CHICAGO — The talking stops today.
After months of planning and days of construction, NASCAR Xfinity and Cup competitors will drive for the first time on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course that winds through and around Grant Park.
No more wondering what it will be like to go about 145 mph on DuSable Lake Shore Drive through Turn 3 and try to brake over bumps while setting up for a narrow Turn 4 on to Roosevelt Drive.
No more guessing about how the surface changes — from pavement to concrete or vice versa — will impact how a car gets through a corner.
No more time for simulators.
It’s real now.
And so begins a two-day festival of racing and concerts that shows NASCAR can put on an event in a big city — opening opportunities to do so elsewhere in the future.
For drivers, though, the focus is going fast and avoiding the concrete walls and tire barriers that line this course.
“You’re going to have to be really pinpoint accurate at all times,” AJ Allmendinger said. “If you’re not, you make a small mistake, you’ll probably pay the price for it.”
Friday gave drivers a chance to walk the track while construction crews continued setting it up.
Drivers talked of how narrow portions of the track are, how key Turns 2, 5 and 12 are (all led to straightaways) and how challenging this race will be.
The low speed corners will test drivers in a way Martinsville’s corners do. While not 90 degrees like several turns on this course, the mindset is to be consistent and not overdrive the corner.
There also could be an element of superspeedway racing. That type of racing is mentally taxing. Just as this course will be. With tight confines and little run-off room, it will be easy to hit the wall. Focus and precise driving will be paramount.
“The moment that I break traction, I am not going to wonder if I am going to hit the wall for very long, because the wall is right there,” said Ross Chastain, who is coming off his victory last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
“So, that has been the biggest thing mentally is trying to balance aggression for lap time and (the) penalty of overstepping that aggression and hitting the wall.”
Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button will make his second career Cup start this weekend. He considers the narrow course through the streets of Monaco as among the most difficult tracks he’s raced. Button says the Chicago street course is more difficult.
“It’s pretty nuts on your own, but then you throw everyone else into the mix?” Button said. “It’s going to be a great race to watch.”
Xfinity drivers will get 50 minutes of practice before qualifying. Cup drivers also will get the same amount of time. But few believe either session will be green the whole time. Incidents are likely to take place and create cautions, limiting how much time drivers will have to get comfortable with the course before qualifying.
“It’s going to be a tough weekend,” Ryan Blaney said. “Really tough to learn the track quickly.”
