NBC gets second chance to broadcast NASCAR Chicago Street Race for ‘first’ time

It’s not often you have a second chance to make a first impression. But that’s how NBC is approaching its broadcasts of the NASCAR Chicago Street Races this weekend.

The event’s debut last year was marred by torrential rain that canceled concerts and cut short the Xfinity and Cup Series races. This year, though a chance of rain is in the forecast, NBC expects to put on the full show it was unable to last year.

“We had a production call we do every Tuesday, and the line that I used to the group was that, oddly enough, we are getting a second chance to do this for the first time,” said Jeff Behnke, NBC Sports’ vice president of NASCAR production. “That’s the line that I’ve been using because it’s true.”

Rain has followed NBC through its first three weeks of NASCAR races this year, so Behnke checks the Chicago forecast with a watchful eye.

“Only about 17, 18 times a day,” he said.

But a repeat of the record rainfall isn’t anticipated, and the Xfinity Series’ The Loop 110 on Saturday (2:30 p.m., NBC 5, Peacock) and the Cup Series’ Grant Park 165 on Sunday (3:30 p.m., NBC 5, Peacock) are expected to go off without a hitch.

“It’s a festival and an event with a race in the middle of it,” Behnke said. “This year, we get to showcase the setup and the operations of how it comes together and tell these fantastic stories about the city. Again, we will showcase the beauty of downtown Chicago. We’ll weave [the concerts] into our broadcast. Then we’ll be able to take these talented drivers and see their skill without a wet track”

Producer Rene Hatlelid and director Sean Owens will have at their disposal a helicopter and drone to capture the views of downtown and Lake Michigan. For the race, Owens will choose from 100 cameras — 60 around the 12-turn, 2.2-mile track and 40 in cars (10 cars will have a system of four cameras in each).

The network again will broadcast the races “radio style,” meaning commentators will be positioned at vantage points around the track. One of them will be former NASCAR star and current analyst Jeff Burton, who will man Turn 11 at Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard, the same post he held last year. Burton excels as an analyst, and he acknowledged the challenge of his role on this broadcast.

“I’m not a play-by-play guy. That’s not my job at all,” Burton said. “My job is to explain what you’re watching. It’s two completely different things. But it’s good for me; it helps me. It brings a certain level of energy to the broadcast. I am on the track; I am right there. I can smell the cars; I can feel the cars. I love my senses being involved rather than just my eyes. It’s fun.”

NBC also will embed pit reporter Marty Snider with Tyler Reddick’s 23XI Racing team (owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin) during Stage 2 of the Cup race. The concept, which NBC employed in its first three races this year, was the brainchild of Burton, who was looking to get more out of the teams on the broadcasts. Burton said the idea came to him after watching races as a fan from the grandstands.

“I would go home and I would read an article about a race not being exciting,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘Well what the hell race did I watch?’ Because what I watched was. It may not have been for the win, but the battles that every driver, crew member, spotter are fighting is fun as hell to watch.

“So how do we show the fans the challenges that are being presented to the team that’s trying to stay in the lead lap, the team that had a bad pit stop and is trying to recover from it. Not just the guy racing for the win, because in our series, every position matters.”

The Cup race in Chicago last year, the first street race in NASCAR history, drew 4.795 million viewers on NBC. It was an impressive number, especially considering the green flag was delayed an hour and a half. With a favorable forecast this weekend, the network plans to take advantage of a second chance.

“When we were first told that this was gonna be on the schedule [in 2023], it was, ‘Goodness gracious, how are we gonna do this?’ It’s never been done,” Behnke said. “Now we can’t imagine not doing this race. It meant that much to us last year, and the chance to do it again this year is pretty special.”

Remote patrol

NBC 5’s Leila Rahimi will host two live preview shows for the races from the station’s setup at Buckingham Fountain. “Race by the Lake” will air at 6:30 p.m. Friday on NBC Sports Chicago Plus, providing an in-depth look at the course and an inside look at a NASCAR team. “Start Your Engines: NASCAR Chicago Street Race” will air at 2:30 p.m. Sunday on NBC 5’s streaming channel with interviews and fan interaction. NBC 5’s Ruthie Polinsky will provide features and updates on both shows.

NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165
3:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC 5, Peacock, 890-AM (prerace at 3 p.m.)

NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110
2:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC 5, Peacock, 890-AM (prerace at 2 p.m.)

Practice and qualifying
Cup Series: 11:30 a.m. Saturday, USA
Xfinity Series: 9 a.m. Saturday, USA

Broadcast team
Main booth: Rick Allen (play-by-play), Steve Letarte (analyst)
Turns 1 and 6: Mike Bagley
Turn 4: Dillon Welch
Turn 11: Jeff Burton
Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kim Coon, Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman (Sunday)