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NASCAR's first-ever street race on the roads of Chicago is shaping up to be a reality with less than two weeks left for the historic event. The city's iconic venue, Grant Park, is gearing up to host the Cup and the Xfinity Series races on the first weekend of July.
The 2.2-mile street circuit runs inside Grant Park and covers some of the most scenic landscapes in the city. The track will host The Loop 121 NASCAR Xfinity Series on July 1, which will be followed by the main event of the weekend, the Grant Park 220 Cup Series race on Sunday.
Ten days prior to the event, SBJ reporter Adam Stern shared a glimpse of the city preparing to host NASCAR.
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NASCAR drivers will get the opportunity to hustle the next-gen machinery on some of the iconic streets, blasting past some prominent landscapes like Buckingham Fountain and the Congress Plaza, to name a few.
The layout covers two stretches of South Columbus Drive and East Balbo Drive. It also features Michigan Avenue, Ida B. Wells Drive, and East Jackson Drive.
The street course features 12 turns, with the front straightway and the pit road built on South Columbus Dr. The layout predominantly features 90 degrees due to the block layout of the city. The most challenging part of the circuit features a sweeping left-handed chicane, which covers Turns 8, 9, and 10.
NASCAR fans react to the 'interesting' layout of the Chicago street track
NASCAR's Chicago street track is unlike any other road course race as it features little to no run-off areas. This, coupled with the narrow lanes, will discourage drivers from taking risks and racing side-by-side on the streets.
However, the latest images from the track suggest that overtaking and side-by-side racing will be possible if there are two lanes on some of the wider roads. Fans compared the track width to that on iRacing, concluding that the track will be wider than expected.
Here are a few reactions from the fans:
Traditional street circuit races in other series are notorious for minimal on-track overtaking due to narrow lanes. The qualifying order usually decides the finishing order, with the race usually played out through the pit stop strategies.
The Chicago street race will reward the brave, with road course specialists eyeing a win over the weekend. Road course king AJ Allmendinger called the layout technical while admitting that passing opportunities will be limited.
Former Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. predicted the track would be one of the toughest challenges for the drivers. With similar comments from other drivers, the street race is expected to produce limited but exciting action.
