CHICAGO — A weekend of concerts and cars concludes with the NASCAR Cup Series racing through the streets of Chicago today.
Coverage on NBC and Peacock begins at 4 p.m. ET.
Here are three things to watch in today’s race on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course through Grant Park.
1. Can SVG repeat?
Shane van Gisbergen seeks to complete a weekend sweep and continue to amaze NASCAR Cup competitors.
Van Gisbergen won last year’s inaugural Chicago Street Race Cup event and followed it by winning Saturday’s Xfinity race.
It was his winning move around Justin Haley entering Turn 4 in last year’s Cup race that left many Cup drivers amazed, including former champions Joey Logano and Kyle Larson.
“That move he made last year was probably like the sickest move I’ve ever seen on a road course for a pass,” Larson said. “ … He sees things different. He knew he could lift, make that move and still outbrake (Haley) and get position. Until then I would have never seen that.”
Said Logano: “That move he made against Haley to win the Cup race, changing directions in that area it didn’t even come to my mind like you can’t do that like, and he just got so much more comfort and knowing how his car needed to feel to go over those bumps in that braking zone to at least get his car driving to what in his mind is right.”
In Saturday’s Xfinity race, Larson and van Gisbergen dueled, changing the lead five times in the first 23 laps. At one point, van Gisbergen gave a thumbs up to Larson with how they were racing. Both said afterward how much fun they had and how much they learned from each other.
“I was having a blast,” Larson said of van Gisbergen after that race. “Obviously, I wanted to win, but I wanted to learn more than anything. I wanted to get to battle with him because he’s just really good at creating shapes and angles passing.”
2. NASCAR’s officiating
NASCAR could make a major impact in today’s race based on its decision making.
Last weekend, NASCAR officials turned heads when they put Kyle Busch back into fourth place after he was seemingly involved in an accident when Kyle Larson got into Ross Chastain, who wrecked in front of Busch.
Busch hit the wall as he slowed to avoid Chastain. While Busch was put in the damaged vehicle policy clock for his contact with the wall, NASCAR ruled that it was done to avoid hitting Chastain. Due to that crash avoidance, NASCAR ruled that Busch wasn’t involved in the accident and was given his original position.
That’s important to note because of the potential for the track to be blocked in today’s race. Last year’s race saw the track get blocked in Turn 11 and NASCAR have to determine where to put the drivers in the lineups.
“I had to stop and I lost 10 spots for no reason at all other than I couldn’t go anymore and they put a bunch of people in front of me,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “I was madder than hell.”
Christopher Bell, who also had to stop when the track was blocked in that incident last years, fears a repeat today.
“There is a very high possibility that we are going to have a pile-up where someone is going to get through to pick up a lot of spots and someone is going to get on the other end of it and lose a bunch of spots,” Bell said.
NASCAR sent a communication to teams this week announcing how series officials would deal with any potential course blockages.
NASCAR stated that if the track becomes blocked and vehicles unable to make forward progress “vehicles involved in the accident will be positioned Tail of the Field.” The remaining vehicles will be placed in the order based on the rule book.
3. A new winner?
If not Shane van Gisbergen, could there be a driver outside a playoff spot score a win and alter the playoff standings?
Michael McDowell, who starts third, needs a win to make the playoffs and this could be his chance.
“Every week is win or bust, I feel like,” McDowell said. “Is this our last chance? No, we have more chances in front of us, but I still feel like New Hampshire was win or bust, and Iowa was win or bust and this weekend is no different.”
Heading into Sunday’s race, Ty Gibbs, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman hold the final four playoff spots. They are separated by 19 points. Gibbs has 518 points, Chastain 514, Buescher 504 and Bowman 499.
If McDowell or someone outside a playoff spot wins, the playoff cutline moves up and puts Gibbs, Chastain, Buescher or Bowman outside a playoff spot.
