NASCAR Cup Series race car drivers are accustomed to turning left on the majority of their race schedule. However, over the past few years, road course racing has been added to the mix, and truth be told, not all the drivers have been impressed by the change. In 2024, there will be a total of five road course races, and the Chicago Street race is lined up next.

But unlike the usual road course events, street racing in Chicago is a different ball game. For veteran drivers, road racing is still a steep learning curve, but even prominent road racer Tyler Reddick is not sure what to expect from the street race in Chicago. Thus adding an extra layer of uncertainty and challenge for the drivers to deal with.

Tyler Reddick is feeling the nerves ahead of the Chicago Street Race

The 23XI Racing star is the best road course racer, taking into account last season’s and this season’s events. He has an average running position of 8.43; none of the drivers are close to this figure. In 2023, he won at COTA and had three top-10 finishes in the four remaining road course races. This season again, he managed to keep up his good run and bagged a P5 finish at COTA and a P8 result at Sonoma.

Although, of all these races, last year’s street race in Chicago was a bleak outing for Reddick, ending 28th in that race. And while he might be on a good run of five top-10s in his last six Cup starts, he did acknowledge the challenges of preparing for a street course race. “This weekend’s challenge is much different than what we normally face on a week-to-week basis. So this street course is certainly something we got the experience a year ago, but it’s just so incredibly challenging,” he said in an interview with News Nation.

Reddick further added that there is nothing on the schedule similar to Chicago Street Course that can help the teams prepare for what is to come. “You really have to look at this race a little bit different than the others. It’s just a type of racing we haven’t done a whole lot of and I now see why from last year’s experience why street course is so challenging and the amount of preparation we have put into it is very tricky.”

With so much uncertainty in play and an almost marginal track record to look at, it is indeed hard to single out a driver as a favorite to win the Grant Park 165 Cup race. This allows multiple race car drivers to make the most of their road racing expertise and be among the front runners to win Sunday’s race.

The top contenders to win this weekend

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Although Tyler Reddick might not be too confident about his chances, the statistics favor him as one of the favorites. With road course races scattered across the schedule, it is hard to get up to speed on a different course. However, Reddick consistently has run well in road course races, and the above-mentioned stats further solidify his case as one of the front runners.

1. Moving ahead, we have Shane van Gisbergen. He is the only driver to have won the sole street race in Chicago; therefore, a lot of eyes will be on him to see if he can defend his win. Not to forget, SVG is a road course racing specialist and has won two Xfinity road racing events. So, watch out for the Kiwi speedster, as he just might sweep the entire week. He will compete in both Xfinity Series and Cup Series events this Sunday.
2. It’s just hard to keep Christopher Bell out of this group given how quick the #20 team has been over the last month. They certainly have found extra gear since his second win of the season at Charlotte, and ever since then, they’ve not looked back. Moreover, he has four top-10 finishes in the road course races combined for the 2023–24 season. He certainly could’ve won the COTA race this year, where he came in second to William Byron. The #20 Toyota Camry is nothing less than a rocket ship, and it won’t come as a surprise if Bell wins the street race in Chicago.
3. Of course, we had to include a surprise pick to conclude this list. And there’s no better wild card pick right now than Kyle Busch. Yeah, given the uncertain racing conditions and the driver desperately needing good results, the Chicago street race couldn’t have come at a better time for him. Now he’s no slouch when it comes to road racing. In 2023, he finished inside the top 5 in four of the five road course races, including two runner-up results. He had a P5 finish last year in Chicago. So, do not count Rowdy out of contention, as he certainly can bring the fireworks this weekend.