William Byron and fellow NASCAR rival share split opinions on looming Chicago Street Race rain

The first two trips that the NASCAR Cup Series has had at the Chicago Street Course have featured rainy weekends; this time around, the situation feels the same, with drivers like William Byron and his peers split between their desire for a rainy or a dry race. As per the forecast, there is only a 2% chance of rain on Saturday, but for Sunday, the story is different, with an 80% chance of rain around the starting time of the Grant Park 165 race.

Last season's race held at this venue also saw two delays due to rain. The first occurred just before the engines were to be fired for the event. The second time after Chase Briscoe and Shane Van Gisbrgen's contact. This break lasted for almost two hours, shortening the race by 17 laps.

William Byron and Ryan Preece have presented contrasting views on their preference for a rainy race or a sunny one.

"Honestly, I'm just hoping we have good weather this weekend in Chicago. "The last two years, it has rained, and it really changed the dynamic of how the race goes and who is a factor. It would just be cool to see how the race plays out when that element isn't involved," William Byron said via Alt Driver.

"I've enjoyed the fact that it's rained, and the reason I've enjoyed it is it kind of shakes things up. It's very tough to pass, so when you have moments like rain and other things you can't predict," Ryan Preece mentioned while adding a contrasting opinion.

While the drivers may have their opinions about the race. Only time will tell what the race dynamic will be like this Sunday.

The Grant Park 165 race is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET and will be presented by TNT.

William Byron left frustrated after early wreck at Atlanta

William Byron's race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway was full of disappointment due to an early wreck on lap 69 of the race. Byron's night ended early due to the multi-car pileup that involved 23 cars, including Byron's No. 24 Chevrolet.

The wreck occurred after a minor collision between Denny Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek, but quickly turned into a massive incident. The Hendricks Motorsports driver expressed his frustration with his race, talking about the wreck that occurred.

"Me and Carson were kind of in that mix, and Larson as well. So yeah, it just sucks, right? Like, you’re really not that worried about getting back to the front because it’s a 100-lap stage. You can be aggressive once you get fully up to speed. I mean, obviously, there’s jockeying on restarts always, but just try not to crash, you know. So, I don’t know why we crashed the whole field trying to get up to speed. We look like a Truck Series or something," William Byron said [via Bob Pockrass on X].

William Byron is currently leading the NASCAR Cup Series rankings for this season as he gears up for the playoffs. The 27-year-old driver has scored 631 points in the 2025 season so far.