Even for racing veterans, Chicago's NASCAR race provides unique experience
CHICAGO (CBS) – Race weekend is here! The city is just hours away from hosting Chicago's first-ever NASCAR Street Race.
CBS 2's Sara Machi was out at the course to see how things were shaping up and to take us inside the track setup.
Workers were still putting some of the finishing touches ahead of the main event starting Saturday, but CBS 2 wanted to know how this event stacks up, so we headed to pit road to talk to some insiders.
Looming large like the Chicago skyline behind them were the towers of tires. Crews were finishing up preparations for the first-of-its-kind NASCAR Street Race.
CHICAGO STREET RACE: Race weekend is finally here, and we’re on the track for finishing touches ahead of the big event. We’ll take inside the #NASCARChicago street race on @cbschicago at 4 pic.twitter.com/8gt3UJ3rDY
— Sara Machi (@saramachi) June 30, 2023
Pit road was a familiar scene for tire specialist David Farrow though, he said, there are few certainties here.
"It's just a lot of unknowns," Farrow said. "I mean, we don't know what kind of grip the track has. We don't know how the falloff is going to be on the tires. We don't know what the tire wear, how it's going to be on the tires. Everything is totally brand new."
Farrow is working on the 51 car. Sponsor Ryan Delaney is brining his family from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to see the inaugural event.
"It's pretty special," Delaney said. "So we had this one circled on this one for the calendar for a while to be a part of something that's happening for the first time."
Delaney went to dozens of races last season. This Chicago race though is standing out.
"The scenery in the backdrops make for a pretty special experience I think," Delaney said.
It offers a unique experience for fans who will be filling the grandstands.
"Think access that the fans are going to have, that's going to be really, really cool," he said.
But like any race, it's anyone's guess how it's going to turn out after the green flag drops.
"Yeah don't move away from the TV," Farrow said. "That's what I would recommend."
Another uncertainty this weekend will be the weather.
Farrow said the crews are stocked with rain gear on hand including specialty tires they hope they don't have to pull out.