NASCAR throws caution at the Chicago Cup race to let an ambulance pass

NASCAR threw an unusual caution on the streets of Chicago on Sunday. The yellow flag was out to allow an ambulance to use the street circuit to attend to a fan who needed medical attention.

The caution was thrown on lap 60 just after Shane van Gisbergen passed Chase Briscoe for the lead. The safety car was brought out to pace the field, bringing the pack back together for about 13 more laps of road course racing.

Journalist Mike Forde shared the news on X and wrote:

“Race control needed to call a caution here on lap 59. A spectator medical emergency necessitated the field to be under caution so an ambulance could exit the facility..”

During the caution, Ty Dillon received a free pass, putting him back on the lead lap. SVG, who started the race from pole position, led the field back to green before Austin Cindric brought out the yellow flag for stopping on the track due to a mechanical issue.

This year marks the end of NASCAR's three-year contract with the Chicago street race. The American stock car racing series is interested in hosting a street race in another city, with San Diego as one of the frontrunners.

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“You can't duplicate that anywhere else”: Four-time NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon on Chicago street race

Jeff Gordon backed the Chicago street race amid reports that NASCAR might not return to the city next year. The four-time Cup Series champion believes no other circuits can duplicate the entertainment value the Windy City event gives to race fans.

Explaining his take on the outgoing race weekend, the now Hendrick Motorsports vice-chairman said (via Chicago Sun-Times):

“It does take me back to, you know, those mid-to-late ’90s, when NASCAR was growing to new markets and experiencing new fans coming to races by going to Indianapolis, Texas, Southern California and Kansas. That’s why Chicago is such an important market and a great market to be in. It’s extremely important for the sport to bring in new fans and continue to innovate.”

"There’s no other circuit that’s going to have [the] backdrop of the city, For our partners, how they entertain and how they bring customers to the event is different, and you can’t duplicate that anywhere else," he added.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman was the winner of the 2024 Chicago street race - Source: Imagn

The Chicago street race was introduced in 2023 in a bid to expand NASCAR's road course portfolio. Shane van Gisbergen won in the inaugural Cup Series race before HMS driver Alex Bowman emerged victorious the following year. SVG stormed to victory again in 2025.