Nick Sanchez looks to continue blazing trails at NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race

CHICAGO (WGN) — As a kid, Nick Sanchez got his start racing go-karts in Miami. Now, he’s living his dream and setting his sights on NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race.

“Fortunately enough, my parents let me chase my dream, and here I am,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez went to his first NASCAR race at 5 years old, and later got behind the wheel of a go-kart at the age of 12, taking to the pavement of his hometown Homestead-Miami Speedway.

And while driving a go-kart as a kid was the metaphorical seed that sprouted into a professional racing career, what propelled Sanchez into the ranks of NASCAR was going through the league’s Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program.

Drive for Diversity was created to train top drivers from diverse backgrounds around the country. As a Cuban-American, Sanchez has become a trailblazer for other Latinos who are passionate about racing.

“I’m definitely one of the few, and I feel like NASCAR, maybe in the past, has been labeled as a sport only for Americans and so fourth,” Sanchez said. “But now, really, we’re really expanding and broadening the horizon for NASCAR.”

After being accepted into the program, he was given a ride in a regional racing team called Rev Racing in NASCAR’s Whelan All-American Series, as well as a ride in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2019.

Two years later in 2021, Sanchez was announced as a part time driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while still driving full-time for Rev Racing in the main ARCA Menards Series. He would go on to win three ARCA races that season and take home the racing circuit’s championship.

In 2023, Sanchez was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year in the Craftsman Truck Series after he became the only rookie to qualify for the playoffs.

Sanchez made his return to the Xfinity Series in 2024 and fast-forward to last Saturday, the Miami-native crossed the finish line at Echopark Speedway near Atlanta with his first career Xfinity Series victory.

With his first big win under his belt, Sanchez flew into Chicago Sunday morning to get ready for his next big test, the highly anticipated NASCAR Street Race through the heart of the city.

“This is going to be the first street race for me, so this is going to be a different vibe, a different environment, just walking into the racetrack in the morning” Sanchez said.

The last time Sanchez was in the Windy City was when he was 6 years old. He said “it’s a totally different experience” from when he was a kid, but he also showed excitement to explore the city, which started with throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago White Sox versus San Francisco Giants game.

“I didn’t really grow up a baseball fan, even though I should be with my Cuban heritage,” Sanchez said. “I’ve never actually thrown a baseball or a pitch so I hope I don’t screw it up.”

Sanchez delivered a strike Sunday, and hopes to strike first across the finish line Friday. He will be in the No. 48 Big Machine Pickers Vodka Chevrolet when the green flag waves to begin The Loop 110.

It’ll be another opportunity for Sanchez to carry the banner for Latino racers who dream of taking the same steps as him someday.