For the first time in NASCAR’s history, the Cup and Xfinity Series will be running on a street circuit. NASCAR will be taking to the streets of Chicago to bring racing into the city with the Grant Park 220. This is set to be a historic event for NASCAR. Whether this will be successful or not is yet to be determined. Some fans are embracing it while others are expecting calamity. Either way, NASCAR’s latest attempt to chase down the casual viewer has a lot of intrigue. How will a Cup Series car handle on a street circuit? While the NextGen car was designed for road course racing (with the idea of potentially running on a street circuit), will it hold up or be another failure this generation of car has offered?
Attempting to preview this race is a bit tough. While a street circuit is still a road course, it is completely unique to a track designed and built for racing. The streets of Chicago were not designed for stock cars to rumble through. An easy assumption is that the road course ringers of the series will reign supreme in the Grant Park 220. However, chaos could unfold and the eventual winner could be Joey Logano. Logano has made a habit of winning these first timer events. IndyCar’s debut on the streets of Nashville saw a massive pileup on lap one. Could the Cup Series replicate that here? Only time will tell.
Who will be the 5 drivers to watch this weekend for the Grant Park 220? Continue reading below to find out. If you want a statistical insight heading into Sunday, check out Daniel Smith’s notable starts and statistical outlook articles.
Austin Cindric
While most of the attention will be paid to AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric is a driver with experience running on a street circuit. Early in his racing career, Cindric raced on street circuits in the US F2000 National Championship in 2013 and 2014. Although those were open wheel vehicles, the experience on a street circuit is valuable for any driver this weekend. The Grant Park 220 will be completely unique to any other road course the Cup Series has driven on. That could mean the usual road course ringers may struggle in Chicago.
As for Austin Cindric, he needs some positive momentum for the 2023 season. He only has two Top-10s this season. Even with his road course prowess, he could not manage a Top-20 at Sonoma. On the flip side, one of his Top-10s came at COTA, where he ran well all day. Predicting how well Cindric will run on Sunday is a bit tough. Sonoma and Team Penske’s inconsistent speed create doubt about a strong run from Cindric. However, a driver with solid road course skills plus street circuit experience is a big plus. Cindric will certainly be someone to keep an eye on throughout the weekend.
AJ Allmendinger
If it is a road course, then AJ Allmendinger is going to be somebody to watch. Allmendinger is the road course ringer of the NASCAR Cup Series. In 34 Cup Series starts, Allmendinger has racked up 2 wins, 7 TOp-5s, and 17 Top-10s. All of this while mainly driving for subpar teams (in terms of equipment). As discussed with Austin Cindric, Allmendinger is also one of few on Sunday who has experience running on a street circuit. Once again, it was with open wheel vehicles, but the experience still counts.
Outside of being the road course ringer, Allmendinger is riding a bit of hot streak. He has back-to-back Top-10s and four consecutive Top-15s. His season is finally starting to shape into what many expected from him when Kaulig announced his fulltime venture. With how the playoff standings currently sit, Allmendinger’s best bet to make the playoffs is to win. While his best shot might be Watkins Glenn, Allmendinger should be a favorite to win the Grant Park 220 on Sunday.
Shane van Gisbergen
Who is Shane van Gisbergen? The New Zealander primarily races in the Supercars Championship in Australia. Gisbergen is currently the reigning back-to-back champion of the series. In those two seasons, Gisbergen collected 23 wins and 35 podiums in 45 races. He also has a third championship from 2016. Not only is Gisbergen an acclaimed Supercars driver, he has found success in the GT Series. Most notably for NASCAR fans, Gisbergen has finished on the podium for his class in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in 2015.
Shane van Gisbergen is only the second driver to helm the PROJECT91 car from Trackhouse Racing. Justin Marks has once again filled that seat with an accomplished international driver. That international flair will bring his unique skillset stateside. While most guest drivers of this ilk might be at a disadvantage compared to the Cup Series regulars, Gisbergen might have the advantage this week. He will be in top equipment and has significantly more experience running on streets than the Cup Series drivers. While a win would be doubtful, a Top-10 is not out of the question.
Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick is having a string of bad luck lately. The past three races has seen Reddick finish poorly due to no fault of his own. At WWT Raceway, the brake rotors of his car failed and he wrecked out. At Sonoma, a flat tire late in the race ruined his chance at Top-10 finish. Instead, he finished outside the Top-30. Last week at Nashville, Reddick’s crew fail to secure his back left tire and the lug nut fell off. While he was able to avoid disaster, he never recovered the two laps he lost.
Eventually, Reddick’s luck will change. Why not at the Chicago Street Race? Maybe it will provide the right chaos for Reddick to avoid issues. Reddick is a great road course racer. Three of his four wins have come on the tracks with lefts and rights. He could be one to watch since he has a chance to win. However, with how poor his luck has been lately, he could be one to watch to see what next unfortunate occurrence will plague the 23XI Racing driver.
Joey Logano
Should you expect Joey Logano to win on Sunday? No. Should you expect Joey Logano to even race well on Sunday? Probably not. Despite his Top-5 at Sonoma, Logano has had inconsistent speed all season and on road courses in the NextGen car. Since 2022, Logano either Top-6s a road course or finishes outside the Top-15. Logano could have a solid run Sunday, but it should not be expected. If that is the case, then why is Logono one to watch? Because he wins first time events.
Bristol Dirt, The Clash, and WWT Raceway were all won by Joey Logano in their inaugural event. For whatever reason, Logano finds a way to win the inaugural NASCAR events. Even without a dirt background, Logano managed to dominate the first Bristol Dirt event. With the potential for chaos on Sunday, Logano could find himself in victory lane again. Logano is not a bad road course racer, but he is not one people would think to pick for winning. However, he could snipe this win from the favorites. It is the inaugural street race.
