Kyle Larson may have a sneaky fast No. 5 Chevrolet for Sunday’s Grant Park 220 at Chicago. (Photo: Kevin Bowman | The Podium Finsih)
CHICAGO – It has been quite a week for Kyle Larson prior to Sunday’s inaugural Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Course.
Before Larson made his way to “The Windy City” for his track walk on Saturday morning, he competed in a CARS late model race at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina. Although the Elk Grove, California was a bit humble about his performance, he tallied an impressive top-10 result in an entry fielded by JR Motorsports.
The versatile racer has showcased his wheelman skills with consistently strong pre-race sessions on Saturday afternoon. Posting the sixth fastest time in practice, he was in position to win the pole before he caught Daniel Suárez’s car in an awkward portion of the 2.14-mile, 12-turn venue.
Tallying the seventh starting position for the second week in a row, Larson may have the pace and power to compete against the Toyotas of Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell.
Prior to making his first laps around Chicago, Larson recognized the significance of the first street course race in the modern era for the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I don’t know how it’s going to race, but I think it’s going to be a great thing for our sport,” Larson said in a Team Chevy press release. “It will be cool to be able to race right in the middle of a major city.
“It’s difficult to be able to judge the race track itself but it will be a great opportunity to bring our race into the urban areas of Chicago. It is such an awesome city. It should be a good time. I look forward to that event probably the most.”
Larson has been close to the wall without getting into much trouble so far in Chicago. (Photo: Kevin Bowman | The Podium Finish)
So far, it has been a good time for Larson as he has been pushing the maximum from his car without compromising his car. Similarly, crew chief Cliff Daniels recognized the incredible resources at the Hendrick campus to prepare for this unique race weekend.
“There are a lot of unknowns going into this weekend,” Daniels said in an OEM press release. “I certainly think it’s going to be a great event. In regard to the track itself, it’s really wild how far technology has come.
“The track scans that we get from NASCAR, OEM, DIL’s, the driver simulators, etc,” he said. “It’s amazing that we are running the actual street course in the simulator, and one doesn’t even exist yet.”
After qualifying seventh in Saturday’s session, Larson seemed delighted about the possibilities ahead of Sunday’s race at the street course.
“Unless they can alter the middle of the regular street for Turn 8 and move that wall and street light, then no.” Larson said to FOX NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass. “I actually think the track is really fun. I think there’s areas where you can pass.”
Based on Larson’s post-qualifying thoughts, it may be a great Sunday in Chicago. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Fortunately for Larson and his No. 5 team, they did not experience the same fate as teammate Chase Elliott’s No. 9 efforts. While Elliott’s crew has their work cut out for them with their backup car, Larson has a good starting position to battle for the win in terms of the Hendrick Motorsports efforts.
“So for us in practice, I had a couple of moments early,” Larson added when asked by Pockrass about his practice and qualifying efforts. “But my car was out of control. We got it better and I was able to push a little harder and feel a little bit more in control.
“I think my setup, I haven’t seen if it’s different, (but) obviously, we’re faster than our teammates, so we must be better than our teammates as well.”
