After months of anticipation, the NASCAR Chicago Street Race has finally gotten underway.
The first street race in series history has already challenged drivers in a variety of ways as they maneuvered through some of Chicago’s most historic roads, though it's far from over.
With the biggest event of the weekend yet to come, here's all the information you need to know:
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When is the NASCAR Chicago Street Race?
Both the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series will be racing on the 2.2-mile course this weekend.
The Xfinity Series, which is considered the second-highest level of stock car racing below the Cup Series, began at 4 p.m. CT Saturday, but was postponed due to inclement weather. Following a rain delay, the race was rescheduled for 10 a.m. on Sunday, but is on hold because of water pooling on the track.
The Cup Series race is set for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. CT. It was originally planned for 4:30 p.m.
Where is the NASCAR Chicago Street Race course?
The Chicago course is located in the heart of the city. Drivers will begin the race of South Columbus Drive alongside the iconic Buckingham Fountain before turning onto East Balbo Drive and staring directly at Lake Michigan. Subsequent turns will be made onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive, East Roosevelt Road, back onto South Columbus Drive and East Balbo Drive, then South Michigan Avenue, Congress Plaza and Michigan Avenue again before starting the lap all over on South Columbus Drive.
Here’s a map of the course layout, courtesy of NASCAR:
How can I watch the NASCAR Chicago Street Race?
All coverage from Chicago will be broadcasted courtesy of NBC Sports, airing NBC and USA Network. You can also stream action live on NBC.com and Peacock.
Rick Allen (play-by-play) and Steve Letarte (analysis) will be on the call, with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Mike Bagley stationed at different turns throughout the track for additional coverage and analysis. Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Kim Coon and Parker Kligerman will be reporting live from pit road with updates.
Here’s the schedule of the remaining events for both the Cup and Xfinity Series:
Sunday, July 2 (coverage on NBC and streaming on Peacock)
- Xfinity Series race – The Loop 121, 10 a.m. CT (coverage on USA)
- “Countdown to Green” pre-race show, CT (coverage on NBC and streaming on Peacock)
- Cup Series race – Grant Park 220, 4:05 p.m. CT (coverage on NBC and streaming on Peacock)
- Cup Series post-race show, 8 p.m. CT (exclusively on Peacock)
NASCAR Chicago Street Race drivers, entry list
There are 37 drivers set to race in the Grant Park 220 on Sunday.
The entry list includes seven former Cup Series champions and 26 former Cup Series race winners, plus two international champions from Formula One (Jenson Button) and Australian Supercars (Shane van Gisbergen).
You can find a full analysis of all 37 drivers right here.
Who are the favorites for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race?
Good luck trying to figure out who will win this race.
With no prior NASCAR races being held at a street course, it’s tough to predict anything that might happen in Chicago. The best way to go about betting this race is to look at other road course races. While a street course will present some different challenges than a normal road course (no run-off area, different track surfaces, etc.), that’s the best data available before we see cars on the track.
Chase Elliott stands out as the top road course driver, though he’s winless on the track type in his last 10 starts. Over 26 career road races, Elliott has 18 top-10s with a series-best seven wins and 8.0 average finish.
Tyler Reddick (three wins, 13.4 average finish in 17 road races), Martin Truex Jr. (five wins, 14.1 average finish in 47 road races) and Kyle Larson (four wins, 14.4 average finish in 29 road races) are among the other potential contenders. AJ Allmendinger (two road wins) is also a looming threat, especially considering the fact that he has street course experience from his open-wheel racing days.
Here are some of the favorites to win at Chicago prior to practice and qualifying, according to our partner, PointsBet:
- Chase Elliott, +450
- Martin Truex Jr., +600
- Tyler Reddick, +600
- Kyle Larson, +750
- William Byron, +800
- A.J. Allmendinger, +900
- Kyle Busch, +900
- Ross Chastain, +1200
- Chris Buescher, +1800
- Christopher Bell, +2000
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
What is the weather for NASCAR in Chicago this weekend?
NBC Chicago is predicting a 50% chance of rain on Sunday, with cloudy skies and a high of 77 degrees. NASCAR has wet-weather tires, windshield wipers and mudflaps to combat rain at road courses, but they will pause racing if there is too much standing water on the track or if there is a nearby lightning strike.