Lots for NASCAR racers to ponder over what’s in store on the streets

Ahead of the first street course in NASCAR Cup Series history, there seem to be two prevailing thoughts.

The first is the anticipation and excitement of NASCAR doing something new. For so long, the schedule was easily predictable, but in recent years not only have there been new venues but races on dirt and inside a football stadium. Racing on the downtown streets of a major city is a logical next experiment.

“It’s the same path NASCAR’s been going down the last couple of years with the Coliseum and even bringing back North Wilkesboro and trying dirt at Bristol,” AJ Allmendinger said. “There are certain things that some people love, and some people hate, but at least it’s something new, and I really do believe back the last time I was in Cup, the schedule was so bland and boring, and you’d go to all the same racetracks and racetracks twice in eight weeks. I felt like, especially during the summer months, it was very monotonous what we had to do. And I felt like you could always feel that energy in the garage; the summer months were kind of brutal.

“So, trying to new things and being able to bring a race to an iconic city like Chicago, a great sports city, to bring it to the people, that’s the biggest thing. We have the best fans in the world, but we’re trying to make new fans at all times.”

Allmendinger is willing to bet new fans will be made this weekend. He also understands some won’t like it, and that NASCAR can’t please everyone.

“But you’re bringing the race to the people, and you’re letting them experience something they wouldn’t have driven an hour for,” said Allmendinger. “So, I think that’s big for the industry.”

NASCAR is expecting ticket buyers from more than 48 states and a number of countries. Through its database, NASCAR has seen that most ticket buyers are first-timers to a race.

The Coliseum Clash had its doubters too, but NASCAR’s L.A. gamble paid off. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

The inaugural Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum had the same vibe. It was new and unexpected and had plenty of hype leading into the weekend.

“I look back at the Busch Clash last year at the L.A. Coliseum, and before we left for that race, everybody thought it was going to be a complete joke, and we thought we were going to look like complete fools, but it was probably the best event of last year,” Kevin Harvick said. “When you look back at that, and you remember how much fun you had in the car, and you see the way it was perceived and the way the racing was and everything that happened, it was a phenomenal way to kick off our season.

“Chicago’s obviously a huge market for anything with all the people and eyeballs, and I’m all for events. I love great events, and Chicago is going to be an event. It’s in a great setting, and I think everybody’s looking forward to the challenge of the course and trying to do everything we need to do to put on a good show. Whether you have a good race or not, the event is almost made before you get started.”

Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez made a bold prediction about this weekend.

“I think it’s going to be one of the greatest events in NASCAR’s 75-year history,” Suarez said. “Nobody knows how the racing will turn out, but as an event, I think it’s going to be incredible. We just need to get time on the track, and we’ll see how the race plays out. I suspect it’s going to be pretty crazy, which the fans usually love.”

What’s in store with the racing product is the second talking point.

“I don’t know how the race is going to be,” Allmendinger said. “The race could be great. The race could be boring. I don’t know, but it’s going to be a lot going on with all the concerts, all the festivities and things like that. It’s big for the sport to try this, and I think we’ve all got to have an open mind. I can promise you, at some point for the teams, it’s going to be kind of a pain because the haulers are outside the racetrack, the cars are inside the racetrack — things like that, it’s not going to be easy. But have an open mind to it and see what people think about it afterward.”

Kyle Busch might have an open mind, but the Richard Childress Racing driver was clear when asked what to expect.

“Survival,” Busch said. “It’s going to be a survival race. … I want to say it’s like Turn 1 at Indy. If you start 20th, you might as well not even accelerate to get to Turn 1 because it’s probably going to look like the Roval restart that we had when we all went off into the barrier in Turn 1. It’s survival.”

The course will have a little bit of everything. There are wide lanes on Columbus Drive and Lake Shore Drive but also plenty of narrow areas. Unlike road course races that drivers are used to that have run-off areas — dirt, grass, or asphalt — there won’t be many in Chicago.

No one knows what to expect Sunday, but the only consensus is that it will be an adventure.

“I think that you’re going to be aggressive,” said Michael McDowell. “All of our races are still going to be track position, so you’re going to want to make sure that you’re staying up front and keeping track position. But at the same time, [it’s] very narrow, surrounded by concrete barriers, and you can’t make any mistakes. So, that’s what the challenge is of a street race. You have to go for it, but when you take those risks, it takes time, so you have to balance when you do that.”

Story originally appeared on Racer