NASCAR drivers "really nervous" ahead of upcoming Chicago Street Race

01 July 2023 , 13:00

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NASCAR is heading to the street of Chicago this weekend (Image: Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and other prominent drivers have expressed concern ahead of NASCAR's upcoming Chicago Street Race on July 1. The drivers have voiced skepticism regarding the event and the narrow circuit they will be competing on.

NASCAR will bring its racing event to Chicago this weekend, promising an exciting and unconventional experience. The Chicago Street Race will take place downtown on July 1 and 2, featuring an Xfinity Series race on Saturday and the main event, the Grant Park 220 Cup race, on Sunday, becoming the first-ever street race contended in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Ahead of NASCAR's foray onto the city streets of Chicago, several drivers have already identified challenges they anticipate encountering in the sanctioning body's inaugural street course race. Kyle Busch, for instance, tested the course in iRacing and described certain corners as "really, really tight."

He has also examined the layout on the simulator and observed the presence of cones indicating the location of walls upon exiting the corners.

Both reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano and standout driver Bubba Wallace also voiced their concerns with the race layout, stating being nervous about the narrow-walled drive they will face.

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"I think we're we're all excited, and we're we're all really nervous at the same time," reigning Cup Series champion Logano said earlier this month.

"Racing through the city streets, very narrow, I honestly don't know how it's all going to work out," said Bubba Wallace, one of Michael Jordan's drivers. "I think there are a lot of us that are skeptical in the field."

Grant Park in Chicago will play host to the first Chicago Street Race

The course presents an astonishing total of seven 90-degree turns that are difficult to fathom, with drivers confidently asserting that these tight turns will inevitably result in collisions. When closely packed cars attempt to overtake each other without incident, the narrowness of specific streets on the course, notably Balbo, poses an unusual and potentially dangerous obstacle.

Another factor that adds to the challenge is the diverse surfaces encountered from one street to another. According to a statement released by the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications last Monday, DuSable Lake Shore Drive will experience closures in both directions, spanning from the Field Museum to a point just south of the Chicago River, for the unique upcoming event.

Bubba Wallace is amongst the drivers who have admitted being "skeptical" about the track

The statement also cautioned motorists near Grant Park and the Loop to anticipate significant traffic congestion and possible detours during the week leading up to the race weekend. It was further mentioned that certain street closures would be implemented to ensure public safety, with Traffic Control Aides (TCAs) assigned to direct traffic flow and mitigate the effects of heavy congestion.

OEMC officials have specified that only residents and employees of businesses will have access to Michigan Avenue, restricted to the northbound side between Roosevelt Road and Balbo Drive, as well as the southbound side between Monroe and Jackson.

Rory Robinson