Chicagoland was finally back on the NASCAR schedule for the first time in 7 years. The biggest question heading into the weekend was, will this be the last time we see NASCAR at this track? In interviews and press conferences before and after the races, the drivers were hoping they put on a good enough show to keep this track on the schedule in the future.
So, how was NASCAR’s weekend at Chicagoland? Let’s rate the the races held at the track this weekend out of 10:
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ARCA Menards Series – Ashley Furniture 150
The racing was what you would typically expect out of an ARCA Menards Series race. There were more cars multiple laps down than there were cars on the lead lap. Thomas Annunziata, the pole sitter, who has fast cars but hasn’t been able to string together a flawless oval race yet. Annunziata with one of the faster cars ended up finishing 5th. The biggest turning point of the race happened in the front half of the race with William Sawalich (who was the favorite to win) getting heavy damage, and parked it in the garage. There wasn’t much drama for much of the race until the end when it looked like Lanie Buice might have one final chance to catch Connor Mosack. Mosack’s 2 second lead was too much to conquer for Buice and it was the No. 28 who ended up in victory lane. Connor Mosack was the clear 2nd favorite to win behind Sawalich, and once the No. 18 was out in the beginning, it was Mosack’s race to lose.
Race rating: 4/10
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – Cuervo 300
If NASCAR didn’t at least think about a return to Chicagoland after this race, I don’t know what they are thinking. This race had everything from drama, to a great finish, to big cautions, it had everything. What it didn’t have though was a Cup Series driver winning. Connor Zilisch dominated stage 1 but it went downhill from there. After Stage 1 and during the caution laps, Zilisch would run out of fuel. Zilisch’s problems didn’t stop there, he would then suffer a flat tire and then a massive spin during Stage 3. With Zilisch out of the equation for most of the race after Stage 1, the race for the lead intensified. Drivers were going three or four wide, inside lane to outside lane, they were everywhere. It became a race between Chase Elliott and Brandon Jones with 10 laps to go. Elliott was doing a great job at blocking the faster Brandon Jones, until a caution came out and sent the race to overtime. This allowed Jones to start side-by-side with Elliott and allowed him to get by the former Cup Series Champion on the final lap and secure his first win of the season.
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Race Rating: 10/10
Cup Series – Eero 400
My post-race rating was a bit low for the Cup Series, but after going through and reviewing everything that happened, I’ll give my honest rating. Team Toyota ended up in victory lane again, but it was not a 23XI car this time. There was drama everywhere in this race and started on the very first lap on the exit of turn 2. Ryan Preece got loose right next to Connor Zilisch, who also got loose trying to avoid Preece, which sent the No. 88 crashing hard into the inside wall and ended his day. We had Zane Smith running into Carson Hocevar, which ruined the No. 77’s speed and a potential Top 10 finishing car. Shane Van Gisbergen and Austin Hill are still beefing from San Diego, as Hill believes SVG purposely wrecked him at Chicagoland. Kyle Larson, a favorite to win the race, had issues with the underbody of his car which sent him a lap down and into 35th, which ended his chances at winning. Tyler Reddick, the former Cup Series points leader by a large margin, suffered a radiator issue which ended his chance at a win and any hope at gaining the lead back. Instead Tyler Reddick now finds himself 44 points behind Denny Hamlin. Chase Briscoe took the lead from William Byron during green flag pitstops, which ultimately ended up being the race winning move. Byron who had great short run speed, just didn’t have enough in the long run, he finished 4th. Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell had an intense battle for the win with 6 laps to go. Briscoe got the better end between the two teammates and found himself in victory lane for the first time this season.
Race Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Weekend Rating: 6.5/10
Yes, NASCAR should come back to Chicagoland, it was fun.
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