Chicago “would love to see Nascar come back” amid uncertain race future

• Event generates estimated US$50m for local economy
• Chicago was Nascar’s first-ever street race when it debuted in 2023

Nascar has the full support of local bosses to return to Chicago with a Cup Series event after last weekend’s race concluded the current contract.

The city became the stage for Nascar’s very first street race in 2023, joining the schedule on a three-year deal. There remains the option for Nascar to extend the deal by two years, but there is as of yet no confirmation on this option being taken up.

At the time it debuted, the race was controversial among locals due to the disruption caused. However, it appears attitudes have begun to shift, at least in the minds of local organisation the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA). 

“Thirty-four thousand hotel rooms were rented last year, and we’re looking forward to more of that this year,” Michael Edwards, president and chief executive of the CLA, told local outlet WGN News ahead of the race.

“More tourist dollars coming into our community, the tax revenue it generates for the city, US$10 million, and US$40 million worth of international and national media coverage, just for this beautiful skyline behind you – that’s worth it.”

The CLA is an organisation that represents the local community, but it is unclear whether the sentiment expressed by Edwards – highlighting the event’s positive financial impact – is shared by those directly affected by its disruption.

Related posts:

• Nascar goes to Mexico: Ben Kennedy on the making of the landmark Cup Series event
• The Chicago Street Race: Three things that were different about Nascar’s newest event

When asked by WGN News whether he would like to see Nascar return to the city, Edwards gave an emphatic response, even though the event’s future remains uncertain

“We would love to see Nascar come back,” he said. “I think we’ve all sort of figured out how to gain advantage from it and to partake in it and to make business from it.

“It would be great to have it come back.”

Losing McDonald’s as a major sponsor ahead of this year’s race was not a good sign, and the event’s future will likely depend on securing strong commercial backing. It also lost ABB as a founding partner after last year.

While Arby’s signed on ahead of this year’s race, joining existing founding partners BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois and Xfinity, it appears the event is no longer attracting the same level of financial support as it did at launch.

BlackBook Motorsport has approached Nascar for comment on the future of the event.

BlackBook says…

When the Chicago race debuted, it ended up costing Nascar around US$50 million, far exceeding the anticipated budget of US$15 million to US$25 million. That said, the series’ first attempt at a street race was always bound to throw up unforeseen challenges.

In fact, Ben Kennedy, Nascar’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovations officer, told BlackBook Motorsport that many of the lessons learned in Chicago were used to help organise the series’ first points-paying race outside the US in the modern era.

So, even if Nascar steps away from Chicago for now, the experience has provided valuable insights that will benefit the broader series moving forward.