Jenson Button feels he could’ve finished higher than P8 in NASCAR Chicago street race qualifying

With just a few hours left to kick-off the inaugural Grant Park 220 at Chicago Street Course, former F1 driver Jenson Button is also set to make his second Cup Series start on Sunday (July 2).

Driving the #15 Rick Ware Racing Ford in collaboration with Stewart-Haas Racing, Jenson Button was fourth among the five drivers who advanced from Group A into the final round of qualifying and then earned the eighth starting position at a speed of 88.421 mph for Sunday’s 220-mile race.

He was the third-fastest in the practice session with a time of 89.734 seconds and a speed of 88.261 mph, behind Denny Hamlin and debutant Shane van Gisbergen.

After Saturday’s qualifying race, Button said that he is happy with top-10 effort but he also feels that he could have finished higher a couple of more positions which he eventually failed to do in the final round of Chicago qualifying.

Button said:

“We’ve been fighting a tight car so for me, I’d call it understeer. I really struggled to get a lap on that one, and most people are doing the time on lap one. So, that hurts me quite a bit. It hurt me in Q1, and then in Q2, I had traffic. I can’t do the lap on the first lap, but it was starting my second lap that I had traffic.”

He continued:

“It was slightly annoying, so I had to do a cool down lap and then go again. Never works as well. P8 isn’t too bad. I’m pretty happy with that. I just wish we got a clean run in Q2. I would have had a couple more spots. It wouldn’t have been top-three, but it would have been a couple more spots.”

Jenson Button missed his first-ever pole position by 1.136 seconds to Hamlin, but he was the second-highest qualifying Ford driver in the lineup.

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Jenson Button praised NASCAR debutant Shane Van Gisbergen ahead of the historic Chicago Street race

The three-time Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen, who is making his NASCAR Cup Series debut qualified P3 for the historic Chicago Street race. Praising Van Gisbergen, Button said:

"It’s new to all of us. I think Shane [Van Gisbergen] did a really good job. First time in a Cup car, but he does have the expertise of a street circuit in a heavy car. I think he was always going to be quick. We were a bit off the pace of the top-three there, but we would have been a bit closer. It’s nice to be able to sit in the Top-10.”

Catch Jenson Button in action at the Chicago Street Course for the first ever street race on Sunday.