When NASCAR races on the streets of Chicago this weekend, it will be the only time in a nine-month season that it will do so.
While road courses have been a staple of the sport since its beginning, street courses were long thought to be a wishful fantasy for NASCAR fans until the city and sanctioning body made them a reality in 2023.
NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier spoke to the media on Friday and discussed his feelings toward the novelty event.
“When you see people standing on statues to get a view of the racetrack… that, from a driver’s perspective, is really cool. We get so caught up in the day-to-day of what we do. We’re here to compete, we’re here for a couple of days and we’re out. It’s our job. When you watch people get so excited about us coming to town, it’s really cool.”
Allgaier then explained where the Chicago Street Race ranks among his favorite races to compete in.
“It definitely ranks in the top 10,” Allgaier said. “The only negative last year, I would say, was the weather. For me, that was the only negative thing. But it definitely ranks in the top 10, and I’m hopeful that this weekend can rank it even higher.”
Allgaier and the rest of the Xfinity Series field will be on track for practice and qualifying on Saturday morning. The 18th race of the Xfinity Series season at Chicago will go green just after 3:30 p.m. ET.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.