NASCAR in Chicago? Not so fast – unless the city gets a paycheck

The idea of ​​NASCAR drivers roaring through the streets of Chicago is intriguing, and we don’t blame Mayor Lori Lightfoot for considering the prospect.

It’s the kind of bold thing a big city should at least consider, especially one battling a global reputation for crime and violence.

But as the mayor’s office prepares to sign a contract with the racing agency, we are waving the flag of caution.

Given Chicago’s precarious financial situation, the city needs to make money from this deal, either in direct payments from NASCAR — a multimillion-dollar organization — or its sponsors.

And if the city argues the races will generate tourism revenue, taxpayers deserve to know what to expect — and where that money will go — before any deal with the race agency is signed.

The city seeks “a historic partnership”

Under the proposal, NASCAR Street Course races would be held in Chicago for three years as part of the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2023.

The itinerary has not been confirmed, but a article in Athletics last week the race could be held on downtown streets, although the story does not specify which streets could be used.

The sports outlet discovered the race plans in response to a Freedom of Information Act request it filed with the city.

“Chicago is incredibly excited to host the 2023, 2024 and 2025 NASCAR Chicago Street Course events, and we’re ready to welcome NASCAR fans to our world-class city,” the city’s letter to NASCAR.

“This would be a historic partnership for NASCAR and the City of Chicago, and our department is committed to working together and supporting NASCAR to run the events in a safe and secure manner.”

If the races are approved, NASCAR racing would return to the Chicago area for the first time in four years. The NASCAR Cup Series was held at the now closed Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet from 2001 to 2019.

But these races were held on a closed oval track. What about, say, the streets of downtown Chicago?

“If I can do things to help NASCAR with the track surface, some of the SAFER barriers [an engineered foam track wall that absorbs impact] and runoff areas, I would raise my hand with the drivers council to try to help,” NASCAR racing star Kurt Busch, who drives a Toyota sponsored by Bulls great Michael Jordan, told The Athletic.

“The excitement, the different value, the different feel. It would be off the charts,” Busch said.

The likely race would be a one and a half mile loop. Los Angeles hosted a similar NASCAR event from 1998 to 2001 in and around the LA Coliseum.

On a racing oval, stock cars can reach 200 mph, but in Los Angeles, racers weren’t speeding through the streets near their top speed. Race stats showed the average speed was around 47 mph – just two miles from the posted legal speed limit on parts of DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Running is enjoyable; payday for the city is better

Chicago was once a hotbed of auto racing, with a few stock car tracks around town, such as 87th Street Speedway at 87th Street and Greenwood Avenue, which ran from 1948 to 1956.

In the 1930s, stock cars raced on a cinder track inside Soldier Field. And the stadium hosted a NASCAR race – a predecessor to the current cup series – in July 1956.

So wanting to bring NASCAR here makes sense. All that nostalgia and yearning to reconnect with the city’s automotive past is good, but it doesn’t pay the bills.

The city needs to get a healthy enough share of NASCAR racing to help ease its budget woes.

At a minimum, this reduction should be enough to fund transportation and infrastructure projects, such as dedicated bus lanes or protected bike lanes.

NASCAR has a lot to gain by having the skyline of one of America’s greatest cities as the backdrop for its premier races.

But the Lightfoot administration must ensure the city is left with something more than noise, spectacle and exhaust smoke.

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