CONCORD, N.C. - The NASCAR Cup Series is set to compete on a street circuit for the first time in the 75-year history of the sport. However, Sunday's event in downtown Chicago is not the only new track to be visited in recent memory. In fact, there have been eight new layouts/venues utilized since the 2020 season. Let's take a look back at Hendrick Motorsports' best moments from these fresh tracks.
RELATED: Road course wins for Hendrick Motorsports
Daytona International Speedway Road Course, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic caused changes to the 2020 schedule, including the addition of the road course at the Daytona International Speedway in place of a race at Watkins Glen International. While Daytona's oval layout had seen action dating back to 1959, the track's road course had not hosted any Cup Series racing. Without any practice or qualifying, drivers hit the track with zero prior knowledge of the circuit in a stock car, relying purely on simulator sessions or track time in other racing series. At the end of the day, it was Chase Elliott taking the checkered flag after surviving a late-race restart. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native led 34 of the 65 laps in what was his second of five wins and a championship in 2020.
First used in 2012 for Formula 1, Circuit of The Americas had long been rumored as a potential landing spot for the Cup Series. This dream became a reality in 2021. Shortly before the race began, raindrops began to fall around the 3.41-mile track. Rain tires did not make their way onto the cars until the late portions of stage one. Precipitation intensified throughout the event, causing visibility issues for drivers. The event was called after 54 laps (of a scheduled 68) with Elliott as the victor. The win was the 800th for Chevrolet in Cup Series competition.
With the Music City hosting the sport's annual end-of-year awards since 2019,
it only made sense to bring Cup Series action back to Nashville. Cup Series competition had taken place at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway from 1958 to 1984. Another Tennessee track, Nashville Superspeedway, had only hosted NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition from 2001 to 2011. In 2021, the track hosted its inaugural race, with Kyle Larson dominating the event at the 1.33-mile concrete oval for his fourth straight win. (He had previously won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and the All-Star Race.) By the end of the afternoon, the driver of the No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet paced the field for 264 of the 300 laps, securing one of his 10 points-paying victories during his championship season.
2023 RECAP: Elliott leads trio of top-six teammates at Nashville
A long-time host of Xfinity Series competition, Road America was added to the Cup Series calendar for the 2021 campaign. Although the facility was utilized in 1956 for one Cup Series race, it is included on the list as the layout had yet to be utilized in modern Cup Series racing. Located in Wisconsin, the picturesque setting saw Elliott once again find victory lane on a new track turning left and right. Starting to see a pattern with new road courses on the schedule? The driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy led 24 of the 62 laps to earn another checkered flag on a road course, the seventh of his career on serpentine layouts.
Other new tracks
In the same time span, four other new tracks have hosted Cup Series action: Bristol Motor Speedway's dirt track (2021), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (2021), the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2022) and WWT Raceway (2022) have all made appearances on the schedule.
This weekend, the Chicago Street Course will serve as the ninth new track since 2020 to host Hendrick Motorsports and the Cup Series. Catch all of the action from the Windy City on Sunday, July 2, at 5 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock, MRN Radio, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).