
via Imago
April 11, 2014: Dale Earnhardt Jr.(88) Hendrick Motorsports National Guard Chevrolet SS and Kyle Busch(18) Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) M&M s Toyota Camry talk during practice for the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC. AUTO: APR 11 NASCAR Motorsport USA – Sprint Cup Series – Bojangles Southern 500 – Practice PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY Icon140411001500 April 11 2014 Dale Earnhardt JR 88 Hendrick Motorsports National Guard Chevrolet SS and Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing jgr M s Toyota Talk during Practice for The Bojangles Southern 500 AT Darlington Raceway in Darlington SC Car APR 11 Nascar motor aviation USA Sprint Cup Series Bojangles Southern 500 Practice PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY

via Imago
April 11, 2014: Dale Earnhardt Jr.(88) Hendrick Motorsports National Guard Chevrolet SS and Kyle Busch(18) Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) M&M s Toyota Camry talk during practice for the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC. AUTO: APR 11 NASCAR Motorsport USA – Sprint Cup Series – Bojangles Southern 500 – Practice PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY Icon140411001500 April 11 2014 Dale Earnhardt JR 88 Hendrick Motorsports National Guard Chevrolet SS and Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing jgr M s Toyota Talk during Practice for The Bojangles Southern 500 AT Darlington Raceway in Darlington SC Car APR 11 Nascar motor aviation USA Sprint Cup Series Bojangles Southern 500 Practice PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY
The opportunity to become the first-ever NASCAR Street Race Champion is only a month away, and no driver wants to miss it. The excitement of winning is overwhelming, but the track poses a tricky challenge to attain victory.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took to the track on Wednesday to test it out and identify the current challenges. In addressing the drivers, he emphasized that its sharp turns will make the track difficult to conquer. Drivers have already taken note of some issues with the narrowness of the track.
After the Hall of Famer, recently, Kyle Busch, also had the chance to test the track through iRacing. He shared insights about the challenges that drivers will face and highlighted an unusual aspect that he called “weird” of this highly anticipated street race track.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What was the “weird thing” that Kyle noticed during the test drive?
During Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s test run on the track, he expressed his astonishment, stating that he had never seen a track like this before. One particularly challenging section is at Michigan Avenue, where drivers must apply their brakes and reduce their speed to 40 mph. As they decelerate from 140 mph to 40 mph, there will be a cluster of cars in that area, creating a situation where everyone will be vying for accurate passing opportunities.

via Getty
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, the driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, waits in the garage area after an engine failure during the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022, in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Dale Jr. raised concerns about a potential ‘traffic jam’ scenario, explaining, “Drivers are going to force each other into barriers. They’re not going to move over and allow each other the room they’re going to need. There’s gonna be a lot of contested spots where drivers are gonna push each other into walls even unintentionally.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. test drives NASCAR’s Chicago course. Expect a ‘challenging’ race and a traffic jam on Michigan Ave. https://t.co/tzJuhlfQxq
— Chicago Breaking News (@ChicagoBreaking) June 2, 2023
Similarly, when Kyle Busch tested the track, he noted that the corners were “really, really tight.” Even in the simulator, he addressed it by saying, “You’re coming down this straightaway and there’s another straightaway there, but the ground, the road is separated with a wall in the middle and there’s cones that are blocking off where they don’t want you to go, so I thought that was weird.”
Busch suggested extending the wall, but NASCAR has got a reason behind it. KBM owner addressed the reason by saying, “I’m like, just extend the wall, but maybe they don’t want to extend the wall because they need areas for safety crews to get out. I’m not the scientist on that. It just seemed weird when you’re coming around the corner and you’ve got to miss the end of a wall.”
Trending
Dale Earnhardt Jr. addresses the controversial impact of ‘Cracks and Imperfections’ on the track
Since the Grant Park 220 is being held on the streets of Chicago, there isn’t a dedicated track that can securely accommodate race car tires. JR Motorsport’s team owner, who shares the excitement about the event, further discussed the nature of the track. He emphasized that it could be unsettling for drivers due to its status as a modified road.

via Getty
LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 16: Dale Earnhardt Jr. on camera before the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff South Point 400, on October 16, 2022, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV.(Photo by Christopher Trim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Junior said, “Cracks and imperfections. We call that character in a racetrack. It challenges drivers because it shakes the car loose from the track. It’s going to shake their stomach a little bit.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“Cracks and imperfections. We call that character in a racetrack,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. “It challenges drivers because it shakes the car loose from the track.” https://t.co/aQOO3J1ckm
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) May 31, 2023
Watch This Story | “I think it’s smarter”- Denny Hamlin reveals why he won’t talk about his appeal to the $50,000 Ross Chastain fiasco
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
To provide more clarity to the drivers, he mentioned, “They’re going to have to start braking into turn seven as the car crests this hill, and that’ll be an unorthodox thing to do. The car is going to want to lock up the tires when they hit the brake pedal there. So that’ll be fun to watch them try to crest the hill, brake, slow down, turn right. All of those things at the same time.”
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT