CHICAGO: Chase Elliott entered the inaugural Chicago Street Race as the favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Considering that seven of his 18 Cup wins have come on road courses, it should have been a safe bet. But the12-turn, 2.2-mile circuit is unlike anything Elliott has ever experienced—something he shares with the majority of his fellow Cup competitors.
To prepare for the weekend, the 27-year-old racer relied simulation on to get up to speed.
“I’m pleasantly surprised with just the way of how everything is operating,” Elliott said on Saturday morning. “The track looks really nice, I feel like. I’m excited about it. My laps and time in the simulator–I had a lot of fun.
“I thought the track actually had a nice flow to it, so that was cool. We’ll see how that translates. It’s been interesting watching these (Xfinity Series) guys run.”
Although Elliott participated in the morning track walk, he didn’t want to make an early call regarding the challenges facing the drivers on the track. Following 50 minutes of practice, Elliott was glad he didn’t. The rough conditions left him baffled after practice.
“I am not good, so just trying to figure it out,” Elliott told MRN after he was 20th on the speed chart following the session. “I’m not close enough to start complaining.”
The Hendrick Motorsports woes on Saturday were not limited to Elliott. William Byron was 14th quick when he wrecked the No. 24 Chevrolet. After damaging the left rear toe link, Byron qualified 22nd.
“It will be nice to have some friends back there to be able to work the traffic,” Byron said with a laugh, describing his starting position for the Grant Park 220.
“Honestly, our car wasn’t the same. The camber was off two degrees or more. The whole left rear suspension was off once I hit the wall. We were able to fix the toe link to make laps, but the way the car handled was not very good.
“Up to that point, I felt really optimistic. I just have to learn to be a little less excited, I think, and just ease into it. Bristol dirt, when we first went there, I hit the wall. I just have to do a better job on my end not to be an idiot.”
Alex Bowman was 27th in Happy Hour but qualified 13th. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet said the course met his expectations. He described his outing as “fun” despite not having his usual “tools” to dial in the car.
“It’s cool to be right there at the limit with no room for error,” Bowman said. “I’m bummed with how qualifying went. It’s been a bit of a struggle not having timing and scoring, SMT or any data to look at—the infrastructure stuff isn’t working for us.
“I didn’t know what place we were in, where we were at, I didn’t have any data to look at or anything to lean on. Unfortunately, we didn’t go back out and we got knocked out. I think (the car) is better than that.”
Bowman was still speaking with the media when Elliott’s struggles continued in qualifying. While entering the carousel (Turn 8), he missed the corner and plowed into a concrete barrier.
“That sucks,” Bowman said after seeing the video. “Hopefully he’s alright and can get it better for tomorrow.”
Elliott’s time trials ended with a trip to the infield care center. He’ll start 24th on Sunday.
“I just made a mistake,” Elliott said. “Turned in too soon, clipped the will on the right and then hit the wall on the left.”
Following red flag, qualifying continued. The only Hendrick racer to advance to the second round was Kyle Larson. He’ll start seventh on Sunday.
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
