NASCAR driver. The host is saying Bell did better than expected recently, so that affects how they think about his chances this week.
A “bracket break buster” is someone who messes up other people’s predictions. They’re the kind of driver who can unexpectedly advance or perform better than expected.
“Part time” means that driver isn’t racing every weekend. “67 car” just means the car’s number is 67, and that can matter for tracking who’s who in the field.
That phrase means the race track is roughly 1.5 miles around. Different track lengths make the cars behave differently, so teams and drivers often prepare in different ways.
That means the driver is doing well overall in the season standings—inside the top ten. Drivers who are high in points usually finish races more consistently.
A winless streak means the driver hasn’t won any races for a while. People betting on NASCAR sometimes think a win is “due” if the car has been running well even without victories.
“Tire came off” means the wheel/tire separated from the car. That’s a big problem in a race because it can force the driver to lose laps and fight back afterward.
Term
minus size
In sports betting, a “minus” number usually means the bet is for the favorite. It suggests the sportsbook thinks Corey Heim is more likely to hit the top-10 result than the alternatives.
Power steering helps the driver turn the wheel with less effort. If it breaks or acts up, steering gets heavy, and the driver can’t control the car as accurately, which can hurt performance and results.
In NASCAR, strategy is about timing—like when to pit and how hard to push—so you don’t run out of tires or fall behind. Even if two cars are similar, the better-timed decisions can decide the finish.
A broken wrist is an injury that can make steering and controlling the car harder. The host is saying Bell still raced through it and managed to keep performing.
Road courses are tracks with lots of turns and braking. The host thinks Bell’s wrist injury was harder to deal with on those tracks than on oval races.
An oval is the typical NASCAR track shape—more like a loop where you keep going around at speed. The host is saying the racing dynamics are different from road courses.
A “plate racer” is someone who usually performs well at tracks where the cars are power-limited. When the cars aren’t as strong, racing becomes more about drafting and strategy.
The “round of eight” is a playoff step in NASCAR where only eight drivers are left. They race, and the best finishers move on to the next playoff round.
“Victory lane” is what NASCAR calls the celebration area for the winner. If a driver “came close to victory lane,” they were very close to winning the race.
Term
recs
“Recs” usually means cautions—when the race slows down because of an incident. That can change who wins because it affects pit stops and resets the race.
“Atlanta” is the next NASCAR stop at a specific race track in Georgia. Track conditions and incidents there can change the race, especially if there are cautions.
LIVE
Hello, everybody. Welcome into Through the Gears with Frontstretch.com. I'm Michael Bell
Femme. As we get ready to return to Chicago and for the first time since 2019 for the
Euro 400 on Sunday night on TNT and last weekend we were at Sonoma and I said that SVG was
which is what we tend to see at Sonoma and that's what definitely happened. His car
wasn't the best but he was able to hold off Chase Briscoe and get that win after that
crash at San Diego and get back into the chase. There'll be an interesting storyline the
rest of the way to see if he remains in the chase but now only ovals coming up and now
at Chicagoland. Happy 4th of July, 250. We were recording on Saturday morning. So practice
as already happened yesterday while they battled the rain but qualifying is later on today
and it seems like another whole new unknowns with how the car is. The next gen car is handling
with the surface first time in seven years we're here and we've already talked about,
I mean the drivers have already talked about how the car isn't really reacting to the track very
well and we'll mention fantasy, we'll mention some bets that I crafted up and a little in season
challenge update at my bracket spoiler did not make it very well for the first weekend. I took
some big swings but didn't work out in my favor but and for fantasy this week with Speedway Collective
four groups as usual going with Group A to start off first full of lead drivers to choose from
and with the practice times I saw in yesterday's practice Kyle Larson and I think the best five
lap average, 10 lap average, 15 lap average so keep an eye on him then you got to go with
Toyotas as well to keep an eye on Hamlin right at the top two and points Hamlin,
Leapfrog Dreddick last week with both drivers running into trouble this is going to be Reddick's
first time at Chicagoland in a cup car and I'm excited to see how these new drivers these young
guys are going to handle Chicagoland for the first time in a cup car and then you got guys like
Chase Elliott in this group and Christopher Bell I wasn't really expecting him
to perform so well. It's a Sonoma last week he really impressed me after his sub at San Diego
had Brent Cruz jump in for him and I had Bell losing in the first round of Chastain but he
was able to put up a top five and move on to the next round of the N.C.s in tournament but
I think for Group A I think Kyle Larson is a safe pick just because he's so good on my own halves
plus his Chicagoland resume aside from being so strong in the five car when he was in the 42
he ran well as the last two races at Chicagoland finished second both times obviously had the
legendary finish with Kyle Busch in 2018 the 2019 he battled with Alex Bowman got around him and
then Bowman passed him back first first win and then Group B you have a 23-11 car with bubble
Wallace some SVG I think yeah he's Group C but he have Connor Zilch in Group B and then Alex Bowman
like I said former winner of Chicagoland I had him on my bench because he's just been a little
inconsistent this year and with Reddick's struggles he's actually in the next round he was the bracket
break buster for a lot of guys this year it was Ty Dillon last year with that crash at Atlanta but
Reddick running into power steering problems really knocked a lot of guys out Alex Bowman moves on
and I would keep an eye on him but I think just from speed and just how 23-11 has been on it this
year I think bubble Wallace is the pick for Group B with that look that really sharp looking space
jam car I think he's gonna run very well out there in Chicago and then moving on to Group C
now you run into more RFK cars I have Ryan Priess on my bench with how he's been performing pretty
well lately he had a little bit of a rush stretch where he kept crashing but he had a good run at
San Diego had a good run at Sonoma last week he won a stage in San Diego so I think Ryan Priess
is going to be definitely one to watch at Chicagoland but I'm going with that a Group C Austin
Syndrome just because I really like this practice times and I feel like again Chicagoland's a very
new track for all these guys I feel like who's going to be the one to jump off and perform I
think so Austin Cedric he does have Chicagoland experience but that was back when he was in
O'Reilly running with Penske in that 22 car but now he's in the two he's in need of a big run
because he's right on the bubble I think Austin Cedric is going to come up big at Chicagoland
this weekend that's my maybe caught a hot take with how Ford's been but I think Austin Cedric's
hopefully going to qualify well and then run up front and then at Group D if Corey Haim wasn't
running this weekend I would have gone with his teammate Raleigh Herbst because he was fastest
in practice but I mean you got to go with Corey Haim one because he also had good times in practice
but two just the momentum he's carrying right now after he won at San Diego just I wouldn't I would
call it an upset I mean we knew Eddie was going to win eventually but to happen happened in his
13th start in the part time 67 car I don't think anyone had that happening at San Diego but
now he's back on a mile and a half and you would really expect Corey Haim to put up another
strong performance at Chicagoland with just the 2311 equipment but then other guys you want to
keep an eye on maybe you got like a Stenhouse he could run up front here in there Zane Smith
had some good runs of course Daniel Suarez he's top 10 in points and maybe a legacy without
legacies run a mile and a half so I wouldn't I wouldn't be surprised if John Hunter Nemechek
puts up a strong performance with Eric Jones but Eric Jones ran over something in practice so
more on Eric Jones later we run into the in-season challenge but that's going to do it for fantasy
now move on to a couple bets that I crafted up courtesy of Draft King Sportsbook I really like
Kyle Arson's chances of ending the losing not the losing streak the winless streak because he's
still running very well he's putting together top fives Clifton annuals in the team they're not
in a slump they're just not winning I think that Kyle Arson can be able to pull it off
it's going to be the Toyotas he's going to have to watch out for I think his biggest threats are
going to be Reddick and Hamlin maybe have a guy like Wallace who I have finishing top five I think
Wallace is going to have a good run as long as he doesn't run into trouble because sometimes
Bubba Wallace has some trouble and also you think back to San Diego when his tire came off and he
was uh two laps down had to fight back to finish in the top I think yeah he finished a runner up
actually in that race and then Sonoma he crashed in qualifying and still managed to have a decent
finish after starting from the back so if he could have a clean race I think Bubba Wallace could be
a threat to win too but I'll say he wins he finishes top five then you got to throw in Cory
Heim he's actually minus size to finish top 10 with how strong his car is even though it's part time
so I think Cory Heims could be up in the mix he's proved that he could run with the top guys
clearly this month is that I mean last month in June with that win at San Diego but other race
winners I keep an eye on maybe is other than Larsson like I said Hamlin and Reddick the two guys out
front they really need to try and establish themselves with the points lead again because
Hamlin caught up to Reddick with a combination of Hamlin's win streak and Reddick having a couple
bad finishes and then with my second bet I made I switched up a little bit wanted to get a forward
in here I think Chris Busher just with how he just always manages to finish in that fifth to
eleventh range even in the down year for Ford I think Busher top five could be something to play
off of maybe you throw an Austin Stringer top 10 or Zane Smith top 10 if you're looking at the
Fords and then going with Hamlin he hasn't won at Chicago and I believe he hasn't won a really
year from that mistake in there or it was mid 20 times I think he got a win here but
mile and a half I think with what he's showing at Michigan and Nashville I think that 11 team
should be the top of the boards and battling out there he needs it building off the momentum like
he said getting the points lead and then I go with Ross Chastain I know Trackhouse hasn't had a great
year but Ross Chastain I would still say he's on the bubble but he has been running better lately
and the road courses kind of gave Trackhouse a shot in the arm because last week he had SVG
when he had Zillich get his first cup top 10 Chastain ran up pretty well but didn't finish better
than Bell so he's got knocked out of the in-season challenge but I think Chastain could get a top
10 if he just has enough speed in the car and I'm gonna bank on Trackhouse bringing a good car
plus again there's a lot of variables with this Chicago land track maybe some top teams miss
and Chastain and Trackhouse fill the void and they could get a top 10 I wouldn't even be surprised
I like SVG's odds for a top 10 and he's finished top 10 on ovals this year I think back to Charlotte
he ran up front I think Kansas maybe he was up front it was one of those ovals I know he ran
up front on short tracks too but for the mile and a half he's showing speed and he's been up there
so I wouldn't have passed it for Trackhouse to get up there and get a top 10 I mean plus 8400
odds I really like the value on this with even with Hamlin being the favorite I think him and
Reddick are tied for the favorites I think they're both 285 I remember looking earlier
and then Buscher plus 360 and 380 for Chastain to bring it up to 8400 and now for the in-season
challenge update down to the final 16 there are no perfect brackets remaining after like I said I
feel like the big shock was Reddick finishing dead last because of the power steering problem so now
looking at the eight matchups we have left we have Alex Bowman and Austin Cindrick battling
it out in their matchup and Austin Cindrick I picked Kezalowski just because I feel like he'd
ran better at Sonoma and I think they were separated by one or two positions it was very close
just clean and cut 16 versus 17 matchup but Cindrick got around them all eight
and now it's Bowman versus Cindrick and this one's tough I feel like both guys could really
finish top 10 I really do believe that and Austin because yeah it's funny looking at these stats
because again there's it's a clean slate first time this decade that Cindrick's gonna run a cup car
in Chicago and then there's Alex Bowman he got us first when here in the 88 car back in the day
back in the gen six days I would say just from Chevy running better than Ford and just from
you know resume and track record here I know I said Cindrick I have them in my lineup I would
say that Bowman maybe as long as they run the right strategy I think Bowman's probably gonna
maybe edge him out by a position or two but I I would go with Bowman here and keep that Cinderella
run going because that's what Ty Dillon did last year Ty Dillon didn't just beat Denny Hamlin and
then get knocked down he ran it all the way to the finals in Indianapolis against Ty Gibbs
then moving on to the next matchup Todd Gillin versus Carson Hosefair now I know my bracket
was really busted there with Bowman and Cindrick I got both those matchups wrong I actually got
both these guys right I believe with Gillin and Hosefair and for this Gillin's a solid road
course racer and Suarez ran into trouble so Gillin was able to advance I just I know Gillin
could have some good runs here and there but I mean it's Carson Hosefair on a mile and a half he
gets the most out of that 77 car I feel like this one's a little less hard to predict with this
matchup other than Bowman and Cindrick I think Hosefair's gonna advance to the elite eight
as you could say bringing in college basketball terms now this next one there's a couple teammate
battles that are really exciting to look at because they have equal equipment next matchup is Chase
Briscoe versus Ty Gibbs I thought Almond Dinger was going to be able to get by Briscoe without he
how that 16 cars ran well on road courses and also how the 19 has struggled at times this year
but Chase Briscoe gets his second straight runner-up finish at Sonoma and advances even Almond
Dinger had a solid day so now we have Briscoe versus Gibbs both drivers have never ran in the cup car
in chicagaline but definitely those Toyotas are souped up this year this is a coin flip I really
think this is a coin flip this is one that if you have a this matchup this is going
to be like one of those eight versus nine games in March Madness where it knocks out half the
competition with just how close it is and there's a Hendrick battle we're gonna we're gonna get to
later with Briscoe and Gibbs it really is too close to call but I think there's just been a little
bit more mile and a half speed out of Gibbs this year so I think I'll go with Ty Gibbs on this one
then lower left corner last matchup on the left side of the bracket Michael McDowell versus Chase
Elliott McDowell advanced because of that road course plus bubble walls had some struggles and
then Chase Elliott versus Noah Graxon seemed pretty easy to go with there so now we got two
Chevy Spy versus Hendrick I think just because McDowell is the I'd say the least of the three
Spy guys to have the the ovals nailed down this year I'll say because so as an host of our both
have wins on ovals this year I think that this should be the in the bag for Chase Elliott as
long as he doesn't wreck the car I think McDowell is going to finish around the 15th to 20th and
Elliott will probably get around the 7th to 12th place range and Elliott's had some salad runs
at Chicagoland but this was so long ago that the car is different Chase Elliott is now a champion
but a lot has changed since Chase Elliott's run on a Chicagoland so I'll go with Elliott
so that would set up a matchup possibly of Bowman versus host of R and then Gibbs versus Elliott in
the in the Elite 8 now moving on to the right side of the bracket going to the top Denny Hamlin
was able to get by Ty Dillon that was it almost ended up being Ty Dillon again and I predicted
that Ty Dillon was going to do it again because Hamlin spun out on a restart got tagged but then
Ty Dillon also ran into power steering problems so he dropped a couple laps down and Denny Hamlin
was able to survive in advance that's the definition of it and then in the next matchup I said as a
I mean I want to take big swings with this bracket I didn't want to go chalk I hate going chalk I
like to switch it up I really liked the way with how my predictions went I liked how the brackets
showed up for for Joey Logano and I was so close to getting Pi Sonoma but Eric Jones just I think
they were separated by one position I think they finished like 22nd and 23rd that Jones was able
to get by him so now it's Hamlin versus Jones Jones had the problem in practice and it's Denny
Hamlin on a mile and a half I like Eric Jones I like that he's battling up there for a chase spot
I think he's gonna have a good run on Sunday but right now you'd be foolish to go against Denny
Hamlin just by the numbers I'm going with Denny Hamlin to advance then the next two matchups
Busher moved by Nemechek, Busher struggled that Sonoma though it wasn't very pretty but
Busher was able to get by and then like I said Bell toughed out that broken wrist and got by
Ross Chastain so that sets up Busher versus Bell I had Busher versus Chastain I had Busher winning
against Chastain but now that it's Busher versus Bell this one's also a tough one because Busher is
one of the best forwards in the sport right now but Christopher Bell you got past the hard part
through his injury I think the road courses were tougher with a broken wrist I think it'll be easier
but on an oval you never know I mean this 20 car has been pretty inconsistent this year and the 17
is just good if like an 8 to 13th place finish every week so I think I feel like there's gonna be
one or two fords that go on a run here I'm gonna ride with Busher I'm gonna go with Busher to go
into Atlanta next week to go against Denny Hamlin that'll be a fun matchup Hamlin versus
Busher at Atlanta but if it ends up being Hamlin versus Bell that'll be good at Atlanta too because
well Hamlin isn't one Atlanta but he's a great plate racer and Bell has one in Atlanta in this
version also it'd be fun to see Bell versus Jones because Bell took over the 20 car from Jones that
would be a good matchup for the round of eight final two matchups to go over go over before we wrap
it up the Hendrick battle I talked about William Byron versus Kyle Larson I mean this is just
it's probably better and more exciting the matchup than Gibbs versus Briscoe I think they're
more evenly matched Byron only has a couple starts here and Kyle Larson came so close to victory lane
and just from how the two teams are running right now how William Byron's this 24 teams kind of made
mistakes I think back to San Diego Byron was running well and then he hit the wall and got damage
I think he had a strong run last week at Sonoma but I feel like Kyle consistent and I think he had
a practice time so I'll go with Kyle Larson to advance to the round of eight where he would face
either SVG or Ryan Blaney and the first round it like it was Byron versus Denhouse Larson versus
Herps they were pretty easy ones to predict SVG versus Priest Priest put up a good fight but SVG
advanced and then Blaney versus Barry they all seemed pretty straight forward the bottom of the
SVG versus Blaney Ford's been inconsistent on the ovals and in my bracket I did have SVG versus
Blaney I actually had SVG advancing because I feel like I'm upsets in a bracket that's just
the way it is and SVG's been so he's been wild card I think just from how this is a track that
everyone's gonna have to adapt to because they haven't so long I think SVG's gonna get that help from
Chevy just over but maybe maybe I'm a Blaney puts up a top five and SVG finishes in the 20s but
I don't know it's just a whole lot you don't know if it's gonna be an nutrition race or
there's gonna be recs but I'm gonna say SVG gets by Blaney and SVG advances to face Kyle Larson
in Atlanta where anything could happen but it goes forward just briefly to look at who is like the
best path and I'd say probably just Hamlin for being the top seed and just how good he is everywhere
but also I mean you still have Atlanta I mean in Atlanta with the recs I still think Carson
Hosevar can make a deep run because he was able to avoid recs a lot I think that's really impressive
with him is how he's always in the eye of the storm the hurricane after all but he always seems to not
get caught up in these recs so I think that could help Carson Hosevar down the loan but that's gonna
do it for this in season challenge update we'll revisit this before Atlanta next week but that's
gonna do it for through the gears getting ready for the Euro 400 on TN Sunday night from Chicagoland
on this 4th of July weekend that's had some crazy weather through the northeast and had some storms
passed by Chicago and hopefully stays dry out there we put on some exciting racing I'm looking
forward to it thank you all for listening and watching through the gears I've been Michael
Balfoni with frontstretch.com and we'll catch you next time
About this episode
Rain-affected practice and late qualifying set the stage for Chicagoland’s Euro 400, with the Next Gen car reportedly not reacting well to the surface—making everything feel like a “new unknown” after seven years away. The host breaks down NASCAR betting angles and a Speedway Collective fantasy bracket, leaning on Kyle Larson’s Chicagoland track record, plus Hamlin and Reddick as key threats. Bets include Larson ending his winless streak, Bubba Wallace top-five upside, and Corey Heim top-10 value. The in-season challenge is down to 16, with bracket shocks driven by Reddick’s power-steering failure.
