The Cup Series will try something different this 4th of July weekend when they race through the streets of Chicago. We all knew this race was coming, but it is hard to believe it is finally here. First it was dirt on Bristol, then the Clash at the Coliseum and now a street course race. There are some good road course ringers in the field this week, so the competition should be pretty good. I hope this race turns out as well as the leadership at NASCAR expects. The Grant Park 220 can be seen Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
STRATEGY FOR CHICAGO
What can we expect from the heavy Gen-7 cars on the streets of Chicago? Your guess is as good as mine. I am hoping for a good race, but I am expecting very few passes for the lead (like we had at Sonoma) and many wrecks for the inexperienced road course drivers in the back of the field. The Grant Park 220 is about as predictable as a race at Talladega.
I will use the drivers who have a history of running well on the road courses, but are only mediocre on the oval tracks (AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric). I have a lot of allocations with Chase Elliott left, so he gets a spot too. I would love to use Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick, but this race is too unpredictable, and they are too good on the oval tracks to burn an allocation with them this week.
Here are the picks for the Grant Park 220 …
GROUP A DRIVERS
CHASE ELLIOTT (7): Elliott has seven road course wins on his resume, but none since the Cup Series switched to the Gen-7 car. He has not been bad on the road courses in the new car, but he has not dominated as much as he did in the past. Elliott finished fourth at COTA, second at Road America and fourth at Watkins Glen last year. Elliott finished fifth at Sonoma last month. So, can the No. 9 car get to Victory Lane Sunday? I think so. Hendrick Motorsports has the best engineering team in the sport. They should be able to provide Elliott a car that can navigate this tricky street course.
KYLE LARSON (7): There is a great chance that I will use Chase Elliott in my starting lineup. Now I need a driver who can win the pole so I can get maximum points this week. Yung Money is the best at qualifying on the road courses and he is good in the races too. The drivers will need to adapt to a new driving style this week. Is there any driver in motorsports better than Larson at hoping into a new form of racing and winning? I don’t think so. Larson will be a good backup plan if Elliott has problems this weekend.
(CONTRARIAN PICK) ROSS CHASTAIN (7): Chastain proved last week that he can win while running a clean race. He has to be confident heading into the race at Chicago. The Cup Series drivers are not allowed to compete in the Xfinity Series race Saturday, but the rules do not say the owner cannot race. Justin Marks is going to race on the streets of Chicago Saturday. He said he is doing it because it sounds like a lot of fun and to get information for Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez for Sunday’s race. Chastain will be a good pick if you do not want to burn an allocation with Kyle Larson.
GROUP A DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) Chase Elliott 2) Kyle Larson 3) Ross Chastain 4) William Byron 5) Christopher Bell 6) Denny Hamlin 7) Joey Logano 8) Ryan Blaney
GROUP B DRIVERS
MICHAEL MCDOWELL (9): McDowell has been good on the road courses this year. He finished 12th at COTA and seventh at Sonoma. He said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week, “I want to do something special in my career. I already won the Daytona 500, but it would be cool to add a win in the inaugural street course race at Chicago to my resume. We have been working on this race for a long time. I spent a lot of hours in the simulator. No team will be as prepared as us this week.” That sounds pretty good to me. I will use McDowell this week and save my allocations with Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick for more predictable races.
CHRIS BUESCHER (8): The cat is out of the bag with Buescher. He used to be one of the best sleeper picks on the road courses, but now everyone knows how good he is. Buescher has seven consecutive top-10 finishes on the road courses. That is the best in the Cup Series. His average finishing position in the last 10 road courses races is 8.1. He is the only driver with a top-10 average finishing position in the last 10 road course races. There is no reason to fade Buescher on the streets in Chicago.
AUSTIN CINDRIC (8): What should we do with Cindric this week? He has a lot of skills on the road courses, so this track should fit his driving style perfectly. The problem is that Cindric is in a sophomore slump. He did finish sixth at COTA, but also finished 25th at Sonoma. I will have Cindric in my lineup and if he runs well in practice, I will use him in the race.
DANIE SUAREZ (6): Suarez has some street car racing in his background so that is good. He also has had some success in the Cup Series on the road courses (He won at Sonoma last year). The problem with Suarez is that he is hit or miss on these tracks. He either finishes in the top-five or outside the top-20. I am using Suarez over Alex Bowman this week because his owner (Justin Marks) will be collecting data for the No. 99 team when he competes in the Xfinity Series race Saturday. Any information the teams can get could lead to a slim advantage Sunday.
(CONTRARIAN PICK) ALEX BOWMAN (8): Bowman is not the first driver that comes to mind when people think of road course racing, but he has been pretty good. He finished third at COTA earlier this season and 15th at Sonoma. The main reason to roster Bowman is because of his team. Hendrick Motorsports has the engineering to figure out how to get a heavy stockcar around a street course. Bowman probably will not win Sunday, but he should have a decent chance to finish in the top-10.
GROUP B DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) Tyler Reddick 2) Martin Truex Jr. 3) Kyle Busch 4) Michael McDowell 5) Chris Buescher 6) Austin Cindric 7) Daniel Suarez 8) Alex Bowman 9) Kevin Harvick 10) Austin Dillon
GROUP C DRIVERS
AJ ALLMENDINGER (5): Allmendinger likely needs a win to secure a spot in the playoffs. The race on the streets of Chicago may be his best chance. He has the most experience on the street courses from the Cup Series regulars (there are some ringers in the field who have more experience than Allmendinger). He is going to qualify and run up front. Allmendinger will finish up front too, if his car can make it through the race. He is the best pick in Group C this week.
* I know AJ Allmendinger is in Group B for some people. Use Allmendinger in Group B over Daniel Suarez if that is the case. Replace Allmendinger with Jenson Button in Group C.
TY GIBBS (6): The best strategy this week is to use AJ Allmendinger in the race and Gibbs for qualifying points. The Toyota’s have been really fast on the road courses this year and Gibbs should be able to post a fast lap in limited traffic. Pairing Gibbs with AJ Allmendinger gives my lineup the best chance to score maximum points this weekend.
(OTHER CHOICE) JENSON BUTTON (9): So, what happens when you take the best road course racer in the field (Jenson Button) and put him in one of the worst cars in the race (Rick Ware Racing). You get an 18th-place finish at COTA. Button said he had a great time at COTA and he wants to race a lot more in the Cup Series. He also said he has been working hard with Stewart-Haas Racing in the simulator for Sunday’s race. Button will be a great pick if he can simply improve on his performance at COTA earlier this season.
GROUP C DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) AJ Allmendinger 2) Ty Gibbs 3) Jenson Button 4) Shane van Gisbergen, 5) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
* Be sure to check back Sunday morning for my starting lineup.
XFINITY SERIES PICKS
Good Luck This Weekend!
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