Jenson Button’s NASCAR experience has become quite extensive over the past several months.
After making his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Texas’ Circuit of The Americas in March, the 2009 Formula 1 champion was at the forefront of NASCAR’s Garage 56 program alongside co-drivers Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller during the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this month.
Finishing 39th out of 62 cars in the race’s centenary edition, the team’s completion of the event was a groundbreaking accomplishment.
Now, Button shifts his focus to a new challenge — racing a Cup Series car on a street circuit.
This weekend, NASCAR takes on the streets of Chicago, the first street race in NASCAR’s illustrious 75-year history.
Piloting the No. 15 Ford for Rick Ware Racing with support from Stewart-Haas Racing, Button’s lack of stock car experience will be minimized.
Why? The majority of the 38-driver field has little to no street course experience.
Drivers on the entry list with street course prowess includes A.J. Allmendinger (Former CART driver), Michael McDowell (1 CART start), Austin Cindric (IMSA, Shane van Gisbergen (Supercars) and Andy Lally (IMSA).
Of the drivers with street course experience, Allmendinger and van Gisbergen have been the most succesful.
Allmendinger has two street race wins in Toronto and Denver during the 2006 Champ Car World Series season, while van Gisbergen is a three-time Supercars champion.
Button is in the minority of drivers with extensive reps on temporary circuits.
“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,” Button said. “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,” Button continued.
“Chicago should be better for me. I feel confident that I can have a better result, but it can also all end in turn one. So, it doesn’t matter how quick you are, you also need to have a little bit of luck on your side.”
The 43-year-old’s confidence heading to the 2.2-mile course is understandably high. However, a key area Button is still cautious about is how to extract the most from his race car.
At COTA, Button was surprised of the Next Gen car’s handling and how it responded to high-speed corners.
“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,” Button said. “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 us, 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.”
That feeling is something Button will likely have minimized throughout the weekend with a tighter and more technical street circuit.
With the feel of the race car more familiar, Button’s check list shifts focus to the racing itself.
“You can get used to a racing car, but you can’t get used to any car out there,” Button said. “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.”
Button’s extended period of laps aboard the Garage 56 entry at Le Mans will also pay dividends in getting up to speed in Chicago.
While a standard Cup Series machine can’t compare to the Garage 56’s bells and whistles of paddle shifters and traction control, Button believes there won’t be any delay of getting back into race mode.
“I’ll ease into it pretty quickly. I did last time. So, not to worry,” Button said. “When I started driving in the Garage 56 car, I hadn’t driven a racing car for two and a half years. I was able to get used to such a big and heavy car reasonably quickly. I have no worries of jumping right back in.”