NASCAR drivers have always struggled racing on anything other than ovals. So when a street circuit was introduced in 2023, all those shortcomings were amplified. It wasn’t just the driver, but the car itself was quite heavy, and given the speed it carries on the straights, making it turn in tight corners was that much more difficult. Everyone apart from Shane van Gisbergen struggled in Chicago last year.
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The dreaded street race is right around the corner once again. While drivers and teams have had a year to prepare, they are far from comfortable. Trackhouse Racing star Ross Chastain, who finished P22 last year, said that he did not have a single “comfortable corner” in the entire race as per NASCAR. “I just couldn’t get comfortable … like I wasn’t right off the bat, and it never came throughout the race,” he added.
The bumpy streets of Chicago were a menace to drive even for championship-winning race car drivers. Joey Logano (P8 last year) termed the race a “headache in a bottle” as he too struggled in the corners. Other road courses have a sizeable run-off area that helps drivers. This one had none of that. “There’s no runoff. So you overshoot a corner, as bumpy as it is, you lock up a tire, you slide, there’s no runoff, right,” he explained.
Getting ready for this weekend.
🎟️: https://t.co/fnClcpDMup#NASCARChicago | @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/H8PIDdj2oP
— NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend (@NASCARChicago) July 2, 2024
The track limits are quite literally the barriers at a street course like Chicago. There’s no coming back from it if you violate those limits. Then there’s the elevation of two bridge crossings where drivers have to brake while going downhill.
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe highlighted that part of the track to be tricky, along with the corners of course. He had finished P20 last year. “For a street course, you don’t think of having elevation but you come over that bridge a couple of times and the downhill braking, it’s just a hard place to pass,” he explained.
There will be improvements from the pack this season since they have had a feel of the track but there’s plenty unknown still. SVG is still the favorite owing to his racing background and recent results on road courses. For the rest of the pack, it might well be about getting the car home in one piece.
