1. Stop Those Thoughts of Abandoning the Chicago Street Race
The second iteration of the Chicago Street Race was not unlike any other event on the NASCAR schedule in that during its course, various challenges arose that teams, drivers and officials had to confront.
Yes, things could have been done better, but that does not take away the fact that the best of NASCAR was showcased during a span of two days.
Yes, weather was a factor. Last time I checked, that’s something that cannot be controlled. Yes, it even rained at times when NASCAR raced in July at Daytona International Speedway.
If the track had multiple water seepages or safety issues, it’d be one thing. But this weekend showed not only that the sport needs a street circuit, but that it’s hard to currently think of a better setting for this type of event than downtown Chicago.
Is it different? Yes. But NASCAR has a schedule filled with different types of tracks.
Thanks to last year’s weather, you have to call the 2023 event a mulligan. This year provided the first chance for this race to showcase itself, and based on what we saw over the weekend, there’s no reason for NASCAR not to return as long as the city of Chicago will have it.
2. Cool-Down Lap Contact: Foul or Par for the Street Course?
Two run-ins garnered attention after the checkered flag on Sunday (July 7) in Chicago.
One involved race winner Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace, due in part to the NBC broadcast showing a replay, and the other reason being a result of the tiniest pin-prick involving Wallace being reacted to like an Oppenheimer explosion by a segment of the NASCAR social media landscape.
The other saw pleasantries being exchanged by Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott.
NASCAR is a tough place here. How do you penalize one cool-down incident and not the other?
Both Elliott and Wallace have previously been suspended for contact with other drivers. Still, the difference in those cases was that it was for incidents at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, two tracks that carry a higher rate of speed.
On the Chicago street course, its lower speeds and close quarters are part of its appeal, and when you have those factors, odds of exchanging displeasure the way you saw on Sunday will happen. That’s why NASCAR would do well to look the other way in this case.
3. Is the NASCAR Xfinity Series Title Chase Ready for Rugby-Style?
He may not have repeated as champion in the NASCAR Cup Series on the streets of Chicago, but New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen‘s win in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series affair reminded that last year’s success there was no fluke.
Van Gisbergen has shown he can dominate on various types of road courses and string solid results on other tracks. And he stands a chance to gain a good number of bonus points when considering that the series next race, at Pocono Raceway, is at a track that has approach comparisons to a road course and the fact that before the Xfinity playoffs begin, the series goes to another road course at Watkins Glen International.
Once the playoffs start, the New Zealander has a strong chance to advance past the first round since the Round of 12 concludes at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. Combine that with bonus points that van Gisbergen has a chance to total in the coming weeks, and he has a very good chance to be in position for a Championship 4 berth.
4. Don’t Count Out Road-Course Upsets Yet…
If you’re a driver like Michael McDowell, a past winner on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, you are probably bemoaning the fact that the hallowed yard of bricks will contest its NASCAR visit back on the traditional oval.
For drivers adept at road courses, the move in recent seasons to the road course in Indianapolis Motor Speedway was almost like a bonus, like finding a spare lottery scratch-off ticket with one more chance to win their way into the playoffs.
Despite there not being any more road courses on the schedule before the playoffs, the McDowells and Ty Gibbs of the world still have a chance to lock into the postseason. That’s because of the next race on the Cup schedule – Pocono.
With its three distinct turns and none being banked more than 14 degrees high, drivers can’t get into a cadence that they would at most ovals on the schedule.
It’s an adjustment not too different than at a road course. Although it might not guarantee a win, Pocono has a layout that could give drivers stronger from the road-course side of things an edge.
That could be just the boost drivers like McDowell and Gibbs need as the playoff window gets smaller and smaller.
5. Can Stewart-Haas Racing Flush Chicago and Move Forward?
Much has been made since Stewart-Haas Racing announced it would be ceasing operations at the end of this season about how SHR’s drivers and race teams have fought forward despite tough circumstances.
Josh Berry was a factor near the front at Iowa Speedway and Chase Briscoe finished second at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Noah Gragson finishing 10th at Nashville Superspeedway.
And then the Chicago street course happened.
Briscoe losing control ended up taking out defending race winner van Gisbergen and Berry was involved in multiple on-track incidents. Gragson, to his credit, ended up 14th.
Everyone in the SHR shop knows that the end is coming and when that happens, a sense of despondency can sink in. Days like Sunday didn’t help, so it’ll be interesting to see how much resilience is left in the tank for these teams, especially for those falling short of a playoff spot.
Brad joined Frontstretch.com in 2020 and contributes to the site's 5 Points To Ponder column and other roles as needed. A graduate of the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has covered sports in some capacity for more than 20 years with coverage including local high school sports, college athletics and minor league hockey. Brad has received multiple awards for his work from the Georgia Press Association.