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Not everyone watching Sunday’s NASCAR Chicago Street Race will know the difference between drafting and drifting.
And unless the Chicago Bears are involved, some will no doubt take a pass altogether.
But for those interested in the event but not too knowledgeable about auto racing, we asked Mary Kaczor, a former international race car driver and native Chicagoan, to tell us what we need to know.
Born and raised in Chicago near Fullerton and Central avenues, “Racer Kaczor” spent 22 years in Europe moving up through the ranks racing up to Formula 3, based in Barcelona, London and Monaco, before returning back to the United States. A former spokesperson for Ferrari, among other pursuits, she currently owns Racer X Designs, a business that makes jewelry and accessories out of famous racing car parts.
Here’s our Q&A with Kaczor on Sunday’s race.
It’s a historic event, the first time NASCAR has done a street race. Usually, they are always on ovals. This is something different. So instead of people going to a track, they’re bringing it to a premier city, like Chicago. And who doesn’t love a destination race? It’s worked well in other racing disciplines. New eyeballs, maybe new fans. They’re trying to spread that racing fever.
It helps, especially if you’re new to it. I don’t usually watch horse racing, but I always make it a point to watch the Kentucky Derby and see the excitement build, what the analysts are saying and then back a horse — American Pharoah or Justify or whoever. That way you feel like you’re part of the spectacle. It gives you a little bit of a hook that you’re invested.
There will always be hardcore NASCAR fans. The only thing I see changing in the future is maybe the cars gearing toward new technologies, such as electric. Use of fossil fuels could be a concern in the future, so innovation in that department is always welcome.
There is another racing series called the Formula-E World Championship that races internationally. All the race cars are single-seaters and electric. It’s been running now for a good nine years, and they have a great following. The only thing missing, people say, is that it’s just strangely quiet.
Some people love the roar of the engines and they really miss that because it excites the senses. You never know, they might possibly implement a program to use that sound without the added pollution.
They’re going to have to brake and slow down in the corners a lot more than usual during this NASCAR race. So the drivers will be going their top speed, maybe 180 mph, then down to 40, and make hard right or left turns. I think there will be a bit of fun with that because as you know, when you’re cruising on Lake Shore Drive and you’re going the speed limit, and then all of a sudden you have to slow down because of an incident, it’s always a bit of a surprise and anything can happen.
Again it’ll be something different. It should be really exciting, especially in a city setting. They’re trying something new and I’m all for it.
No, Sully, I don’t think anyone would give up their position because you’re honking at them. If they would, I think they’re in the wrong sport. And there’s enough noise to deal with in racing without inviting any more into the mix.
Absolutely not. But if there were, then you’d see a lot more crashes for sure. Think of what potholes do to your car at 30 miles an hour, then multiply that by five times. It would be super dangerous, too. That’s why they have been repaving. It has to be somewhat of a smooth surface. They do that in the Monaco Grand Prix, which also is a street race in Formula 1. The streets are inspected, and if there are any issues, those are fixed before the race weekend starts.
I wouldn’t say it’s rare, but it happens. Everyone’s emotions are heightened. It’s testosterone, it’s adrenaline, and a little “racing road rage.” In the past — and this has happened to me when I was the only woman racing with all the guys — even when someone went into the back of me and it was clearly their fault, they would complain to my team manager I needed to pay for their car damage. I wouldn’t antagonize them. Just let them cool off and process what just happened. It does happen in Formula 1 and other types of racing, but probably not as much in public. I’m sure we’ve all been there, where we’re not proud of things done in the heat of the moment. But it’s exciting for the fans to see some raw emotion they can relate to.
Sure, why not? With certain races, like this one, that’s what they’re trying to do — have a broader appeal. Its history is down South, starting with stock car bootleggers running from the law during prohibition, and what a great story that is. Since that’s where their roots are, NASCAR will always have its main fan base down there. But it would be great to see more appeal up north, and that is, I think, why they came to Chicago. People with no interest in racing are coming up to me this week and asking about the NASCAR race in Chicago, so I think it’s working.
Earplugs. The only thing is the cars are loud and the decibels will be quite high. We had something similar in London. It brings a lot of atmosphere, but the sound really reverberates a lot against the buildings. If you weren’t prepared, and didn’t have earplugs, it’s really loud and uncomfortable. But fortunately, they worked on some technology for this race to bring the sound down by about 10 decibels, but still it’s really important to think about protecting your hearing. It will be exciting to be so close to the cars, and with such a beautiful backdrop of the Chicago lakefront. Hopefully it will give people not familiar with Chicago a reason to come back and visit another time.
I’d have to go with Bubba (Wallace). He’s racing for Michael Jordan’s team in the No. 23 Toyota, and we’ve got to go for the hometown team, don’t we? I’m also rooting for Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula One Champion who is flying over the pond, as we would say in England, and fresh back from driving at LeMans in their 100th Anniversary race a couple of weeks ago. He’ll be driving the No. 15 Ford. Let’s see if he’ll have some reserves in the tank to pull out a win.
But it’s up for grabs, really, because it’s the first street race ever in NASCAR. It’s a different driving style with different surroundings and setups all around. It should be a free-for-all and anything can happen. They’re taking a gamble and I hope it pays off. Here’s hoping it’ll be a great success and the start of a new tradition in my kind of town, Chicago.
