For all intents and functions, Chicagoland Speedway is a brand new racetrack for this iteration of the NASCAR Cup Collection and it’s very a lot an open query about the way it will race on Sunday night time.
It’s a brand new observe, not due to how a lot it has aged since its final race weekend in 2019, however as a result of the NextGen automobile is such a radically completely different platform in contrast to people who got here earlier than it.
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Unbiased rear suspensionWider low-profile tire Sealed underbody Rear diffuser
Chase Briscoe stated ‘it’s like studying a brand new race observe,’ although he competed on it for a number of years within the O’Reilly Collection and Craftsman Truck Collection.
“It has extra grip than what we used to have,” Briscoe stated. “It’s very odd. After I first bought right here, I believed it was going to be like Homestead or Darlington the place you lose three and a half to 4 seconds over the course of a run and we haven’t had that but.”
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Usually, as surfaces age, tracks lose grip and Chicagoland was initially paved in 1999 previous to its opening in 2001. The observe has sat dormant since that final race weekend in 2019.
“The racetrack is sort of gaining grip sitting right here, which may be very odd to say,” Briscoe stated. “The roughness is similar to what it’s was earlier than however it’s like going to a brand new racetrack with the NextGen usually.”
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Tyler Reddick had the quickest future automobile throughout apply on Friday however got here away puzzled. He echoed what Briscoe stated about how a lot grip the observe appeared to have in comparison with his expectations.
“I assume I simply walked away from apply scratching my head a bit,” Reddick stated. “I believed there was going to be extra fall off. The observe has been dormant for some time however I simply thought the tires would put on out greater than what they did. I believed the observe would get wider than it did, however there wasn’t loads of fall off all through apply.”
For what it’s value, Reddick additionally thinks the observe will finally widen out on Sunday as drivers get determined for clear air and clear off. He even thinks it may occur on Saturday throughout the O’Reilly Collection race.
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However there are additionally loads of different attributes that make Chicagoland an impending journey for the Cup Collection roster. There are patches of latest pavement and seams that have to be traversed.
Most curiously, there’s a bump in Flip 1 and a ‘leap’ in Flip 3. The latter has been in comparison with the Flip 2 ‘ramp’ at Naval Base Coronado.
“I will want a superb chiropractor on Monday,” Preece stated.
However will it problem drivers to race side-by-side on Sunday? ‘Possibly’ says pole sitter Denny Hamlin.
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“Yeah, somewhat bit,” he stated. “I imply, when you get previous that one in Flip 1, it looks like it’s truly greater the additional up you go up the racetrack, however when you get previous that, the nook is definitely fairly comparatively clean.
“So, I would not suspect there’d be an excessive amount of bother with our vehicles, possibly the O’Reilly vehicles, simply merely due to their (aerodynamic) platform. You most likely should be somewhat bit extra cautious being beside somebody that hits a bump.
“The NextGen automobile, we’re capable of run nearer side-by-side and never lose management as a lot so I don’t assume it’ll be an enormous difficulty. In Flip 3 and 4, it’s going to be in regards to the minute somebody decides that they’re going to carry the man on the underside laborious and low once they man is making an attempt to speed up over the bump. That’s the place you may see one thing occur.”
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