Listen Now! NASCAR to hold first Cup Series street race in downtown Chicago
It sounds like the script from an action movie.
Cars whizzing through the streets of Chicago at more than 100 miles per hour.
Some of the most well-known street names in the city, like Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive being the scene of vehicles chasing each other with millions of dollars on the line.
But it isn’t a movie.
It’s real, and it becomes reality this weekend.
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The Grant Park 220 will become NASCAR’s first-ever Cup Series street circuit, barreling through a course in downtown Chicago.
It’s a race that started out as a concept.
In 2021, NASCAR announced that an imaginary street course in the Chicago Loop in Downtown Chicago would be the track for a race in the 2021 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.
Ever since the announcement of the track's virtual creation for this iRacing event, there had been rumors and speculation that NASCAR would like to make this track a reality and have a street race in Chicago on the Cup Series schedule.
Just one year ago, on July 7, 2022, NASCAR announced it would happen in real life.
And thus, here we are.
How exactly can a NASCAR race be held in the third most populous city in the United States?
To help make some sense of this, the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s NASCAR experts, Ken Willis and Ryan Pritt, join “The *State* of Florida Sports Podcast.”
They’ll break down this race, from how it will be staged to who is the favorite in this out-of-the-ordinary race. After all, these guys only know how to make left turns, right?
"It's gonna be a lot different in terms of just how it looks," Ryan says during the podcast. "The layout of the track, you know, these guys have had a little bit of problems when it comes to long straightaways then coming into a 90-degree turn. I would say if you need any proof of that, just rewatch the race at COTA this year."
They’ll discuss the course and how fans will be able to watch this race from the bustling city.
"Well, road course racing as a fan is an acquired taste," Ken says during the podcast. "You pick a spot and you're going to see a section of the track. You can't see the entire track."
For reference, the course is just down the road from Soldier Field, home of the Bears. It goes by the famed Buckingham Fountain and is roughly eight miles south of Wrigley Field.
They’ll also talk about the NASCAR season thus far and which drivers have the inside track on winning the title.
And we'll play a fun game of “Think you know Chicago?”
Both Ryan and Ken will get five questions apiece about the city, and the one with the most correct answers wins.
To say these guys need to bone up on their Windy City knowledge is an understatement.
If you love NASCAR, or the city of Chicago – or both – then this is the podcast for you.
Join the tens of thousands that have downloaded us and find out why we give you the best sports breakdowns in the state.
We can be downloaded wherever you listen to podcasts, or simply type in “The *State* of Florida Sports Podcast” into your favorite search engine. We also can be found on any of the 17 USA TODAY-Network Florida websites.
If you like it, you can check out previous shows, which feature current and former professional athletes and coaches, as well as our stable of journalists who cover beats and write columns, all of whom have a tie to the Sunshine State.
Contact Walters at twalters@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Podcast breaks down NASCAR's first street race to be held in Chicago
