CONCORD, N.C. – This weekend, downtown Chicago will be the host of a historic NASCAR Cup Series event.
To begin, Chicago’s event will be the first time that stock car racing’s top division has competed on a street course of any kind. The move comes as the sanctioning body has continued to look for ways to diversify its schedule by bringing the competition to major metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles via the running of the Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
RELATED: Look back at new track success for Hendrick Motorsports
Sunday’s main event will be unlike anything ever seen in the modern Cup Series. The other notable change will be the tight confides of the track itself. Most road courses include run-off areas to slow drivers down once they leave the racing surface. With the track being temporary, these tradition areas do not exist and produce a close-quarters feel that the drivers must adapt to. The course has several sharp 90-degree turns that are going to be interesting to see how the field navigates. The 12-turn, 2.2-mile course will take drivers through several landmarks in Chicago, including Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain and Lake Michigan. Drivers first experienced this track on iRacing when it was used in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Series Invitational in 2021.
When it comes to road courses, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 26 checkered flags on serpentine layouts. NASCAR Hall of Famer and team vice chairman Jeff Gordon leads the way with nine victories. Chase Elliott's seven road course wins are the most among active drivers. Kyle Larson has four wins, while Tim Richmond earned three victories. Geoff Bodine, Jimmie Johnson and Ricky Rudd each took home one trophy from road courses during their careers at Hendrick Motorsports.
RELATED: All of the road course wins for Hendrick Motorsports
Elliott enters this weekend's race in Chicago having recorded back-to-back top-five finishes. On top of his strong road course record and a series-best 8.04 average finish on that track type, the driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet has been nothing short of phenomenal on new road courses in the Cup Series. Dating back to 2020, the series has visited four new layouts turning left and right -- Road America hosted one Cup Series race in 1956 but was not used by the premier series in the modern era until 2021. Those races have seen the 2020 Cup Series champion earn three victories (the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Circuit of The Americas and Road America).
Larson enters the Windy City riding a bit of a hot streak. While he has not visited victory lane in the past three races, his run of top-10 finishes in these events is the longest top-10 stretch for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team in 2023. His four road course wins (all at Hendrick Motorsports) have him tied for third among active drivers for most victories on that track type. Like Elliott, he has had recent success in an inaugural race at a Cup Series venue, with a win in 2021 at Nashville Superspeedway.
RELATED: See this weekend's paint schemes
Through the opening 17 points-paying events, William Byron has experienced a career- defining year. He currently leads or is tied for the lead in the Cup Series in wins (three), laps led (722), top-five finishes (seven), top-10 finishes (10) and stage wins (seven). Road courses have been tricky for the driver of the No. 24 Valvoline Chevy, but he earned his best result on one earlier this season. At Circuit of The Americas, Byron notched a top-five finish after taking pole position ahead of the event. His three road course stage wins are tied for the seven-most among active Cup Series drivers.
In the midst of a tight points battle for the final playoff spot, Alex Bowman will look to gain ground on the postseason at Chicago. Throughout his career, the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been an underappreciated talent on road courses. In fact, he’s one of four active drivers to have a second-place finish (Bowman has two) on tracks turning left and right without a win. The Tucson, Arizona, native also found success at Circuit of The Americas earlier this season with a third-place result.
Here’s what you need to know to catch this weekend’s action.
RELATED: Inside the annual pit crew combine at Hendrick Motorsports
WHAT TIME IS PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING?
Cars will take to the track at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 1, with coverage on USA Network. The 50-minute practice session will encompass all entries. Following practice, group qualifying will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET with coverage also available on USA Network.
Bowman, Larson and Byron will be in Group A for qualifying, while Elliott is in Group B.
WHAT TIME IS THE RACE?
The 220-mile Cup Series main event is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 2, with coverage on NBC. Peacock will also provide coverage of the race and carry all post-race coverage.
CAN I LISTEN ON THE RADIO?
The Cup Series race will be broadcast on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
CAN I STREAM ONLINE?
Yes. Download the NBC Sports App or Peacock for online coverage. Fans can also keep up with the action on Twitter by following @TeamHendrick.
FIVE FAST FACTS HEADING INTO CHICAGO
Data provided by Racing Insights
3: Larson’s four wins on road courses have come at three different tracks (one at Sonoma Raceway, two at Watkins Glen International and one at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL).
5: Top-10 finishes on road courses since the start of 2022 by Elliott and the No. 9 team. The mark is tied for the third-most of active Cup Series drivers.
10.872: The average four-tire pit stop in seconds for the No. 24 pit crew of Byron. This mark is the best in the Cup Series. Teams will be pitting backwards, with the fuel on the right side of the car, at Chicago, as they typically do at road courses.
31: Percentage of laps in the 2023 Cup Series season led by Hendrick Motorsports.
200: Chicago will mark the 200th start for Bowman with Hendrick Motorsports. He will become the eighth driver to hit that mark for the organization.