“I Was Never Comfortable” – The Crash Wasn’t the Only Challenge Kyle Busch Faced Making It Into the Top 5 at Chicago Street Race

Kyle Busch finished fifth at the inaugural Grant Park 220 street race in Chicago, and it was anything but average. After slamming into the tire barriers like a “lawn dart” on lap 3, Busch’s race seemed certainly over. However, a strategic gamble on fuel strategy and a shortened race due to darkness and thunderstorms helped him climb back and earn a well-deserved Top 5.

Despite all of that, he admitted he never really got into the groove of things at the street circuit.

From ‘Lawn Dart’ to Top 5, Kyle Busch Recalls the Chicago Street Race 

Recognizing their opportunity as darkness fell and NASCAR shortened the race distance to 75 laps (165 miles), Busch and his crew sprung into action. With cautions bunching up the field, they were perfectly positioned. Their gamble on staying on track in anticipation of a shortened race paid off, while others were stuck in the pits preparing for the final laps that never happened.

The 2-time Cup Series winner talked about his day with Doug Rice and Brad Gillie of Performance Racing Network (PRN). He said “We just kind of played the strategy where we were looking at the time of the day. And we were looking at you know, no [track] lights obviously, so we were like, ‘this race isn’t going to make it the full distance of laps’. So we just kept coming in under those yellows that we were having and kept putting fuel in it and making sure that we had the freshest stuff and when everybody else was going to run out and they had to pit, we would cycle in front of them and that worked out for us to our advantage.”

However, addressing the gruel situations on track that day, Busch went on to add, “I was never comfortable getting into [counts: one-two-three…] getting into turn four, just never felt like I had the car underneath me. So I wasn’t making time down there. And I got passed by a couple of guys.” 

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An astounding 4.63 million viewers made 2023 Chicago Street Race the biggest domestic TV audience for NASCAR outside of the Daytona 500. In addition to that, 80% of the 79,000 people in the grandstands were first-time NASCAR fans, making for an incredible spectacle. However, the first Chicago Street Race was not without controversy.

Even while it attracted a sizable crowd and won over new fans for NASCAR, there were clear financial losses and logistical difficulties. According to The Chicago Tribune, NASCAR has promised enhancements for 2024, such as a $2 million payment to the city and a reduction in setup and teardown times. It remains to be seen if these modifications can guarantee long-term success, but the race surely created interest and gave NASCAR fresh vitality.

Nevertheless, Busch and the other drivers will be hoping to build on their experiences and fight for the win when NASCAR returns to Chicago in 2024 on a shorter 165-mile race. 

Read More: Where Did the Chicago Street Course Succeed in NASCAR, Compared to the Growing Pains of the Las Vegas Street Circuit?