NASCAR’S SHANE VAN GISBERGEN IS HOPING FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
CHICAGO (AP) — The first time Shane van Gisbergen raced in Chicago, he was largely unknown in NASCAR. The second time, he was one of the favorites on the downtown street course.
The third time is a different situation for van Gisbergen once again. This time, he has a second Cup Series victory in his back pocket — providing some flexibility for the 36-year-old New Zealand native as he prepares for the playoffs.
“We’re in a nice position now having won a race,” van Gisbergen said Friday. “And it may change our strategy. If we’re in a position to get a playoff point, we’ll probably try and get that, but that’ll put us deep in the field for the next stage. So yeah, there’s a bit of a toss-up there what we’re going to do, but it’s a nice position to be in.”
Sure is.
Just two years ago, van Gisbergen — a three-time champion in Australia’s Supercars — put on a dazzling show in a rainy first edition of NASCAR’s downtown Chicago experiment. Making the most of his extensive street racing experience, he became the first driver to win his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.
He won Chicago’s Xfinity Series stop last year and the first stage in the Cup race before he was knocked out by a crash.
“You know, I have great memories here,” van Gisbergen said. “This place has changed my life, so I’m going to have special memories of this place forever.”
Van Gisbergen’s success in Chicago led to a full-time Cup ride with Trackhouse Racing. But the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet is learning his way around NASCAR and he got off to a slow start this season.
While oval tracks remain a challenge, he certainly hasn’t forgotten his roots on street and road courses. He posted his second Cup win last month at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
Van Gisbergen is scheduled to compete in both Chicago races this weekend. Next up for NASCAR is another road course at Sonoma Raceway, providing an opportunity to move up from No. 32 in the Cup standings and build up some momentum.
“Road courses are just a bonus for us,” he said. “We know we’re going to be good and we can just focus on trying to get results there.”
Even after two years, the downtown Chicago street course remains a tricky proposition. The 12-turn, 2.2-mile track is narrow and bumpy in spots — to go along with manhole covers, and transitions from concrete to asphalt and back — and there is little room for error in some areas. Rain affected the action in each of the first two weekends, and there could be more showers on Sunday.
Patience is sometimes the best approach, but that only goes so far in NASCAR.
“It’s easy to say that until Shane is out there a second faster than you and you have to go put yourself in some uncomfortable situations,” said Joey Logano, the reigning Cup Series champion.
When it comes to van Gisbergen on road courses, Logano said the rest of the Cup Series is “in a way, playing catch-up.” Van Gisbergen said he feels the same way about ovals.
“These guys have been doing left-handers since they were 10 years old,” van Gisbergen said. “You know, they’re two completely different sports, and although there has been road racing in NASCAR forever, it’s not that much. So yeah, just the experience levels are different in what we do. And I feel like, yes, they’ve definitely gotten a lot better since the first one on this track, for sure.”
STUBBS: NASCAR VALUES CHICAGO STREET RACE, BUT WILL IT STAY PAST ’25?
As NASCAR prepares to return to the streets of Chicago this weekend, the talk surrounding the race isn’t focused on the on-track action. Instead, fans, industry members and citizens of the Windy City are wondering about Chicago’s future in NASCAR beyond 2025.
The expanse of NASCAR’s original three-year deal with the city of Chicago to hold a street race has come and gone. The deal included two mutual options that will determine whether Chicago will continue to be NASCAR’s home for street racing.
The future of NASCAR in Chicago will be determined by a plethora of factors. It’s worth noting that Lori Lightfoot, the Chicago mayor who was in office when the deal was struck in 2022, is no longer in charge. Instead, it’s Brandon Johnson who could play a major role in the race’s future. Johnson’s senior adviser, Jason Lee, recently praised NASCAR for its community involvement and its dedication to improving the Chicago Street Race — a slight turn from Johnson’s attitude a year ago, when he had little to say about the future of the event.
But politics and positive reviews can only go so far in determining NASCAR’s actions. From a marketing and racing perspective, NASCAR will have to weigh what the Chicago Street Race can provide the sport that other new potential marquee races — whether street races or something else entirely — can’t.
That’s especially important to consider given reports of a potential street race in San Diego or a potential trip to Franklin Field in Philadelphia, where NASCAR would presumably host another stadium race similar to Los Angeles’ Clash at the Coliseum.
Chicago, the third-largest metro area in the country, was undeniably a fantastic choice for NASCAR to hold its first street race. But after two race weekends that have been plagued by rain and a third trending in the same direction, fans have yet to see what a full-fledged race weekend uninterrupted by weather would look like.
If NASCAR believes it can attract a similar demographic of fans to the nearby Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. — a track that hasn’t been on the schedule since 2019 but would likely put on a phenomenal show, given the Next-Gen car’s affinity for wider intermediate tracks – then pulling the plug on the street race in favor of a purpose-built racing facility could make more sense.
If NASCAR believes the street race concept can attract new or casual fans in a new setting — aka San Diego — then swapping cities could also be a possibility.
“Whether it be Chicago or somewhere else, I don’t really have a preference,” 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney said in July 2024 regarding street racing in NASCAR. “It’s really whatever city will have us. I think it could be neat, as far as (going) to these major markets of huge cities around the country.”
Perhaps the biggest thing going against Chicago right now is the fact that, in its current state, NASCAR is bolder and more innovative with scheduling decisions than ever before. Gone are the days of stale schedules with few changes and a multitude of mediocre tracks receiving two race dates (which also makes it unlikely that NASCAR would put two street races on the calendar, a suggestion made by Chicago Street Race president Julie Giese).
Over the last seven years, NASCAR has returned to Bowman Gray Stadium and turned Bristol into a dirt race. It’s taken a race to the Los Angeles Coliseum and turned Charlotte’s playoff date into a road course race. And it’s ventured to the streets of Chicago for a discipline of racing once thought to be a world away from stock cars.
But that also means NASCAR isn’t afraid to axe races from the calendar in a relatively abrupt manner. It isn’t always an indictment on the race that’s nixed, but an example of how proactive and assertive NASCAR is when it comes to modern scheduling.
Chicago has been a successful event from the standpoint that NASCAR proved street racing to be a viable avenue for the sport. But if greener pastures are to be found in San Diego, NASCAR is going to have to make the tough decision to move on in favor of another new, trendy race that could be categorized as a modern crown jewel.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it proves that NASCAR has the leverage to host major events and the ability to play around with where and when those major races are held. The Chicago Street Race is, by design, a marquee event, but one that can be swapped out for another marquee event as NASCAR sees fit.
Time will tell whether or not NASCAR returns to Chicago after 2025, but ultimately, NASCAR’s decision to either return to the streets of the Windy City or leave for greener pastures won’t be a shocking one either way the pendulum swings.
