Chicago — After waiting a year to stage a dry race on the streets of Chicago, NASCAR officials must wait another year. A second rain-affected race frustrated organizers, who sensed a fantastic atmosphere at Grant Park as NASCAR fans mingled with curious locals during NASCAR’s original attempt to combine a music festival with racing.
The three-year contract can be terminated by the city or NASCAR six months before the race, with the 2025 edition scheduled for July 5-6 on a 2.2-mile course that includes the famous Columbus Drive, Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Despite the contract, questions remain as to whether NASCAR should disrupt daily life during a major sporting event and festival for both NASCAR and the city.
“NASCAR is good for our local businesses, especially the hospitality industry, which is obviously supported by fans and everyone who visits our great city,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement to drivers ahead of the event.
Johnson’s support is crucial to the race’s continuation. He expressed excitement for the event and made lighthearted comments to the drivers. “Know that all the challenges and twists and turns you experience downtown, you’re not the only ones who experience them. Try being mayor of Chicago,” Johnson said. “And try to do it without crashing… don’t destroy my city.”
Organizing a race on major roads is no small feat. NASCAR cut its track construction and teardown schedule by six days. The festival featured concerts by The Black Keys, The Chainsmokers, and Keith Urban, all of which proceeded as planned.
But then the rain came just as the Cup race was about to start. It wasn’t as heavy as last year, but it was enough to delay the start. NASCAR also had to deal with a couple of protesters who had climbed over a fence. The rain stopped the event for 103 minutes.
NASCAR completed 58 of the scheduled 75 laps, setting the time at 8:20 p.m. CT as “two laps remaining” for the end of the race.
Just like last year, before the rains came, the excitement around the route was positive, and this year it was probably even more so because those who live or work in the center knew better what to expect.
“It’s a great way to show that we can race in a location like this, right in the center of a major metropolitan city, which is a big part of the market and exposure, but also to open the doors to a lot of new fans,” said four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, executive at Hendrick Motorsports.
“Not only do I hope that we can continue to come back here, but I also hope that we can try this experience in other places as well.”
NASCAR may only have one street race in its budget (the event is not believed to be a revenue generator), but it still wants to experiment with its schedule.
It’s no secret that NASCAR would like to race in Mexico and Canada, possibly on the Formula 1 circuits of Mexico City and Montreal. A couple of months ago, it looked like Mexico City was almost ready for the 2025 Cup schedule.
The schedule was supposed to be released by the end of May, but now it’s early July and there is still no 2025 schedule. It could be another 2-4 weeks (or more) before it is released. Whether an international race will be held is likely one of the things NASCAR needs to finalize before announcing its 2025 schedule.
As reported by The Athletic, three tracks are expected to drop the playoffs. Atlanta has already announced a move from September to the summer as part of NASCAR’s new inseason tournament. Homestead-Miami Speedway, which is targeting the 2026 championship, could move to the spring. And Watkins Glen, which depends on camping, could see its September race return to August after a yearlong playoff experiment.
Darlington would likely return as a playoff opener, keeping its traditional Labor Day date. Potential tracks added to the playoffs include New Hampshire and Gateway.
As for Chicago, there is no reason to think NASCAR would not want to return. Some might argue that summer rain should be on the cards for an early July date, but the idea of doing it around July 4 is that closing the streets that week will have less of an impact since fewer people will be working downtown.
The 2024 Chicago weekend proved that it’s about much more than just introducing a sport to people who wouldn’t normally watch it.
NASCAR and Bubba Wallace, the only black driver competing full-time in the Cup Series, hosted a free event at a local park for the second year in a row, headlined by Chicago hip-hop artist Twista. They handed out ticket vouchers to attendees for general admission to the race.
NASCAR also used the Chicago race to introduce a novelty in a market it believed to be more open than a traditional NASCAR circuit: a prototype of its electric vehicle was unveiled over the weekend.
It’s probably not something NASCAR will do at Talladega, as the idea of an electric series is causing discord among fans. NASCAR hasn’t committed to it, but felt it needed to research and develop it if manufacturers wanted to make the switch.
NASCAR also introduced all the drivers before The Chainsmokers’ concert. The drivers looked focused, but there was hope that those in attendance would recognize their names.
Locally inspired colors were also present: Michael McDowell wore the Chicago White Sox logo and Tyler Reddick wore the Jordan Brand logo, in the city where co-owner Michael Jordan is an icon.
These initiatives helped create the atmosphere of a major event in the city.
The Cup Series now moves to Pocono Raceway, moving from city streets to a 2.5-mile circuit in the Pennsylvania mountains.
Some might consider Chicago and the Poconos as two extremes of the world.
“I like some things about both,” former Cup champion Brad Keselowski said. “I love being at Pocono, especially going down that straightaway, and I love seeing the sky and feeling like the world is so big and it’s just like the biggest sky you’ve ever seen.
“And then you come here, and it’s the complete opposite. I love being here and seeing the vibrancy of all the people in the buildings and feeling like I’m part of a very tight-knit, small community. I appreciate both. I think it’s awesome that we’re doing this back-to-back.”
The article Nascar’s 2025 Chicago Rebirth: A Test of Patience and Perseverance first appeared on Generic English.
