NASCAR was minutes away from postponing Grant Park 220 Chicago Street Race

With relentless rain coming down on the city, NASCAR was not far away from postponing the Grant Park 220 Chicago Street Race. If they hadn’t got the green flag dropped when they did, the race was going to be pushed to Monday. However, they knew they could get something done for Sunday and made it work. Even in a shortened event, they made it a success.

Mother Nature did her best to make the Chicago Street Race not happen. After more than a month’s worth of rain in just a day, the Windy City was soaked. NASCAR pit crews were making toy boats and racing them down pit road.

According to Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, the decision to postpone the race almost came down on Sunday.

“NASCAR was about 15 minutes away from postponing Sunday’s inaugural Chicago Street Race to Monday before the weather finally cleared, according to a source…” Stern reported on Monday.

As fans and teams waited to hear one way or another, NASCAR had decisions to make. The green flag was supposed to drop shortly after 5:00 PM EST. However, the race was put on a short hold as they prepped the track. Standing water was the biggest issue with getting the race started.

Eventually, the race began after 6:15 PM EST. Originally scheduled for 100 laps, the Chicago Street Race only went 75 laps before the checkered flag was dropped.

Shortened Chicago Street Race thrills fans who stayed

Most of the festivities this weekend were canceled because of the weather. That was a big shot in the heart of the weekend as a whole. Plenty of fans showed up just for the fun and games surrounding the races, including the various concerts. The race itself would not be rained out, though.

As the race began, it felt like we were in store for an ugly event. No one really knew how the course was going to race in the dry, let alone the wet on rain tires. It turned out, with each turn of the course, the racing got better. The drama built as things progressed and eventually, we got a thrilling event. Even with the laps shortened from 100 to 75.

Christopher Bell swept the stages in this race. Then, the field flip after Stage 2 put him in a tough position. While Bell and Tyler Reddick were unable to make it back through the field, Shane van Gisbergen went to work. The Kiwi from Australian Supercars showed these NASCAR guys how it is done on the streets.

In a weekend of firsts, the Chicago Street Race was impressive. If next year’s weather is even a little nicer, the 2024 version of this race is going to be even better.