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Parker Kligerman makes bold claim about NASCAR Chicago Street Race

JHby: Jonathan Howard07/03/25Jondean25
NASCAR Chicago
Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

Driver turned analyst on The CW, Parker Kligerman, gives a unique and first-hand experience take on all things NASCAR. This week, Kligerman is previewing the Chicago Street Race course for fans, and he’s got a couple of things to say about the course.

Kligerman raced the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Chicago the last two seasons. This year, he won’t be in the race, but he still knows a thing or two about this relatively new event.

One of the most unique race tracks on the schedule, Chicago offers drivers and fans a lot of excitement. Kligerman, who will also appear on the TNT Cup Series broadcast team, loves this course and thinks that it is world-class among street courses.

“One of the coolest street courses in the entire motorsports world,” Kligerman said in a video for The CW. He took fans through each turn, describing the quirks and necessities needed to get through each.

Turn 4 was special, though. Once again, the driver-analyst gave the circuit a major accolade. He believes that Turn 4 might be one of the most difficult corners in all of motorsports.

“Then that sets you up onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Then, you enter the trickiest braking zone in all of NASCAR, possibly motorsports,” Kligerman remarked. “And it’s about 100 different asphalt types that you’ll run across, it’s very bumpy.”

We will have to watch Turn 4 on Saturday and Sunday. If Parker Kligerman is right, these drivers could have problems. He also mentioned Turn 7 as one of the best passing zones on the track. A lot of things to keep an eye on this weekend.

NASCAR Chicago Street race enters third year

For the third year, and potentially final year, NASCAR is racing on the streets of Chicago. This race weekend has been plagued by rain the last two seasons. The first season, the rain made the race exciting. I’d argue that a year ago, it deflated the hype a bit too much, having a second year be covered in rain.

From a fan perspective, I might be more excited about the Xfinity Series race. Seeing SVG vs. Connor Zilisch in those cars is going to be must-watch TV. But then we get to see SVG go head-to-head against the usual Cup Series regulars on Sunday as well. If he won this race, that would block a new win-and-in playoff driver for another week.

There is a lot up for grabs. These drivers have raced here for two years now, most of them. A dry race would actually be the biggest surprise for these teams. They haven’t had to strategize for a completely dry race yet at Chicago.

Whether or not NASCAR races in the streets of Chicago after this weekend, this experiment has been a success, and had real consequences. This event has led to real-world effects on the Cup Series. Look no further than Trackhouse Racing and their decision to move on from Daniel Suárez after this season. This race, and SVG’s win in 2023, have had major consequences for certain drivers and teams.