Chicago Street Race could open many doors for NASCAR

CHICAGO — The city’s mayor addressed drivers before the event, a New Zealand native won in his first Cup start , and the sport’s top officials looked toward NASCAR’s future after fireworks brightened the Sunday evening sky.

It wasn’t perfect — few events are — but NASCAR’s $50 million push to race on Chicago streets showed what is possible in other U.S. cities and abroad.

Just a few weeks after NASCAR’s Garage 56 car attracted attention and praise at the 24 Hours of Le Mans , NASCAR saw a foreign-born driver win the first Cup street race, giving the event more international attention than it might have received.

That Sunday’s race took place on the streets of the third largest city in the U.S. made it seem even bigger. Whether it returns, remains a question even with a contract for two more years.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, non-committal about the event when he ran for office in the spring, spoke in the drivers meeting, saying “I really appreciate that NASCAR has chosen Chicago to make history.”

On Monday, he was asked if the race would return to Chicago and said: “Like everything I inherited (from the previous administration), I’m a teacher, so I will assess it and grade it and it will be an open process where other folks get a chance to weigh in.”

NASCAR’s momentum from Sunday’s event — the most-watched Cup race on NBC in six years — and Le Mans can help the series attract a new manufacturer, hold more events closer to city centers and expand not only beyond the U.S. border but across the ocean.

“What's great about this is NASCAR has huge interest globally right now,” NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell said. “We saw it in Garage 56.”

O’Donnell said he and Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of development and racing strategy, have “had a number of meetings with a number of different countries and a number of different continents wanting races.”

Reports have stated that the Montreal road course could appear on the Cup schedule as early as next season.

How soon could NASCAR, which has a series in Europe, run Cup cars overseas?

“I’m not going to put a timetable on it, but I think we're all confident at NASCAR that we could take the Cup Series anywhere we want and … I know the race we put on today would sell and would be embraced globally for sure,” O’Donnell said.

Shane van Gisbergen’s win added an extra element. He won with Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 effort, which is designed to bring international drivers to run select Cup races. Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen drove the car last year at Watkins Glen and this year at Circuit of the Americas. Van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercars champion, was next in the car this past weekend.

“We approach NASCAR as partners, and we really want to help each other,” said Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks, who created the Project 91 effort. “We've got a great relationship with the sport, and it's important to … everybody that this sport grows and that this sport becomes more and more internationally relevant.

“If we can do all of the things where we can win for us and sign great sponsors and have great days like today but also contribute to that mission, then we're here for that.

“I take a little bit of personal pride in being able to deliver something to that international initiative because NASCAR racing is special. It's unique. There's nothing in the world like it.

“I think the more people globally that we can get tuned in and excited about this sport, the better it is for all of us, and I think today was a step in that direction.”

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NASCAR made a couple of decisions with this weekend’s races that upset some.

Series officials announced on Lap 46 of Sunday’s Cup race — scheduled for 100 laps — that it would be cut to 75 laps because of approaching darkness.

The announcement flipped the field, giving many of those who had pitted the chance to move to the front, while the frontrunners still had to pit, leaving them with less time to get back to the front. Winner Shane van Gisbergen was among those who had to pit and came back from 18th to win the race.

“We started at 6 a.m. with a meeting, ‘What are we going to do, what's it look like?” NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell said. “We met, I think, every half hour throughout the day, all the way up until that last caution when we declared the race would be 75 laps. We had to wait to see just how long.

“When we started the Cup race, we were very hopeful. If we went green, which I know is unprecedented, that we could get all 100 in. Constant meetings, constant communication. Again, applaud the industry, all of our folks. Not trying to pat ourselves on the back, it's more the cooperation we had with the city. The assets that they brought to the event, as well, to be able to get the track ready was incredible.”

Highlights: van Gisbergen wins Cup race in Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen makes history as the first driver to win during his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 60 years after his victory on the Chicago Street Course.

Earlier Sunday, NASCAR declared the Xfinity race official before the series completed half the distance. That raised issues with some, but it was the right call.

The race was stopped after 25 laps Saturday, leaving 30 laps remaining. The race was scheduled to resume Sunday morning but rain prevented that. At that point, NASCAR could have made teams stay another day to finish the race Monday morning but that would have impacted re-opening of streets in Chicago and cost teams additional money by staying another night.

In the end, NASCAR called the race. While the rule states that a race is considered official once it reaches the halfway point or the completion of stage 2, whichever comes first, this race did neither. NASCAR has other items in its rule book that allows it to make decisions counter to rules in extreme cases. This was one of those cases.

Section 1.6.B and C of the Xfinity Rule Book reads: “On occasion, circumstances will be presented that are either unforeseen or are otherwise extraordinary, in which strict application of the NASCAR Rules may not achieve this goal. In such rare circumstances, the NASCAR Officials, as a practical matter, may make a determination regarding the conduct of an Event, the eligibility of a Competitor, or similar matters that are not contemplated by or are inconsistent with the NASCAR Rules, in order to achieve this goal.

C. From time to time, in particular rules, Official Entry Blanks, Bulletins, and elsewhere, NASCAR may use the term “EIRI” – meaning “Except in Rare Instances” – to indicate the likelihood that such a determination may be made. NASCAR, however, may make such a determination even if “EIRI” has not been included in a particular Rule, Official Entry Blank, Bulletin, or otherwise. Such determinations are reviewable by NASCAR Supervisory Officials pursuant to Section 1.4 Interpretation and Application. All such determinations are subject to Section 1.5 Finality of Interpretation and Application.

Also, Section 8.1.c in the Event Procedure section of the rule book addresses the matter: “In addition to interpreting and applying these Rules, NASCAR Officials are also authorized to make such other determinations or take such other action as they determine to be necessary to promote the best interests of NASCAR racing, including but not limited to fairness and prompt finality of Competition results.”

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Justin Haley got only 20 minutes in the simulator to drive the Chicago street course, forgot to bring his luggage, hit the tire barriers in Turn 4 during practice and was unable to qualify. That forced him to start last.

He overcame all of that to place second.

With no rooms for motorhomes, drivers stayed in a hotel, but Haley forgot to get his luggage from his motorhome.

Most of his preparation for the Chicago race was done outside the simulator.

“Obviously we're not a manufacturer-supported team to an extent,” the Kaulig Racing driver said. “I had 20 minutes of simulator time (in the Chevy simulator) for this race.”

Haley needed different strategy to hold off SVG

Justin Haley is proud of coming close to a win after his second-place result in Chicago, but wishes he had fresher tires to match race winner Shane van Gisbergen.

He stayed with his team and helped re-wrap the car after his shunt in practice.

His runner-up finish was his best result on a road course. It was his fifth top 20 in the last seven races.

“When you sit back at the end of the night and think about what we don't have compared to the other teams and that we're just at our -- we're just starting to blossom as a race team, it's just incredible,” Haley said. “I feel like we're realistic of where we need to be. AJ has put together some great runs. But it's a fight.

“This is a tough race series, and every week it's tough. Definitely enjoy it when we do run up front. That doesn't mean that we can take tomorrow off, though.”

Haley 23 laps before Shane van Gisbergen passed him for the lead and led the final eight laps.

“I've never found myself in that situation in the Cup Series,” Haley said. “Obviously I have in the Truck and Xfinity Series, but the level of talent … I had Chase Elliott behind me and Kyle Larson and Shane and Austin Dillon for a little bit, all champions and multi-race winners. Big confidence boost for me, especially as I'm right in the middle of contract talks.”