With the inaugural NASCAR Chicago Street Race set for this weekend, there are still plenty of unknowns.
NASCAR has never raced on a street course in its 75-year history. A race hasn’t been held in the Chicago area since 2019, before the pandemic.
Nobody knows exactly what to expect – and that’s going to create an intriguing event.
Here are three questions to ponder heading into the Grant Park 220 and the NASCAR experience in Chicago in general:
1. How will the racing look at this course?
It will be unlike anything that’s been seen in a NASCAR race.
Most road courses in NASCAR have plenty of run-off area exiting corners, meaning there’s space off the racing surface for drivers to use in the event that they miss their mark. The run-off area allows drivers to be more aggressive entering turns, because there’s no actual penalty for driving off course on corner exit other than some lost time.
Well, the Chicago course has zero run-off area. If a driver misses their mark exiting a corner, they are going straight into the wall. That could be an adjustment, especially early in the race as they acclimate to the track.
Another unique aspect to this course is the sharp, 90-degree turns. Many NASCAR courses have winding roads, but that’s not the case in Chicago. Seven of the 12 turns on the course are 90-degree corners, which makes sense when you remember that cars will be driving through city streets.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Lastly, it’ll be important to keep an eye on how the vehicles handle on a surface not built for these heavy stock cars. The streets are a mixture of concrete and asphalt, adding another challenge for teams trying to set up their cars.
2. What will the crowd and fan reaction be?
Beyond just watching the race, there are plenty of things for fans to do with NASCAR in Chicago this weekend. NASCAR is expecting 50,000 people per day for the event, according to the Sports Business Journal.
Event president Julie Giese said that sales are expected to hit their target, and added that more than 70% of attendees will be going to their first NASCAR race. Additionally, a recent poll conducted by the Chicago Tribune found that more than half of people ages 18 to 34 and four in 10 people of color were interested in attending. This is in line with what NASCAR’s goal has been in recent years, as it saw an influx of new fans attend the races held at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 2022 and 2023.
While it’s great that so many new fans are expected to attend, it isn’t going to be cheap. General admission tickets start at $269, reserved grandstand seats start at $465, the Pit Road Terrace club starts at $1,265 and the President’s Paddock Club starts at $3,015. NASCAR is spending $50 million to stage the race but has said that it doesn’t expect to turn a profit – the goal is simply to introduce the sport to a new audience.
3. Could there be a surprise winner?
OK, now let’s get to the drivers.
With so much chaos expected for the race, there could be a surprise winner celebrating on Sunday evening. There have been eight different road course winners in 14 races since the start of 2021. Typically, there’s a select crop of drivers who thrive at making both left and right turns.
But there are a few exceptions, where certain drivers who haven’t yet won have had good finishes. Chris Buescher has zero road course wins, but he’s finished top-10 in his last seven starts. There’s Michael McDowell with zero road course wins, but top-10 finishes in five of his last seven starts. Then there’s former champion Brad Keselowski, looking for his first road course win despite posting seven top-fives in his career.
Keep an eye on some of the sleepers this weekend, especially if things start to get crazy on race day.
