NASCAR Chicago street race: ‘A full contact affair,’ AJ Allmendinger a smart bet and more
NASCAR’s Cup and Xfinity Series head to Chicago this week, competing on a street course the likes of which we haven’t seen in 75 years. Nobody knows how the Grant Park 220 will race because it’s never been done before — there’s some hand-wringing among drivers but excitement for racing fans and curiosity seekers.
We asked our resident experts, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi, to help us figure out what to expect in Chicago this weekend.
1. Was this course designed to mimic ones the drivers are familiar with already? So it’s not a total surprise and new experience?
Jeff: No, this is going to be a very new experience for most of the drivers in the field. The majority of Cup drivers have never raced on a street course at any level, as NASCAR has never done this in its 75-year history. On top of that, this one is pretty tight with sharp turns and very little runoff if they make mistakes. No one truly knows what to expect, but it ranges from total crash-fests to a spread-out race with drivers being cautious. Maybe it will be somewhere in between.
Jordan: Racing on a road course is one thing, which is something NASCAR drivers have plenty of experience doing. But racing on a temporary street course is a whole different challenge and how they adapt is going to an interesting development throughout the weekend. Due to the tight nature of the course that also offers little-to-no runoff area, the expectation is that Sunday’s race will be a full contact affair. All which means there should be plenty of cautions.
2. Which drivers do we like on this street course? And why?
Jeff: We don’t know how much the traditional road course skill set will translate to a street course, but the first name that comes to mind is AJ Allmendinger (here are our 12 questions with him this week). Before NASCAR, Allmendinger raced in CART and had plenty of experiences similar to this one. You’d also think Tyler Reddick would be good at Chicago, as he’s been a top talent on road courses lately. It’s really going to come down to who makes fewer mistakes and who can avoid hitting the wall. Martin Truex Jr. will probably be in the mix as well, particularly if you think his Sonoma performance will carry over to Chicago.
Jordan: Allmendinger is the driver everyone will be watching this weekend. And understandably so considering his extensive background racing on street courses in various cars. If there is a favorite in a race that is likely to be chaotic, it would be him.
3. Is it possible to pinpoint some underdogs on a course so unique?
Jeff: I’m surprised Ty Gibbs is at +4500. He’s a good road course driver and given the track is new for everyone, no one will really have any sort of advantage in experience. Also, Chase Briscoe is having a miserable season, but at +6500 he might be worth taking a flier on since he’s a talented road racer.
Jordan: Briscoe is one name that immediately jumps out due to his surprisingly high odds. Another is Ryan Blaney, who despite often running well on road courses is at +4000. Blaney won the inaugural race on the Charlotte Roval, which has some similarities with the Chicago street course.
4. How important will practice results be for determining a winner in this race?
Jeff: I’d lean a lot more on qualifying than practice, because in practice you’d think they will still be trying to feel out the course and get up to speed on a track they’ve never seen before. But it’s expected to be extremely challenging to pass, which makes track position crucial. A good qualifying effort will go a long way to having a solid result if a driver can maintain the spot without making a mistake or getting caught in someone’s mess.
Jordan: Qualifying is what is important this weekend. Especially if track position becomes a critical factor like many drivers expect due to limited passing zones. And just because a driver puts together a single fast lap in practice doesn’t ensure that speed will transfer over to the race when drivers will have other cars around them and the track conditions far different.
NOOB question of the week! Can Ross Chastain be as aggressive as he usually is on a course in the middle of a major city that nobody has raced before? Or should we expect more conservative drivers to rise up here?
Jeff: Chastain drew heat from being overly aggressive in the March race at Circuit of the Americas, when he would divebomb into Turn 1 and even upset his own teammate. Kyle Busch said the opportunity could be there for similar moves at Chicago, as the field will have sharp corners at the end of straightaways, but that seems ill-advised and the type of thing that could lead to massive pile-ups. You might see the aggression come out toward the end of the race if there’s a late restart, but that type of mentality probably won’t pay off for most of the race.
Jordan: You’re likely to see a lot of drivers be aggressive on Sunday, not just Chastain. The layout of the circuit lends itself to drivers having to be forceful to make a pass, and that intensity will only amp up as the race nears the finish.
5. We’ve asked about simming before in this column – can a team get a sim up for this course for drivers to practice on and have visuals of the look? If so, are there a couple drivers who famously sim a lot and might have done so for this?)
Jeff: The manufacturers have definitely had many of their drivers come through and run the Chicago course on the simulators, which is where some of the driver concern stems from. On his podcast, for example, Denny Hamlin said he only made it to Turn 4 before wrecking over and over again. Simulator work will be key in helping drivers familiarize themselves with the course, but there will undoubtedly be differences related to things like bumps and curbing when the teams actually get on site.
Jordan:Most everyone has spent time either in sims or on iRacing attempting to figure out what is a brand-new circuit that no one has ever previously turned a lap on. That seat time is immensely helpful figuring out the nuances.
