NASCAR Chicago Street hits closer to home for Justin Allgaier of Illinois

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Once NASCAR drivers take off from the starting line at Buckingham Fountain this weekend, Chicagoans will have one of their own to root for.

"To be able to come to Chicago, never in my wildest dreams did I ever envision this being a possibility," NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier said.

Allgaier grew up in Riverton, just outside of the Springfield area. He's the only driver competing in both Saturday's and Sunday's races from the state of Illinois.

"Not going to say I have home court advantage because I don't think anyone does on a race track," Allgaier said.

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That's also because Chicago will be NASCAR's first ever street race.

"We all want to be fast, right, that's the goal of racing," Allgaier said. "But then navigating a city street, navigating corners. /419 We can look at it all day and we can drive around in a passenger vehicle but until you're on it in a race vehicle, you're never really sure what you're going to expect."

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But once these normally busy Chicago roads are transformed into a race course, it will mean a lot more to Allgaier , who used to visit downtown as a kid.

"When we turn on to Michigan and you're coming down through this middle section and you're looking at this skyline, you're just seeing all the cool features that Chicago, downtown has to offer," Allgaier said. "You go from that breathtaking, really cool, 'aha' moment to I better not forget where I'm at -and miss the corner and crash-"

And once he crosses the finish line, Allgeier says he hopes the Windy City will have made all the difference for NASCAR as well as fans, new and old.

"This is a hustling city and to transform all that to the barriers and to these crazy loud fast race cars, it's going to be a big moment," Allgaier said.