NASCAR Throwback: Winston West Series goes street racing in Washington

So, the NASCAR Cup Series is going street racing for the first time ever in Chicago. But did you know the Winston West Series used to go street racing? There was a time in the 1980s when stock cars went to the streets in Washington state. Both Spokane and Tacoma, WA were home to Winston West Series street races and it was a pretty neat event.

Thanks to nascarman (@nascarman_rr on Twitter) we have a little bit of lost history to talk about heading into this weekend. While the Cup Series is doing it for the first time, there are drivers from the past that had it on the schedule. Four times the Winston West Series hit the streets, twice in Spokane and twice in Tacoma.

The 1987 version of the Budweiser Spokane Grand Prix had some interesting results. This race featured some names you might recognize. Canadian racer Roy Smith was the winner of the race. Chad Little, the NASCAR Managing Director of Technical Inspection and Officiating was also in this race.

Of course, it would be remiss of me to not mention the fact that NASCAR legend Hershel McGriff was also in the race, pulling off a top-5 finish. Check out this classic clip from nascarman featuring highlights of the 1987 race in Spokane.

NASCAR's Winston West Series ran four street course races between 1986 and 1988. Two races each were held on the streets of Spokane and Tacoma

Highlights of the race in Spokane in 1987: pic.twitter.com/Vykzbxnm9l

— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) June 28, 2023

This looked like a fun event. There are people in Spokane putting up the fences and filling in the stands to watch the street race. This event almost took three hours to complete the 100 laps around Spokane. During the race, there were nine lead changes and six cautions in total.

Just a little slice of NASCAR history as we prepare for this historic weekend.

NASCAR heads to Chicago

The Chicago weekend is going to be big. The course is set up, the grandstands have been installed, and there is a lot of hype surrounding the entire thing. Even off the track, there will be all kinds of events, concerts, and other fan interaction.

Heading into the weekend, there are four drivers that have the same odds to win. Our four favorites are Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott. Each of them could be an unsurprising winner on Sunday.

However, given the potential for chaos that we will see at this race, I’m not too sure about those favorites. Sure, I won’t be shocked if Elliott wins on the street course. He has seven road course wins in his career.

Regardless of who takes the checkered flag, this event is going to be special. NASCAR racing in downtown Chicago for the first time ever – you either like racing or you don’t and if you can’t get excited about this weekend, you might not like racing.