Ross Chastain Details the “Hardest Part” of Driving a NASCAR Cup Car in Chicago

The 2.2-mile Chicago Street Course offers drivers a tricky path to collect a win on Sunday. It comes with a lot of unknowns that make things equally hard for every driver to overcome regardless of their mastery of other tracks. Talking to the press in the Windy City, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain detailed what his biggest battle would be come Sunday.

Going back in time to 2023, when he finished in 22nd place, to explain the track’s challenges, he said that racing on it is outright scary. The reason behind his words is the inefficiency of simulators and spotters in helping drivers navigate through the course without any mishaps. Despite having a good level of preparation in simulators, the machines had not helped Chastain overcome a key challenge.

“What I couldn’t prepare for was the proximity of the concrete and the narrowness of it. It freaked me out in Lap 1 at practice and never got over it,” he said. He hit the wall straight at a 90-degree turn last year. Going into the race in 2024, however, he appears to be better prepared for such surprises. 

He continued, “I’ve got a lot of time to think through that and become aware of it, present with it, and okay with the proximity. Now we get to go see if I actually can be confident when I get out there.” Driving the #1 Chevrolet Camaro for his team, Chastain is yet to fix a spot in the playoffs. He is 66 points above the elimination line but a win is what will hammer him a spot down at the earliest.

Chastain just wants to do better than last year with all the unknown factors in Chicago

In his pre-race media availability earlier this week, the driver expressed similar thoughts in regard to the question marks surrounding the racing surface. He is still wary of the unknowns though NASCAR now has more data about the track than last year. “I know NASCAR will try to make it the most similar but still, it’s another level of unknown,” he said.

Continuing about his ambitions for the race he reiterated that he just wanted to do better than he did in 2023. “It was a concrete canyon feeling and the walls were really close to the left and right of the racing line. Looking forward to getting another shot and seeing if I can do better,” he reiterated. He has qualified to start in 14th place on Sunday.