Yahoo Movies NASCAR's Chicago Street Circuit Dreams May Come True Soon
Over the past two years, NASCAR has transformed its schedule by adding new natural terrain road courses, a temporary dirt race, and even an exhibition inside a stadium, but they still have one item left on their checklist: a street race, downtown, in a major American market. Next year, that dream might finally come to fruition.
NASCAR has been openly targeting an ambitious plan to race through Chicago since March 2021, at one point going as far as to call their shot by building out the proposed street circuit in iRacing. Now, a letter obtained by The Athletic indicates that the city of Chicago endorses the plan, with racing starting in 2023 and continuing through at least 2025. All that leaves is a formal deal and final announcement, which The Athletic reports could be set for July 19.
While NASCAR has not raced on a street circuit in its top level of competition, NASCAR-affiliated stock car categories like their Canadian series have done so in the past. Australia's V8 Supercars, the major inspiration for the construction concepts behind the Next Gen car the series began racing earlier this season, thrive in the tight confines of street races. Add in the massive crowds a major street circuit event generally pulls in its first year and NASCAR believes an event like Chicago could be an even bigger revelation than their surprise hit at the Los Angeles Coliseum in February.
There are some related concerns. Many announced street races—from IndyCar's planned trip to Boston in 2016 to IndyCar's planned trip to Qingdao in 2012—are canceled before they ever run. Many others, like the Baltimore Grand Prix and the San Jose Grand Prix, are plagued by year-one logistical issues and never establish a real foothold before collapsing. Building a lasting street circuit event is difficult. So difficult that it can be argued only Long Beach, Monaco, and Macau have succeeded for long enough to become a lasting tradition. If the series can figure this one out completely, it could have a new crown jewel for decades to come.
You Might Also Like
