There is no doubt that the Chicago Street race, which many considered to be NASCAR’s desperate and expensive experiment, has turned out to be a successful and historic first with fruits and dividends on many levels for the sport and all the stakeholders. Having said that, it wasn’t completely free of criticism as one major decision by NASCAR, to shorten the race, turned out to be a controversial one. Many big names in the garage called out that decision, including one of the sport’s biggest names, Jeff Gordon.
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Gordon’s complaint afterward wasn’t the decision itself, but how it was executed. He also pointed out how NASCAR could’ve done better in the massive pileup situation during the race.
Jeff Gordon isn’t a fan of NASCAR handling some decisions in Chicago
When asked about his thoughts on the way the decision to shorten the race was executed by NASCAR in a post-race interview, Gordon explained that there should’ve been some sort of protocol for such a situation so teams are prepared.
“I think any of those situations you would like to have some kind of protocols in advance to understand okay, ‘What’s the cutoff time where you don’t think that we can go past?’ so we can plan for, all right, ‘This race might be shortened,’” he said. “We can calculate lap times and all those things, kind of factor that in, that’s what’s gonna help us make better decisions.”
Touching on the turn 11 incident, Gordon added, “I think when they bottlenecked there with turn 11, I’d like to also have protocols on if they’re gonna freeze the field in a situation like that and then while cars are in that accident blend back into the position once they start moving.”
“They gotta make that line clear and tell people in advance because I’ll be honest, I didn’t exactly agree with the way they handled that.”
But along with his criticisms, Jeff Gordon also acknowledged the positives from the weekend.
Gordon thinks Chicago was a big win, but claims there’s room for improvement
The 4x NASCAR Cup champion emphasized what the Chicago Street race’s success means for the sport, how the drivers reacted, and how they can do better the next time.
“I think overall it was a big win for NASCAR, for the teams and drivers. Seeing them attack these streets was a lot of fun. I heard a lot of great comments from drivers that they enjoyed the track,” Gordon described.
“I think it’s a win for Chicago too.”
The Hall of Famer added one always learns from experiences such as these, so he will be taking notes, not just as a competitor, but as part of the event so they can do better next time on things such as the logistics, the fan experience, and more.
