Alex Bowman makes opinion clear on why Chicago has become a fan favorite in NASCAR

Last year’s Chicago Street Race winner, Alex Bowman, recently shared his thoughts on why the Grant Park 165, which will be held on the streets of Chicago, has quickly become a favorite event in NASCAR.

For Bowman, it’s not just the layout of the track that stands out but the entire experience of the race weekend in the city of Chicago that sets it apart from the usual NASCAR race weekend routine.

This event marks the third annual NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course, a 12-turn, 2.2-mile road course. The inaugural event, which was held in 2023, was won by debutant Shane van Gisbergen, who is competing full-time in the Cup Series.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Chicago weekend event is how it creates interaction between drivers and spectators. Reflecting on it in an interview with FOX 32 Chicago ahead of Sunday’s Grant Park 165, Alex Bowman explained why it has become one of the favorite races on the schedule among both drivers and spectators.

Here's what the defending Chicago Race winner said (via FOX 32 Chicago’s YouTube channel):

“I think it's just different than what we normally do. Obviously, the racetrack's different, but the event's also much different for us. We're all used to staying in buses and motor homes in the infield of the racetrack, not really going anywhere throughout the course of the weekend. Obviously, that's different here. There's no room for our buses, so we're all hotels kind of scattered throughout the city. We walk to the racetrack, so a lot of fan interaction while you're walking to the racetrack.”

“Probably hang out with the team more than you normally do. So, I enjoy that aspect of things. Just doing something different when we're on the road for 40 weeks a year, doing almost the same thing every week. So, doing something different is always fun.” Bowman concluded.

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Alex Bowman reflects on his last year’s race-winning performance at Chicago

During last year’s rain-affected Chicago race, Alex Bowman emerged victorious after staying on wet tires when many race leaders opted to pit for dry tires before the final stage. The win ended his 80-race winless streak.

In the aforementioned interview, Alex Bowman described how his #48 car improved when the conditions changed last year and said:

“We were pretty good all weekend. Maybe not as good as I would have liked to be when the rain started at first, but as the racetrack started to dry back out. We got really fast. We were able to get the lead there, and kind of with as long as the rain had gone and everything, they shortened the race a little bit because it was getting dark.”

“At that point, I knew we had a shot at it. We stayed out, stayed on rain tires. Some of the other really fast cars pitted for dry tires. And with the race being shorter there at the end, it just worked out that we were barely able to hold on those wet tires and maintain the lead,” Bowman continued.

Alex Bowman, who sits 12th in the Cup Series points table, heads to the Chicago Street Course with an aim to break his 34-race winless streak, the venue where he won last time. The 75-lap Grant Park 165 is set to kick off on Sunday, July 6, at 2 pm ET.