As the dust settled on NASCAR’s second visit to the streets of Chicago, I found myself scanning the comments section to gauge reaction. One commenter remarked, “NASCAR doesn’t belong on public streets,” to which somebody had accurately countered, “NASCAR was literally born on public streets.” Try as some might, it’s hard to argue with facts: NASCAR’s origins are indeed bootleggers running moonshine on public roads. When Prohibition ended, they took their modified cars and raced against each other instead of the law.
With the full 2025 schedule now released and Chicago returning for a third visit, I’m here to argue that the street race belongs on the calendar as much as any other venue. Hear me out…
It’s Different and There May Never Be Another Like It
NASCAR uses a mix of road courses, short tracks, intermediates, and super speedways, some of which we visit twice a year, so why not have a unique event that breaks all the moulds?
A street race took years to materialise, for good reason: they are a logistical headache that no amount of aspirin can cure. Others have done it for decades, but while Monaco and Le Mans have glamorous and storied legacies to bolster the case for their continue existence, NASCAR had no such grandiose precedent to fall back on when pitching Chicago. Convincing just one city to accommodate a gaggle of burbling stock cars is a Herculean task in itself. It’s almost unthinkable that a similar event would run concurrently, making Chicago a unique achievement that we should embrace while we can.
Anyway, since when has ‘different’ been a dirty word? When Ford launch a new Mustang, Chevrolet unveil a redesigned Corvette, or Dodge take the wraps off a revised Charger, we don’t click the link to see what’s the same – we click it to see what’s different. We trade cars because we feel like something different. We travel to see different things. Why should our racing schedules be stale?
The Arguments Against It Don’t Pan Out
We’re probably all guilty of holding strong opinions we can’t justify. Once, after seeing an ad with a Hollywood celebrity hawking health products, I turned to my workmate and made a comment about how annoying I found that person and their ads to be, to which he replied, “That’s her problem. It doesn’t affect you, does it?” I didn’t have a good answer, because he was right. Again, facts generally aren’t debatable.
Likewise, very few complaints about NASCAR in Chicago were substantive. Let’s examine some:
“No-one wanted or liked it” – nope, with a generous dashing of nope sauce. Highest TV ratings bar the Daytona 500, despite another rain delay. General admission sold out in 2024, while the Cup Series grandstands looked to have decent attendance both years, even in dismal weather.
“Chicago is dangerous” – a wider culture war issue with a tenuous grasp on reality. As points of comparison, the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix went ahead after an attack on a nearby oil refinery, while team members have been robbed in São Paulo during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend on more than one occasion. Neither bares any resemblance to the Grant Park area of downtown Chicago. The only evidence of trouble I could find were two protesters who got arrested for trespassing.
“We shouldn’t race on public streets” – demonstrably untrue, every other major series does it. From Melbourne to St. Petersburg, and from Long Beach to Le Mans, cars race perfectly fine on public streets. And if you think Chicago is just unsuitable, then the Principality of Monaco would like a chat.
“The racing was bad” – overtaking in motor racing really is a Goldilocks proposition: it shouldn’t be so easy that it becomes inevitable, but not so difficult that it never happens. F1 has completely fumbled this concept with excessive use of DRS, particularly at the Red Bull Ring in Austria where my grandmother could have been out there putting moves on people. But in both of NASCAR’s visits to Chicago, we saw plenty of cars swapping places in moves that were lined up over several corners. Watch how Shane van Gisbergen would make an overtake after stalking an opponent for over a lap. One commenter described Saturday’s action as “the best Xfinity race I’ve ever seen” and I felt the same way.
The sad truth is that some people will hate something without knowing anything about it, often for abstract and dubious reasons. They wouldn’t attend the race if it was in their local town, so while continuing to respect differing viewpoints, we must also be prepared to disregard feedback borne out of empty manufactured grievance. However, the local opinion on the ground in Chicago is important, so we’ll look at that next.
Community Impact Was Positive Overall
We should celebrate that NASCAR delivered an event on the doorstep of America’s third most populous city. Rumors occasionally abound of a London Grand Prix and while racing around Hyde Park Corner would be amazing, it’s extremely unlikely to happen. But remarkably, in Chicago, it actually did. The extent of this achievement should not be underestimated.
No doubt traffic disruption is a nuisance. Setup and breakdown time dropped from 2023’s 25 days to 19 days in 2024, and further improvements should be sought. I did find articles detailing business concerns, but they all quoted the same shop owner who chose to close up for the weekend. This is not to be dismissive; independent stores have a hard time, especially post-pandemic. We should listen and continue to alleviate any gripes, while also acknowledging a substantial net positive for the local economy with the service sector witnessing a pronounced spike.
Noise was one reason stated for the shop’s closure. NASCAR mandated the use of mufflers for both the Coliseum and Chicago. Despite some reactionary backlash, it did not detrimentally impact the racing. I was at the inaugural Coliseum event and had to borrow ear defenders from the couple sitting next to me. It’s still loud at over 100 dB and getting that number down a fraction more would no doubt please Chicago residents.
NASCAR actively courted engagement with local businesses, paired with community outreach programs, and held free fan events. It’s hard to accuse them of not making an admirable effort.
That View Back To Michigan Avenue Is A Classic
Location and imagery are part of the romanticism of racing: the view down to Eau Rouge at Spa; the banking of Daytona; the yard of bricks at Indianapolis; the bright yellow of Ayrton Senna’s crash helmet; the ominous sight of Earnhardt’s black Chevrolet in the rear-view mirror. These visuals are iconic to us racing fans. More importantly, they’re instantly recognizable. We immediately know what we’re looking at.
The view down Columbus Drive with Chicago’s skyscrapers in the distance, or looking back at turn 11 as the cars crest the bridge on Jackson Drive are examples of such distinct imagery:
In one shot I could make out the illuminated destination on the front of a city bus, and the orange hand on a crosswalk light. I have an affinity for cities – the energy that makes you feel like a part of something bigger – and nowhere in racing have we got that intimate with the beating heart of a major city and its people. Not even Monaco can boast that. But this isn’t Monaco: it’s better. And it’s ours.
Conclusion
When NASCAR descends on Phoenix in November, the four Championship drivers should be proud to say they conquered racing’s most demanding assault course. That means short tracks, intermediates, super speedways, road courses, a couple of exhibition events, and yes, a street course.
Even I had reservations initially. The track layout didn’t look particularly exciting at first glance and we lost the absolute gem that is Road America, but both years have seen great races with memorable outcomes. I have tried to keep the word count of this piece to a reader-friendly level, but I could have written twice as much to convey that I truly believe a street race has the potential to become an established classic. Dropping it from the schedule would be a massive loss and a step backwards for a sport so eager to move forward and be seen. If we want this sport to thrive, we need to take risks and stand by them.
So, I implore you to support the event and local businesses in 2025. I watched both previous years on TV from a London flat that would rival a rabbit hutch for square footage and I’ve promised myself I will try to make the 4,000-mile trip next year. Having made it to the Clash at the Coliseum which was 6,000 miles away, I’m low on excuses.
And if my enthusiasm for the event really is in the minority, then I’m sure the comments section will let me know.
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
