Button Feeling More Confident Heading To NASCAR Chicago Street Race
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Fresh off his drive in NASCAR’s Garage 56 Project at the recent centenary edition of the 24 Hours of LeMans, Jenson Button will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start on July 2nd in the Grant Park 220 as part of the inaugural Chicago Street Race Weekend.
Button, the 2009 Formula One World Driving Champion, made his Cup Series debut earlier this year at Circuit of the Americas driving Rick Ware Racing’s Ford, where he finished 18th.
At Chicago, Button will be one of a few drivers with street-course experience. He made 34 street-course starts in his 18-year F1 career, winning the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix. Button says NASCAR’s first street-course race will be a learning experience for everyone, himself included.
“Every street course I’ve done, whatever I’ve raced in, has been tight and twisty. it is what it is. You deal with it.
“When you look at IndyCar, which raced in Detroit, it was the tightest track that I’d ever seen. But, it was a great race. So, I think we can put on a great show.
“I think that’s what this race is going to be about, really. It’s going to be a big learning curve for everyone. There’s no room for error. You can’t dive into corners, make a mistake and then the next lap around, take it a little bit easier because you’ll be in the wall with a damaged car.
“So, I think in terms of what the teams and drivers do over the race weekends, it’s very different from normal. It’s going to be building up to a good lap time, and come the race, we can’t drive like we did at COTA (Circuit of The Americas), because none of us will get around Turn 1. I think there needs to be a little more respect for the circuit, as well as the other cars.”
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Button’s experience at COTA was both positive and negative. But Button feels better prepared going into the race at Chicago.
“Definitely better prepared. I just had the seat fit and all looks good. I struggled with heat exhaustion during the race, but now, I won’t have any issues. We’ve come up with a little solution that will make it a lot easier for me.
“In terms of the car and getting used to it, the first few laps I will be finding my feet if you like, having driven the car I did at Le Mans with traction control. It was a lot more compliant, a lot easier to drive. This is definitely a lot more edgy, so it’ll take me a few laps. But I think while everyone is learning the track, it’s not a bad thing at all. For me, it’s defining a setup that works and a drivable setup gives you confidence. It’s what we’re aiming to do over the two simulator days before we actually get to the track, so we’re fully prepared.”
Nothing in Button’s impressive career prepared him for what he experienced at COTA. But having gone through that, he says he’ll be more confident when he gets to Chicago.
“I think the big thing was how low they try to run the cars. I’m used to massive downforce cars, and you have a range of where you put the rear of the car for the diffuser to work at its best. With the Cup car, the car basically has to be on the ground to get the diffuser to work properly, which takes away all your compliance and suspension. So, in high-speed corners, it was completely the opposite of what I thought a Cup car would be. I thought it’d be very gradual, the slide, and it’d be easier to slide.
“But with this car, it’s the opposite. You get to a point where the rear just gives up, and the rear tire shutters – and you’re just fighting a lost cause, really. That was my biggest issue, and it meant that I couldn’t push the car as hard as I’d like, because it was like a cliff – the feeling of grip, then no grip. So, that’s something I know more now, but it’s something I want to work my way around and find a better direction. I still think there is a better option for a circuit like Chicago.
“The other one was just the racing. You can get used to a racing car, but you can’t get used to any car out there. It just takes time. The racing is something that takes longer – the style of racing, the aggression and the spotters. I think that I was lucky enough to have some great spotters that were very helpful, but I didn’t realize how important they were going to be. So, having been through that once, going to Chicago, I’ll arrive a lot more confident.”
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
One of the aspects of NASCAR that Button did enjoy at COTA was the wheel-to-wheel nature of the racing. But his initial NASCAR experience also left him with differing emotions.
“I think for half the race at COTA, I thought, ‘I don’t want to do this again.’ But for the other half of the race, I thought, ‘This is awesome, just awesome,’ in terms of the racing, the wheel-to-wheel action and not giving an inch. I definitely enjoyed that, and it’s something you do miss in single-seaters, especially in Formula 1 because the amount of downforce you have, there isn’t so much wheel-to-wheel action. I feel I had more wheel-to-wheel action in the first lap of the race at COTA than I do in a whole Grand Prix. So, loads of emotions – positive and negative – at COTA.
“Does it make me want to do it more? Yeah. I mean, road courses, yes. Ovals: I’d like to try an oval one day, but it’s another world. These guys have driven ovals since they were five or six years old. So, why would I be good there? I don’t know. It’s a possibility, but it’s a lot of work. It’s already enough getting used to driving such a big car for me, and the style of racing is a big step as well. Maybe one day.
“But, I’m very happy and very lucky to be doing the three races I’m doing this year, and I’m looking forward to Chicago and then Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) in a few weeks time after that.”
Given the experience he has racing on street-courses, albeit in massively different cars than he’ll be racing at Chicago, Button feels he’ll be on a more equal footing with his competitors as no one will have been on track for real until the first practice.
“Definitely helps. There are a few guys in the field that have raced on street circuits before – some very quick guys that have raced on street courses before. It’s easier for me than COTA, because at COTA, I feel like I’m not used to using that much of a circuit. I normally drive within the white lines, and at COTA if you make a mistake, you just run wide and come back on. You don’t really lose that much time, and again, it’s a very different way of driving. Chicago should be better for me. I feel confident that I can have a better result, but it can also all end in Turn 1. So, it doesn’t matter how quick you are, you also need to have a little bit of luck on your side.”
After having experienced the aggressive side of NASCAR racing at COTA, Button feels he’ll be more comfortable and better prepared for it at Chicago.
“Yeah, definitely. But I think everyone will tone it down a little bit. I watched Sonoma, and it definitely shows that it’s circuit dependent. COTA has always been a bit tricky, because you head up to Turn 1 and it’s so wide on the entry and then it’s narrow. In that whole section, you can stay side-by-side all the way down to Turn 10. Whereas at Sonoma, it was a very different type of race. It felt more like I’m used to when I watched the race at Sonoma. I think Chicago will be something similar, because we all know that you can’t just run wide and come back on. I do think that the racing will be a little bit calmer at Chicago, and if not in the first start, people will start packing up a little bit and being a bit more respectful of the circuit. That’s the big thing with a street circuit that people learn very quickly.”
“Does it make me want to do it more? Yeah. I mean, road courses, yes. Ovals: I’d like to try an oval one day, but it’s another world. ”
While the Chicago street-course bares little resemblance to the 24 Hours of LeMans, Button feels there’s a certain coolness factor involved with NASCAR trying new things to grow the fanbase.
“It’s so different. One thing I really loved at Le Mans is that we were racing against Prototypes – and we even took a couple of them as well.
“I think racing in a city… I think this is probably the first time I’ve raced in an actual city in a racing car. You know, Monaco is a principality, so I wouldn’t class it as a city. But, I think this will definitely bring in a different fanbase. I know that true NASCAR fans might think it’s a bit of an unusual type of track, so why do we bother with it? But, why not?
“I think it’s great that they’re willing to attract something different, and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. It’s one race on the calendar. I love that we’re trying new things, just like taking a stock car to Le Mans – amazing.
“What a great opportunity, and I think it brought in a very different fanbase. I think this will do something similar.”
In some ways, NASCAR’s trying something new is similar to Button’s post-Formula One career. While most of his F1 brethren retire comfortably, Button has challenged himself racing unfamiliar cars in unfamiliar series since leaving the F1 circus. Button wishes more would follow his route but understands why they don’t.
“I think because it’s uncomfortable. They found a route that works for them, and something they’re confident in and very good at. They don’t want to try something else because they may not be as competitive, and they’re worried about what people think about them if they aren’t in a Cup car.
“I wasn’t so competitive in a Cup car, but for me, it’s all about the learning and the challenge of improving. I think a lot of drivers that are at the top-level of one category, they’re worried about stepping out of their comfort zone by trying something new and not being as competitive. Whereas for me, I feel like I have nothing to lose. I’ve won the World Championship in F1 – it’s what I set out to do. Now I’m racing because I love racing. I love learning new things and those challenges are what keep me going. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be racing. Few have – Fernando Alonso is the big one, obviously jumping into Le Mans and into the Daytona 24 Hours. But those are kind of similar categories to F1 because of downforce.
“I would love to see more drivers jumping into a NASCAR car, especially in the Cup series because it’s so competitive. That’s why I really enjoy racing against Kimi Räikkönen. I’m so happy that Kamui (Kobayashi) is racing (at Indianapolis). But I’d really like to see more drivers from the endurance world or F1 come in and have a taste of NASCAR, seeing how competitive it is. I never thought it’d be as competitive as it is. I knew ovals would be something different all together, but I didn’t think the drivers would be so good on street courses and road courses.
“Pleasantly surprised.”
For Button, the fun is in the challenge.