Yahoo Autos NASCAR readies to step into the unknown for Chicago Street Race
The spectacle of NASCAR stock cars roaring through the streets of downtown Chicago this weekend will be a first for the sport, presenting both opportunities and challenges that are being taken seriously across the board.
Since the event was announced last fall, NASCAR officials have been hard at work planning and preparing for the event An office was set up in Chicago and an open line of communication established between NASCAR, city officials and locals. Race president Julie Giese said recently she’s been in at least 150 meetings about the race and answering all questions.
In terms of logistics, NASCAR is leaving no stone unturned, with the philosophy being to over-prepare. Fortunately, there are officials within the competition department who have previous street course experience, either through positions with IMSA or other racing series, and naturally, those who work for NASCAR are leaning heavily on their IMSA counterparts.
The 12-turn course is still under construction, being completed in segments to avoid extended traffic shutdowns. It will not be a closed course until Friday evening, with no official running until Saturday morning. Xfinity Series drivers will get the first crack at it with a practice session set for 11am ET Saturday.
The many variables in play regarding the Chicago race include:
Columbus Drive, which will serve as pit road and the frontstretch, has been repaved. Other newly paved areas are over bridge transitions to bring the surface even. Those areas include Balbo Drive going over the railroad tracks and a pedestrian bridge on Lake Shore Drive. There are an estimated 90 manholes throughout the course, but many are capped up by the wall because they are so close to the street curbs.
Tuesday was painting day for pit road, including the 28-foot pit stalls. The traditional pit road camera system will be used as NASCAR received permission from the city to mount its cameras on light poles.
NASCAR is using many shared resources. For example, fencing around the course is being built by the same group that did so for the NTT IndyCar Series races in Nashville and Detroit. In race control, a company familiar with street course races — from working the Monaco Grand Prix and the necessary camera system and software needed — is involved in installing it.
The emergency crews for on-track work will come from Michigan, Milwaukee, Road America, Iowa and other Midwest tracks. NASCAR will also have help from the Chicago Fire Department, which will station its units on fuel island with the Sunoco operations. Chicago FD will also work with racing operations concerning pit medical and fire carts.
A fire prevention group visited the Charlotte Roval last season to do recon. Another group, including Chicago police, attended the race at Circuit of The Americas in March.
Just as with any road course race, there will be cutouts on the Chicago street course for emergency vehicles to enter and exit the course. For the drivers, escape locations to get to the garage will be the driver’s left at Turn 2 and the driver’s left at Turn 12.
Turn 4 and Turn 11 have run-off areas for drivers who encounter trouble. Tim Bermann, NASCAR Sr. Director of Competition Operations and a Chicago native, noted that Lake Shore Drive is six lanes wide. Columbus Drive is also wide. “Almost Pocono wide,” Bermann said. According to Bermann, the narrowest section of the Chicago course is still a foot wider than the entire racing surface of Road America.
Charlie Jones, the CEO of Four Leaf Productions and co-founder of Lollapalooza, has a team working with NASCAR as they are familiar with the city of Chicago, having put on events there for over 20 years. Jones knows the ins and outs of working with the city on street closures, permits, working with politicians, etc., and they’ve helped with grandstand builds, suite buildings and the concert side of the weekend.
The main spotter stand will be inside the suites, and they will have the front row closest to Turn 1. A second location is outside Turn 4, as well as the ninth floor of the Symphony Center.
The restart zone will be coming into Turn 12. NASCAR officials backed up the restart zone after feedback from drivers following the COTA race. The concern is that at tracks with a tight Turn 1, it leads to dive-bombing pass attempts. By moving the restart zone back, the goal is for drivers to be spread out. However, drivers will not have to wait until the start/finish line to change lanes on a restart. Once the green flag is displayed, drivers will have to cross a white line on the frontstretch at the entrance to pit road before they can pull out of line.
The choose rule will be coming through the bus loop at Turn 9.
There are nine scoring loops around the course.
NASCAR does not expect any point on the Chicago street course to require policing of track limits.
