NASCAR has got two back-to-back successful races, with the Grant Park 220 being the latest one. But up until then, there wasn’t a surety that Chicago would be such a successful event. With so many unfortunate events that were happening before the race, like heavy rain on the Chicago track, the protest by the Chicago Art Museum, the death of the worker at the track, and more, there was a chance of the Grant Park 220 being a failure. But it didn’t happen. 

Chicago was definitely a success. But did this race have any impact on the NASCAR world that we are unaware of? The answer is yes.

Chicago was a risky move for NASCAR, and now that it has got results, fans might expect to experience something bigger from NASCAR. Talking about the Chicago race, Kyle Petty discusses the transcending moment of NASCAR. The former racer and NASCAR reporter made some surprising statements on Grant Park 220 that are unignorable.

Kyle Petty’s Thoughts on the Unanticipated Success of Grant Park 220

NASCAR recently shared a YouTube video where we see Kyle Petty sharing his hot takes on the success of Grant Park 220 this weekend. Talking about one of the most hyped races of the NASCAR Cup series, Petty revealed how he believed that the race would change NASCAR in a better way.

Petty said, “I looked at this as a moment in the sport when it could change the face of NASCAR. It could change the direction of NASCAR in so many ways.” 

Despite the pre-atmosphere of the race, which was pretty obnoxious, the race went really well. According to Petty, fans played an integral role in the success of the race. In this context, Petty revealed, “If the fans won’t come to you, go to the fans. And that’s what they did 7, 8, 10 deep standing next to the fence, the suites, the stands, the way they ran in the rain and showed the quality of drivers that NASCAR has, the competitiveness of these teams. It was incredible to watch NASCAR drivers.”

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The NASCAR reporter further added that despite a non-NASCAR driver winning the race, Chicago was an amazing event. Discussing Shane Van Gisbergen’s win at Chicago, Petty said, “They’re celebrating in the streets of Australia and the streets in New Zealand, because of Van Gisbergen. Tip of the hat to Justin Marks and Project 91, Bringing in other drivers, bringing in drivers from different disciplines to race against the NASCAR drivers.” But this level of success would have not been possible without NASCAR taking the necessary risk. Petty believes the same. 

Grant Park 220 Was a Success Because NASCAR Went Out of Their Comfort Zone to Take Risks

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NASCAR organizing a cup series race at a street racing track was definitely a huge risk and luckily it went well. But the Grant Park 220 will be a golden part of NASCAR’s history only because NASCAR leaders took the risk at the right time. Talking about the same, Petty revealed how the secret to the Chicago track’s success was great leadership. 

He said, “But the biggest tip of the hat has to go to the NASCAR leadership for stepping outside their comfort zone and doing something that could have gone the wrong way. But in my opinion, it went the right way.”

Petty further revealed that the Chicago race was a transcending event for NASCAR as it has changed the way modern-era fans look at stock car racing. The former NASCAR driver said, “When we look back, we’ll point to this Chicago race and say the sport changed for the better for everyone involved in the sport.” 

Giving credit to the drivers as well, because after all, without them, the event would not have been possible, Petty said, “I have nothing but praise for all the teams, all the drivers, all the crews and mostly NASCAR and all the fans for coming out and supporting this event.” 

The NASCAR fan that was present at the Chicago track had a great time. And after that, every fan might have hoped for more street races. Petty hoped the same when he said, “I hope this is not the last street race we see.”

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So what if an international racer won the Grant Park 220? We got to see some really fascinating performances on the track. And compared to Van Gisbergen, who is really comfortable with street tracks, NASCAR drivers with less to no experience at such tracks performed really well. After all, NASCAR racing is unpredictable. Who knows what unexpected we got to see at the next race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway?