Stubbs: NASCAR has given importance to the Chicago Street Race, but will it last till 25?

As NASCAR prepares to return to the streets of Chicago later this week, the matter around the race is not focused on on-track action. Instead, fans, members of the industry and citizens of Windy City are thinking about the future of Chicago in NASCAR beyond 2025.

NASCAR’s original three -year deal with the city of Chicago has expanded and gone to organize a road race. The deal included two mutual options that would determine whether the NASCAR house will remain for Chicago Street Racing.

The future of NASCAR in Chicago will be determined by piles of factors. It is worth noting that the Mayor of Lori Lightfoot, Chicago who was in the office when the deal was killed in 2022, is no longer in charge. Instead, it is Brandon Johnson who can play a major role in the future of the race. Johnson’s senior advisor, Jason Lee, recently praised NASCAR for his community participation and dedication to improve the race for Chicago Street – a minor twist from Johnson’s attitude a year ago, when he had very little to tell about the future of the incident.

But politics and positive reviews can only go so far to determine the functions of NASCAR. From a marketing and racing perspective, NASCAR will have to weigh that the Chicago Street Race can provide the game that other new potential marques races – whether street race or anything else can not completely.

This is especially important to consider a potential road race in San Diego or a potential trip for the Franklin Field in Philadelphia, where NASCAR will probably host another stadium race similar to the struggle of Los Angeles in Coliseum.

Chicago, the country’s third largest metro region, was a great option for NASCAR to hold its first road race. But after two race weekends that have suffered from rain and have a third trending in the same direction, fans are yet to see what will be seen in the weekend uninterrupted race by weather.

If NASCAR believes that this jolit can attract a demographic similar to fans for the nearby Chikgoland Speedway in Il.–A track that was not on the schedule since 2019, but possibly will be put in an unprecedented show, which may take the plot in favor of a purpose-interaction facility for wide intermediate tracks.

If NASCAR believes that the concept of street race can attract new or casual fans in a new setting – aka San Diego – then the exchange of cities may also be a possibility.

2023 NASCAR Cup series champion Ryan Blanne said about street racing in NASCAR in July 2024, “Whether it is Chicago or elsewhere, I don’t really have preference.” “It will really have whatever city we will have. I think it can be clean, as far as in these major markets of huge cities across the country).”

Perhaps the biggest thing to go against Chicago is that, in its current situation, NASCAR is the boulder and is more innovative with more scheduling decisions than ever. Some changes are with stale schedule days and there is a crowd of average tracks receiving two race dates (which is unlikely that two street races on the NASCAR calendar, will put on a suggestion made by Julie Gise, president of the Chicago Street Race, Chairman of the Chicago Street Race).

In the last seven years, NASCAR Bowman has returned to the Gray Stadium and has turned Bristol into a dirt race. This race for Los Angeles Collizium and converted the date of Charlotte into a road course race. And it has once reached the streets of Chicago for discipline of racing, once a world away from stock cars.

But this also means that NASCAR is not afraid of an ax race from a calendar relatively suddenly. It is not always an indictment on the race that is nixed, but when it comes to modern scheduling, it is an example of how active and vocal nascar.

Chicago has been a successful event from the point of view that NASCAR proved street racing a viable avenue for the game. But if greenery pastures are found in San Diego, NASCAR is going to make a difficult decision to move forward in the side of another new, trendy race, which can be classified as a modern crown jewel.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it proves that NASCAR has the advantage of hosting major events and the ability to play with where and when those major races are held. Chicago Street Race, by design, has a marquet event, but one that can be swapped for another marry event, as NASCAR sees fit.

Time will tell whether NASCAR returns to Chicago after 2025, but finally, NASCAR’s decision either the decision to return to the streets of Vindi City or to leave for the pastures of greenery will not be a shocking, the way pendulum swings.

-Aimel Stabs, Field Level Media