As you no doubt saw, earlier this week Nascar announced that next year, the Cup Series will be running on a city street course for the first time ever. Here’s a closer look at some of the details of this historic upcoming race:
—The race will be held in Chicago, a city currently home to four franchises in the “Big Four” sports leagues. And the Bears.
—Speaking of the Bears (and not just about terrible football), Nascar once ran a race INSIDE the team’s home of Soldier Field. To be fair this was in the stadium’s first much-larger iteration, before it was reduced in size for the NFL, and later had a giant spaceship added-on for seating.
—The race will be held throughout Grant Park, Chicago’s most-famous (and popular) public open space. For comparison, it would be like holding a race in New York’s Central Park, only much much much MUCH less expensive.
—For those of you who’ve read the press release and are wondering, YES: “Buckingham Fountain” IS the fountain from the opening of “Married With Children”.
—Arguably the biggest variable in the ongoing success of this race will be the ability to pass on the course, which (if too difficult) may result in “IndyCar at Nashville”-levels of crashing.
—This is just the latest in a number of innovative schedule changes that have been spearheaded by France family scion Ben Kennedy, or as my brain keeps reading his name, Bennedy.
—No matter what happens, even if we get a three-hour long follow-the-leader procession of a race, at least it won’t be a four-hour long follow-the-leader procession of a race at Chicagoland Speedway.
www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly
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