Drivers to watch during Chicago Street Race

Every race brings challenges, and NASCAR's inaugural street race is no different. As such, the Chicago Street Race is a prime opportunity for every driver to leave their mark in the biggest way possible. 

With data from Racing Insights, these eight drivers could be the most interesting names during Sunday's Grant Park 220 (5 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). 

AJ Allmendinger 

The facts: 

- Finished top 10 in five of last six road-course starts. 
- Won at Indianapolis road course in 2021 as part-time driver. 
- Won twice in CART on street courses. 

The gist: Allmendinger's two Cup Series victories have come on road courses, and his two road-course wins are tied for sixth among all active winners on those tracks. This, in conjunction with being one of only a handful of drivers with street-course experience, has to account for something, right? Maybe so. 

Tyler Reddick 

The facts: 

- Won three of the last six road-course races.  
- Finished top 10 in seven of last nine road-course races.  
- Has led in five of the last six road-course races. 

The gist: Don't look now, but Reddick currently ranks second in average finish among all active drivers on road courses (13.41). Who ranks first, you might ask? Chase Elliott (8.04). Solid company, looks like. The No. 45's pedigree could vault up another notch after this weekend. 

Kyle Busch 

The facts: 

- Finished top three in last three road-course races. 

The gist: Chris Buescher might own the longest active road-course top-10 streak (more on Buescher in a moment), but Busch owns the second-longest such streak with three straight road-course top-10s. With the success Busch has had in his first year with Richard Childress Racing, perhaps more could be on the way. 

Martin Truex Jr.

The facts: 

- Has five career road-course wins in the Cup Series, including the most recent road-course race at Sonoma. 

The gist: Truex ranks fourth among all all active drivers in average finish (14.15) on road courses. The experience is there, as is the recent win on the road at Sonoma. Momentum could once again brisk Truex's way in the Windy City. 

Chris Buescher 

The facts: 

- Finished top 10 in the last seven road-course races, the longest active streak. 

The gist: The No. 17 RFK Racing driver is in select company. Buescher's road-course streak is the longest since Kyle Busch had eight top-10 finishes in a row on such tracks spanning from 2015 to 2018. To see how impressive this feat is, see the company Buescher is a part of. Perhaps this road-course success carries over to downtown Chicago? 

Michael McDowell 

The facts: 

- Ran on street course in CART in Queensland, finishing 12th. 
- Finished in top 10 in five of the last seven road-course races. 

The gist: Although McDowell only holds three top-10 finishes to his name so far this season, two of those have come in the last three races, including Sonoma (seventh). Similarly to Truex, this momentum could come in handy. 

Austin Cindric 

The facts: 

- Has five top-10 finishes on road courses since the start of 2022, tied for third-most. 

The gist: While his lone Cup Series win to this point came on a superspeedway in 2022, Cindric has shown a knack for consistency on road courses, which could bode well for the street-track layout. Most eyes might be on other drivers, but the No. 2 Team Penske driver should definitely be considered a sneaky pick to make noise this weekend. 

Ross Chastain 

The facts: 

- Has five top-10 finishes on road courses since the start of 2022, tied for third-most. 

The gist: Fresh off a victory at Nashville, Chastain has the chance to extend his case as a championship contender this weekend. In terms of 2023, Chastain has finished inside the top 10 in both road-course races this season. This, coupled with his resounding success at Nashville, could give the No. 1 another chance to finish above all others this time around.