NASCAR Street vs Oval Course: Biggest Differences Between the Two for Drivers

NASCAR is all set to return to racing on the streets of Chicago this weekend after a successful introduction to ‘The Windy City’ last year. The sport debuted on a street course for the first time in history with drivers taking on a track consisting of public roads winding around the venue’s iconic landmarks.

The 2024 iteration of the same sees both the Cup and Xfinity Series prepare to go racing this weekend on what is by far the biggest outlier on the season calendar this year. Speaking to how different driving on a street course is to driving on oval tracks, Cup Series regular and 2024 Playoffs contender Austin Cindric spoke on its unique challenges compared to what NASCAR is used to running on throughout the year.

“The oval racing that we do is more about high speed and being able to only go in one direction. We’re obviously doing left-hand corners where this is, you’re challenging the braking, you’re going both directions. It’s much different than what we do most weeks.”

Cindric also elaborated on how a temporary street course compares to a permanent road course track such as Road America, which the Chicago Street Race replaced in 2023, adding, “The biggest difference between a traditional road course and a street course is the risk vs reward factor. You have concrete walls lining the entire racetrack. The streets are also quite narrow, so maximizing the width of the racetrack that we’re given, so we’re playing with super fine margins.”

The 2024 Grant Park 165 is set to go live this Sunday, July 7, 2024, at 4:30 pm ET. With rain washing out most of the event last year, NASCAR will be looking to put on a show with a vengeance this year.

NASCAR’s Chicago Street Course demonstrates Windy City’s iconic sights and sounds

The street course itself in Downtown, Chicago was not very well received when drivers and fans first saw layout images and track maps for the same. However, after the first running of the event in 2023, both drivers and the stock car racing fraternity changed their minds.

The 12-turn 2.2-mile-long course goes through some of the city’s most iconic venues such as Buckingham Fountain and Grant Park along with touching the northernmost edge of Soldier Field, all with the backdrop of Downtown, Chicago, and its skyscrapers.

Along with stunning pictures of the city and NASCAR, the event brought significant revenue to the city’s businesses such as hotels and restaurants with an influx of tourists coming to attend the race. This year’s show is expected to be bigger and better than last year with clear skies predicted over the weekend, in stark contrast to the event’s 2023 weather troubles.