NASCAR is back in Chicago this weekend, and so is a street course through Grant Park that will test drivers' abilities to navigate tight corners and uneven roads.
Last year's Cup Series race, the Grant Park 220, was a wreck-filled scramble. After a long delay following record rainfall, the field couldn’t make it a full lap before the first crash.
The layout of the 2.2-mile track is mostly the same for this year’s abbreviated Grant Park 165. Based off last year’s action, we can make some good guesses about what corners will cause the most problems for drivers this year during the 75-lap race.
Here’s a full breakdown of each turn and the challenges they pose.
Turn 1
Balbo and Columbus drives
This is the first turn that drivers will hit once the green flag drops, a sharp 90-degree turn at the exit of Pit Road and the end of a front stretch that includes the start/finish line.
It was a tricky turn for drivers to navigate last year. During qualifying, Kevin Harvick crashed his No. 4 Ford hard into the concrete barrier in this turn, putting him at the back of the pack at the start of the Cup Series race. He finished 29th.
Kevin Harvick crashes out of qualifying. #NASCAR
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 1, 2023
📺 : @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/zIszToUMo4
Christopher Bell, who led more laps than anyone else in last year’s Grant Park 220, slid into the tire barrier here, sending him to the back of the pack. Bell is also a favorite for this year’s Grant Park 165 — he dominated the pack last week in Nashville, leading 131 laps before crashing out.
Last year’s Loop 121 winner, Cole Custer, noted the challenge this narrow turn presents.
“It was kind of like there was a double point in that wall that you can’t really see until you hit it,” Custer said after last year’s race.
Best views: Jack Daniels Turn 1 Club, W. Field Reserved grandstand
Turn 2
Balbo Drive and DuSable Lake Shore Drive
The next turn is another sharp corner. But it is also a decent place to make a pass, coming right before one of the longest, widest and straightest sections of the track on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Last year’s winner, Shane van Gisbergen, driving in his first NASCAR race, shot around Justin Haley here to take the lead late in the Cup Series race, putting him in position to win. Van Gisbergen, whose name is often shortened to just SVG, is one of the drivers to beat this year after his debut performance.
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN TO THE LEAD!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 3, 2023
IT'S HIS FIRST NASCAR RACE! pic.twitter.com/Vm1q6FAop6
Denny Hamlin, who won the pole in last year’s Cup Series race, slid into the tire barrier here at the start of the second lap, allowing Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota to start pulling away from the field.
Best views: Harbor Suites, Lakefront Club, E. Field Reserved Grandstand, General Admission viewing area
Turn 3
DuSable Lake Shore Drive
This is the closest thing that the NASCAR's Chicago street race course has to a “gentle” turn. Drivers were able to take this turn pretty quickly last year.
The main hazard is the next two tricky turns. At the end of last year’s race, Haley managed to briefly get around van Gisbergen again in this turn only for van Gisbergen to pass him in Turn 4.
Best views: Harbor Suites, General Admission+ viewing area with some limited views from the Lakefront Trail and the hill outside the Field Museum for non-ticket holders.
Turn 4
DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Roosevelt Road
The right-hander onto Roosevelt Road from DuSable Lake Shore Drive is tricky partially because of its sharpness but even more so because of the structure of the road.
Reddick, who qualified in second for last year’s Grant Park 220 and led eight laps at the start of the race, complained about the transition from highway to road. He’s also a favorite for this year’s race.
“You’re going from brand-new asphalt to just how rough and broken up that bridge [on Roosevelt] has gotten, and it really makes it stressful,” Reddick told reporters after qualifying. “Every single lap, you’re holding your breath going through not knowing if you’re going to make it or not.”
Best views: Limited views near the Field Museum
Turn 5
Roosevelt Road and Columbus Drive
Although this is another 90-degree turn, drivers found it easier to navigate last year than some of the other turns on the course. It’s wider, giving drivers more “runoff room” — space to make a mistake.
The turn also opens up to the longest straightaway on the course along Columbus. Getting this turn right will set drivers up for one of the best passing spots on the track.
BUSINESS IS PICKING UP!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 2, 2023
With sunset coming, the intensity increases in NASCAR's first street race on NBC and Peacock! #NASCARChicago pic.twitter.com/cclZG6l7M6
Drivers seemed to struggle in last year’s slick conditions on the concrete of Columbus Drive. Aric Almirola got turned around here on the first lap during the Cup Series race.
Last year, Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill noticed a manhole cover coming out of Turn 5 that could pose problems. The manhole covers throughout the course were welded down, but Hill still was worried about navigating the turn.
“It has a dip that kind of goes down into the track,” he said. “So I think if you hit that, you could get the car kind of out of shape pretty easily out there.”
Best views: Limited views near Roosevelt and Columbus
Turn 6
Balbo and Columbus drives
Drivers spent more time in this corner than any other on the track during last year’s Cup Series race because they kept getting stuck under the shock-absorbing tire barrier that separates it from Turn 1.
There was a crash in this corner on the first lap of the race involving three cars. Later on, Noah Gragson burned out the tires on his No. 42 Chevrolet trying to get it unstuck. He wound up crashing into the same corner four times during the race.
Reddick crashed in this corner near the end of the race, sending him from the top 5 to the back of the pack. Kyle Busch slammed his No. 8 Chevrolet hard into the barrier early in the race and needed a tow.
'@KyleBusch SLIDES into the tire barrier! #NASCARChicago
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 2, 2023
📺 : @NBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/nP5LIzlatE
Part of the problem last year was the track conditions after heavy rains that had delayed the race. Although the track had dried some as speeding cars drove over it, Turn 6 remained damp. When drivers slid into the barrier, they struggled to get the traction they needed to get their cars out from under the tires.
It’s also a tight left-hander with little runoff after a long, fast straightaway. There’s not much runoff, and especially if the track is wet, drivers need to make sure they hit their brake marks to avoid the barrier.
Best views: General Admission viewing area
Turn 7
Balbo Drive and Michigan Avenue
Turn 7 poses a unique challenge for drivers. They must navigate both a hill as Balbo Drive dips to meet Michigan Avenue and a tight, unforgiving right turn.
But it didn’t see much action last year because drivers took it pretty cautiously.
Best views: Liquid Death Plaza Club, Turn 7 Patios
Turn 8
Michigan Avenue and Congress Plaza
This is the first in a series of three turns through Congress Plaza, making a street-race version of a road course narrow, a series of extra turns that aren’t necessary but create some extra action on the course.
Drivers exiting this turn face a small hill and another tight turn with limited visibility.
During qualifying last year, Chase Elliott lost control and slammed his No. 9 Chevrolet into the barrier wall here hard enough to move the nearly 10,000-pound blocks.
Ricky Stenhouse also came into the turn too hard and hit the wall during qualifying, requiring him to switch to a backup car for Sunday’s Cup Series race.
Best views: Turn 8 Reserved grandstand, Turn 9 Reserved grandstands
Turn 9
Congress Plaza and Ida B. Wells Drive
Turn 9 comes at the crest of the hill through Congress Plaza, another narrow turn that will require precision from drivers to avoid the wall. This stretch of track was one of my favorite spots to watch the race last year.
Cars get close to the concrete barriers here, and the nearby big screens give a good sense of what’s happening elsewhere on the track. From the top of the hill, you can get views of turns 8 and 10, too, as well as the Chicago skyline.
Best views: Turn 9 Reserved grandstands, Turn 8 Reserved grandstand, Congress Reserved grandstand
Turn 10
Congress Plaza and Michigan Avenue
This is the last of the turns in the Congress Plaza chicane. Although there’s more room to maneuver through Turn 9, the track narrows again in this tight right-hander.
Drivers mostly kept it together through this turn last year, the short straight on Michigan Avenue that follows it and Turn 11 presented much bigger problems.
Best views: Congress Reserved grandstand, Michigan Reserved grandstand
Turn 11
Michigan Avenue and Jackson Drive
Turn 11 saw one of the most memorable moments of last year’s race that shows how narrow this track really is.
William Byron went wide and missed the sharp right turn, getting caught against the tire barrier. With limited room to navigate, Corey LaJoie ran into Kevin Harvick, sending both cars sideways and almost completely blocking the track.
Much of the field wound up getting stuck behind the ensuing traffic jam as the drivers tried to get their cars pointed in the right direction.
TRAFFIC JAM!#NASCARChicago | @NBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/t75M7Ll9cD
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 3, 2023
The unforgiving turn into an uphill straightaway posed other problems throughout the race. Alex Bowman spun out in the corner earlier in the race after a bump from Denny Hamlin as they entered the turn.
Best views: Michigan Reserved grandstand
Turn 12
Jackson and Columbus drives
Just because this is the last turn on the track doesn’t make it the least interesting.
Drivers must navigate one more tricky right-hander under a pedestrian bridge before reaching the start/finish line. Late in the race, Austin Dillon tried to take the lead in this corner and instead went hard into the wall. He wound up finishing 36th.
Austin Dillon HITS THE WALL!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 3, 2023
He was going for the lead! #NASCARChicago
📺 : @NBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/HhRzsAoV26
To make things more difficult, it’s also the entrance to Pit Road, an intersection that snarled several drivers in last year’s Cup Series race as some drivers slow to pit while others try to accelerate onto the front stretch. Joey Logano tangled with F1 champion Jenson Button as Button was trying to get into Pit Road, causing him to spin out.
Last year, Hamlin told reporters that he thinks that corner could use a retooling.
“There’s huge [crash] barrels there,” Hamlin said. “With it being only a 40 mph corner, we probably don’t need those huge barrels. And you could probably take one of those concrete barriers off the entrance of Pit Road — because there are no pit stalls for the first three stalls anyway — and move those barrels back 20, 25 feet. It would allow us to go through the final corner a little bit faster so we’re not causing a huge stackup with the cars that are pitting and the ones that are not.”
Best views: Turn 12 Reserved grandstand, N. Frontstretch Reserved grandstand
