CONCORD, N.C. – The week of NASCAR’s first street course race is here. The NASCAR Cup Series will take to streets of downtown Chicago.
The course is set up against the backdrop of Midwestern landmarks like Grant Park and Lake Michigan. Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive will be transformed into a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course. The race will be 100 laps and 220 miles long.
"I think it is going to be a great thing for our sport to be able to race right inside of a major city," Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Patriotic Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, said. "I do think it is going to be a great thing for our sport bringing it into the urban areas of Chicago. Such an awesome city. I look forward to that event the most this year."
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Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon is also excited to see how this event brings in new fans and for what it means to the growth of the sport.
"I can’t wait to hear those things ripping through the streets of Chicago," Gordon told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this year. "It’s a huge undertaking and challenge, but I like it. Chicago is the perfect place to do this for the first time. I hope it is something that goes over really well."
The start/finish line and pit road will be located along South Columbus Drive directly in front of Buckingham Fountain. The course will also be near the northern edge of Solider Field, which is the site of the only other Cup Series race to take place in downtown Chicago in 1956. The weekend will also feature music and entertainment options.
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"I think the Chicago street race is really exciting," Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, said. "I think it brings a new atmosphere to the Cup Series. We haven’t really done a street race before, so I don’t really know what to expect. It will be really exciting."
The temporary street course will see some sharp and tight turns in the Windy City. That element will only add to the challenge in the inaugural race.
"It is going to be something different," William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Valvoline Chevy, said. "The cars will be really tough to drive. Just the gradient of the course and everything like that. It is going to be tough. It’s going to be really tight exits of the corner. Trying to stay within the walls and not pop a toe link."
The layout came to life in an iRacing event featuring Cup Series drivers in 2021. The competitors first actual on-track time will come Saturday, July 1, with a 50-minute practice session at 1:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. Group qualifying will follow at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
"I anticipate the track having a lot of character because it is an actual road," Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet, said. "Typically, courses like that, they are piecing them together bit by bit so it might not have a flow. A lot of road courses have a really nice flow to them and you can find a rhythm. Some road courses don’t and it becomes a bit more difficult to find that rhythm and find that flow."
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Elliott has typically found the flow at road courses. His seven road race wins are the most among active drivers and the third-most all-time in the series. Larson is no stranger to success on serpentine layouts either with four victories.
Tune in on Sunday, July 2, at 5 p.m. ET to see the Cup Series take to the streets of Chicago. Coverage will be on NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.