Multiple Cup Series drivers wreck during Chicago Street Race practice

We didn’t even get halfway through Chicago Street Race practice and we’re already seeing guys like William Byron, Austin Cindric, and others finding the wall. As these NASCAR Cup Series drivers figure out the course, they are going to have to search for the limits. Well, a few of them have found the limits.

This Chicago Street Race Course is tough for these heavy Cup cars. While we have seen some really great laps during practice, mainly from the Toyotas, things have gotten a little sketchy.

William Byron found the wall and broke a toe link.

Soon after Byron clipped the wall and damaged his Chevy Camaro, Austin Cindric spun around. The No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang hit one wall and then went front end first into the other side.

It was a tough hit for Cindric, but not the worst one of the practice session.

Soon after this wreck, the NBC booth was going wild about two other drivers. Before Dale Jr. could get the production crew to focus on Justin Haley hitting a tire barrier, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was spinning out and into the wall.

In the same spot that Sheldon Creed wrecked during Xfinity Series qualifying, Stenhouse just couldn’t make the sweeping turn on the loop.

This race is going to get interesting quickly if this trend continues. There are a lot of factors in this Chicago Street Race, but how many cars wreck will be one of the biggest factors. Some teams will have some work to do ahead of qualifying and before tomorrow’s Cup Series event.

Chicago Street Race practice is telling

We have seen drivers like Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell find a groove and really run well during this practice session. However, there have been some surprises. It isn’t just he wrecks that have been a surprise. In fact, many people likely expected more incidents in this session than we saw.

One thing that is eye-popping, Shane van Gisbergen is very good. His Supercars Chevy Camaro is not much different from this Next Gen car. It is developed for touring racing, so van Gisbergen is used to road and street courses.

Both the Next Gen and the Supercars Chevy Camaro were developed by the same team at Chevy. The Cup car is heavier and has bigger tires and a few more key differences. When you compare it to a driver coming from F1 like Jenson Button, it is a lot easier to make that transition.

However, don’t count out Button, either. This isn’t his first time in this Next Gen car. He’s been running really well in practice as well and is a name to keep an eye on.