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�.
