Danica Patrick knows Chicago streets are tricky

Danica Patrick, retired from racing since 2018, cemented her place in the sport at the 2013 Daytona 500, where she started from the pole — the first woman to do so in a NASCAR Cup Series race. (Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Having grown up in Roscoe, Illinois, and now maintaining a residence in Chicago, former race-car driver Danica Patrick is keenly aware of the effect that winter weather can have on roads. The cycles of freezing and thawing, plus de-icing treatments, can leave roads decimated.

But when NASCAR hosts its first street race July 1-2 in Chicago — a longtime victim of Old Man Winter — Patrick thinks road conditions will be the least of drivers’ worries.