CHICAGO — Some were calling it the “Monaco of NASCAR,” while others were a little “edgy” about street closures, etc., and the seemingly annual rain delay/rain shortened race that seems to be part of NASCAR’s annual visit to Chicago.
Maybe not as famous yet as the historic Formula 1 street race in the little country of Monaco, NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race weekend seems to be “hitting it on all cylinders.”
Racing along Lake Michigan and roaring down Chicago streets DuSable Lake Shore Dr., Michigan Ave., Columbus Dr., Roosevelt Rd. and Jackson gets the adrenalin rushing for both drivers and fans.
A great vantage point — some fans witnessed the action from various hotels on Chicago’s famous Michigan Avenue.
The amount of work that is needed for this type of an event is difficult to comprehend. Workers were busy Friday putting on the finishing touches to the 12-turn, 2.2-mile temporary course. One cannot imagine the number of man hours needed. Don’t even think about how much personnel is needed on race days, including Chicago Police and Fire Department members. It’s staggering.
NASCAR has a permanent, year-round, office in Chicago with NASCAR Street Race President Julie Giese heading up the effort. Months of planning are needed with Giese and her staff starting the whole process over again soon.
Downtown Chicago was abuzz for two days with true race fans and countless others enjoying the “experience.” One wonders how many people were actually attending an automobile race for the first time. The Chicago race seems to give fans a little more interaction with the drivers, going as far as meeting and talking to a driver or two in a hotel elevator not out of the question.
Becoming a Chicago fan favorite, Shane van Gisbergen was the winner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110, which was held under sunny skies with a good crowd on hand. Van Gisbergen, the popular New Zealand racer, winner of last year’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Chicago Street Race, returned to the “Windy City” and made off with Saturday’s 50-lap, 110-mile contest.
Van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson seemed to exchange the lead from corner-to-corner during most of the race. After his win, van Gisbergen gave his traditional boot to a rugby football into the grandstands.
WeatherTech, a Chicago area-based manufacturer of auto interior car liners, etc., was the sponsor of van Gisbergen’s winning No. 97 Kaulig Racing entry.
Sunday seemed to be ready to repeat Saturday’s success — possibly even weather-wise as rain was forecasted for hours after the event. The crowd was gathering but then so were ominous-looking clouds. Around 3 p.m., a light rain began to fall, causing crew chiefs to decide on slicks or Goodyear rain tires.
With baby-face-looking Ty Gibbs getting the jump on fast-qualifier Kyle Larson, the second annual Grant Park 165 was underway with Gibbs, Larson, van Gisbergen and Christopher Bell in the hunt for a victory.
Separate accidents knocked van Gisbergen and Larson from contention with the favorites finishing 40th and 39th, respectively. Heavy rain delayed the race at the 26-lap mark for nearly an hour and 45 minutes.
After the course was reasonably dried and the field on rain tires, Gibbs showed the way with Bell taking over the lead on lap 31. It was announced that the race would end at 8:20 p.m. local time. Bell and several others pitted for slicks with sports car ace Joey Hand the race leader and eventual winner of Stage 2.
With darkness setting in, Hand was out front with Alex Bowman coming fast and taking the lead on lap 51. Back in the field, Bell, wheeling probably the best car all-race long, was trying to get back to the front. A tough luck victim, Bell was involved in an accident, ending his day after 55 laps. He finished 37th.
Bowman came home the winner with the Hendrick Motor Motorsports driver scoring his first NASCAR victory since 2022, ending his 80-race drought as he drove his Ally Chevrolet No. 48 to victory.
Bowman, now an eight-time career winner in NASCAR Cup action, held a 2.863-second margin over Tyler Reddick as the checkered flag waved after 58 of the scheduled 75 laps.
“The last time we won, we didn’t get to celebrate – we’re going to drink so much damn bourbon tonight,” said an honest-speaking Bowman, who claimed a playoff spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with his victory.
“It’s going to be a bad deal,” added Bowman. “I’m probably going to wake up naked on the bathroom floor again. That’s just part of this deal sometimes.”
Hopefully, Bowman woke up Monday morning in a nice Chicago hotel with not too big of a headache but a winning smile on his face.