JOLIET, Ill. — Front Row Motorsports heads into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series return to Chicagoland Speedway searching for a reset, as all three of its entries look to capitalize on limited track experience and a rare extended practice session at the 1.5-mile oval.
The eero 400, set for 267 laps, marks NASCAR’s first race at Chicagoland since 2019 and presents a unique challenge for much of the field — including FRM drivers Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith — with only sporadic prior experience at the Joliet track.
Gragson may hold a slight edge among the trio. The driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse has two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Chicagoland, finishing eighth in 2017 and fourth in 2018, along with a sixth-place finish in an Xfinity Series start in 2019. Despite that familiarity, Gragson enters the weekend looking to rebound from a difficult stretch in the 2026 season.
“It’s been a frustrating year, especially the past couple of weeks,” Gragson said. “Fortunately, there’s no quit in this No. 4 team and in racing, each week brings fresh opportunities to improve and build momentum.”
Long John Silver’s will serve as the primary sponsor aboard Gragson’s car, bringing its blue-and-yellow “Fish Yeah” scheme to the track.
Gilliland, driver of the No. 34 Ford, will make his Cup Series debut at Chicagoland while leaning on limited Truck Series experience at the track. His best finish in two starts came in 2019, when he placed sixth. The 26-year-old advanced to the second round of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge after edging Daniel Suárez at Sonoma Raceway and now faces Carson Hocevar in the next head-to-head matchup.
Gilliland acknowledged the team’s struggles on intermediate ovals this season and emphasized the importance of early speed.
“We’ve struggled a bit on the traditional oval track this season, so we need to find our stride early in practice and lay down a decent qualifying lap,” he said.
The No. 34 entry will feature gener8tor, a venture capital firm and longtime supporter of Gilliland, as its primary partner.
Smith, piloting the No. 38 Ford Mustang, also will make his first Cup start at Chicagoland, though he competed there once in the Xfinity Series, finishing 17th in 2019. He enters the weekend 23rd in the Cup standings with two top-five and six top-10 finishes through 18 races.
Like his teammates, Smith sees the track as a fresh test for drivers and teams alike, particularly with a 50-minute practice session playing a critical role in dialing in setups.
“There’s only a handful of people in the field that have raced at Chicagoland before,” Smith said. “For the majority of the field, including myself and my teammates, this is a brand-new track for us.”
Vermeer Midwest will sponsor Smith’s entry for the weekend.