Driving change: NASCAR’s finest share race insights at fundraiser to fight hunger

Stars of NASCAR came out for “Fueling the Fight to End Hunger” at Steak 48 in River North Wednesday night. The exclusive fundraising dinner was hosted by NASCAR Chicago Street Race and The NASCAR Foundation with proceeds supporting the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a Chicago-based nonprofit that strives to end hunger.

“On behalf of my fellow board members and the entire staff of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, I want to express our deep gratitude for this opportunity to partner with NASCAR to help in our mission to end hunger. NASCAR wants to showcase the beauty of our city to a national audience and become a long-term partner in our community,” said Leon Walker, Managing Principal of DL3 Realty, a Food Depository board member and fundraising dinner sponsor.

NASCAR drivers, celebrities and Chicago notables were in attendance for the first event of many that are scheduled to highlight NASCAR’s presence in downtown Chicago for its first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race. On the red carpet, this reporter interviewed drivers Ross Chastain (coming off a big win in Nashville last week); Kyle Busch (who has the most combined wins across NASCAR’s top three series in history, 228); Rickey Stenhouse Jr. (2023 Daytona 500 winner) and Harrison Burton (No. 21, with Wood Brothers Racing).

During dinner, Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race president, shared examples of NASCAR’s efforts to help build the community. They include donating bikes and helmets to CPS students; commissioning an After School matters’ mural painted by students; sending 220 kids to Chicago Park District’s summer day camp; supporting Chicago children’s hospitals, including La Rabida and Lurie Childrens; awarding design grants to two local artists to design the racing trophies, and more. She said the race will be a “love letter” to Chicago.

Individual tickets were available for a $1,000 donation and event sponsorships ranged from $5,000 to $20,000. Steak 48 comped the evening’s offerings so that the Chicago Food Depository could receive the maximum donation. A check was presented to the nonprofit for $50,000.

NASCAR drivers share viewing tips, track concerns and what they like about Chicago below:

HARRISON BURTON (age 22, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing):

How do you feel being a part of NASCAR history? “It’s crazy, I came to Chicago for the first time in my life probably 4 weeks ago to kinda talk about the race and do some charity stuff. But now that it’s here, it’s pretty surreal. If any of us, two years ago, wouldn’ve thought this was gonna happen, we would’ve been called crazy.”

What should first-time viewers look for? “When you watch the race, whether on the track or on TV, look out for what makes the fast guys fast. And normally, that’s who’s pushing the limits, driving into the corners and lifting off the gas the latest. On this course, we will have to be right against all the walls, so for every little corner we will be hugging the walls a lot like you see in Monaco for the F1 cars. There, they are almost touching the walls with their wheels and that’s how we’re gonna be.”

How will you drive differently on this course? “It’s certainly different but it’s just a racetrack at the end of the day. There are things that make it unique like seeing crowns in the road and how that affects the car. I don’t know, I’ve never been on a street course before so we will find out soon enough.”

What do you like about Chicago? “Seeing all the things there are to do and the restaurants, some of the best food I’ve had in my life! I want to do so much but I have to focus on my job.

RICKEY STENHOUSE JR. (2023 Daytona 500 winner, No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing):

How do you like being in Chicago to make NASCAR history? It’s gonna be really cool. I’ve been in the sport for quite a while now and got to do a lot of firsts, raced at tracks for the first time, but this is something totally out of the norm. Other series have, but it’s totally different for us. It will be fun to be the first to do it in our sport. We have a great group of drivers who will put on a good show. I think NASCAR has spent a lot of money and put in a lot of effort to make sure this event is a success, not only for us, but for the people of Chicago and this area.”

Have you trained differently for this course? “I had to learn a whole new racetrack. All the racetracks we go to, you already know them. And so, for here, it’s something totally different. I just ran laps in our simulators. They scan the streets of Chicago and then put them in the simulator and make a racetrack out of it. And so I made a lot of laps on that. It’s really narrow and that’s something that we’re not used to-there’s not a lot of room for error. So a lot of the racetracks we go to, if you make a mistake, you kinda run off the track on a road course, but here the walls are there.  It’s gonna be tricky but I think everybody is in for a treat. I will walk the track on Friday to get a feel for it.”

What do you like about Chicago? “The restaurants, especially Steak 48. It’s great that this event is hosted here to help feed people facing hunger . I will go to RPM Italian this week too. After the race, I will go back home and relax for July 4^th.”  [He also planned on taking in a Cubs game and playing golf before race weekend]

ROSS CHASTAIN (Off a win in Nashville last week, #1, Trackhouse Racing)

What are your first impressions about making history this weekend? I’m so thankful to be a part of this. There’s only gonna be so many of us who strap in on Sunday.

How do you like being in Chicago? “I grew up in a little town called Alva, Florida, so we have a red light during peak travel hours and, for the rest of the time, we have a blinking red and yellow light. So, this is a big difference. I’m excited to see Chicago as a tourist.”

How long have you been driving? “I started NASCAR in 2011 when I turned 18 and I’m 30 now. I started when I was 12 years old as a kid. My dad inspired me as a hobby racer and he got me into it. I did it until I was 18 and made a leap to run one NASCAR truck race in 2011 and I’m still here winning races.”

What are your concerns about this new track? “The proximity of the walls. We’re racing on these city streets so the walls are right at the curb with protective fencing. So, we have to make a lot of 90 degree turns and our cars are heavy—they don’t like to turn, they don’t like to stop, they don’t like to go. That’s what making our racing so good. 90-degree turns are not friendly for the drivers but it’s the same for everybody and it’s up to me to make my car go faster than the rest.”

Give me tips for a first-time watcher. “Get yourself a scanner and headsets and tune into our channel. You can listen to me, our spotter and crew chiefs and you can really get in on the action of the strategy. You can hear when we’re gonna pit. It really gives you a good perception of what’s going on. And you can flip over to the radio broadcast where our traveling radio team will be calling the race from their POV for listeners all over the world. You can listen to it live, so even if you can’t see the cars, you will hear them and they will paint a picture like you’ve never heard before. I think we have the best in sports.”

Who do you think is your biggest competition? “ “Tyler Reddick. I’ve trained with him for years when he was at GM and Chevrolet. He’s now gone over to the other side with Toyota so he’s a competitor now, not a teammate. But I know how good he is on road courses, and I know the prep work he puts in. Right now, his team is really good at road courses. You put a really good driver with a really good team, and we have to all be on our A game to beat him on Sunday.”

KYLE BUSCH (Most combined wins across NASCAR’s top three series in history, 228. No. 8, Richard Childress Racing)

How do you feel about being in Chicago for this? “It’s incredible, just the whole city vibe and the atmosphere. We’ve never been on a street course in the top division of NASCAR ever. I’ve done a couple here and there in different spots, but with manhole covers, concrete, different curbing, the walls. There’s a lot that a driver has to absorb.”

What are you most looking forward to at the race? “The overall atmosphere, the fun and the difference. Wondering if this is gonna work, the bottlenecks, because they happen every day here in Chicago.”

How do you like Chicago? “I love this town! I’m from Las Vegas but my parents grew up in Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights. I’m a Cubs fan so I love coming to Chicago.”

What tips do you have for first-time watchers? “The sounds, the feel, the whole ambiance, the ground rumbles, the crowd is there to celebrate, and there’s a winner at the end, someone who’s done the right job to outsmart everybody else.”  

Do you have a competitor you’ll be watching out for? “There’s a group of guys-Hamlin (Denny) is really good, Truex (Martin Truex, Jr.) is good on road courses, Chastain (Ross) who won last week is solid, but it’s really wide open. You have to watch out for everybody.”  

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!

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