Chicago - 2023

Formerjackman said:
Nobody goes to Monaco for the race. They go there to see and be seen. Is that REALLY what we want auto racing to be? I personally think that F1 popularity in the US is an unsustainable fad, because there is no substance behind it.
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It does because they cannot keep a competitive field together. Red Bull is on some all time dominance at the moment, it’s hard to make races interesting if only two cars can actually win
 
Formerjackman said:
Nobody goes to Monaco for the race. They go there to see and be seen. Is that REALLY what we want auto racing to be? I personally think that F1 popularity in the US is an unsustainable fad, because there is no substance behind it.
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NASCAR could require completion of a questionnaire in order to ensure ticket buyers are planning to attend events for the right reasons.

Keep the riff raff out.
 
Formerjackman said:
I guess your definition of working and mine are quite a bit different.
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I think we are closer than you think.

I call success as the events went off as planned, full length, and not absolute catastrophes. Best racing ever? Nah, but it was a diversion from the norm. We’ll find out fast once on track action begins in Chicago (like did they weld down all the manhole covers).
 
Revman said:
Must have taken a ton of time to talk to everybody to determine that nobody is there for the race.
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Monaco is an annual event on the social calendar. Somebody was saying that race hasn't had an on track pass for the lead since sometime in the 90's. I watch it every year while I eat breakfast and wait for the 500 coverage to start, and the race ( if you can even call it that) and it is almost without exception cringeworthy awful. Even many F1 supporters are saying that venue should be put out if its misery.
 
Formerjackman said:
Monaco is an annual event on the social calendar. Somebody was saying that race hasn't had an on track pass for the lead since sometime in the 90's. I watch it every year while I eat breakfast and wait for the 500 coverage to start, and the race ( if you can even call it that) and it is almost without exception cringeworthy awful. Even many F1 supporters are saying that venue should be put out if its misery.
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An event on the social calendar.....Mr. Senna disagrees....and yeah, in a Honda.

 
Formerjackman said:
Nobody goes to Monaco for the race. They go there to see and be seen. Is that REALLY what we want auto racing to be? I personally think that F1 popularity in the US is an unsustainable fad, because there is no substance behind it.
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Oh hell no. F1 Las Vegas should be off the schedule ASAP with the prices for hotels & etc.

Which is a shame it sounds really cool but those prices are so unnecessary.
 
Formerjackman said:
I personally think that F1 popularity in the US is an unsustainable fad, because there is no substance behind it.
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It might be a bit reminiscent of the NASCAR "boom or bust" years. There are already rumors of a fourth US GP in New Jersey.
The excitement of the 2021 season came at exactly the right time but I think if the current Red Bull domination continues the growth of the sport will slow down.

Formerjackman said:
Even many F1 supporters are saying that venue should be put out if its misery.
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The ones who say that are the 15 year-olds who didn't know F1 existed before they found DTS on Netflix.
Monaco, along with Indy and Le Mans, is the most prestigious automobile race in the world and it would be asinine to get rid of it.
 
donthaveanickname said:
It might be a bit reminiscent of the NASCAR "boom or bust" years. There are already rumors of a fourth US GP in New Jersey.
The excitement of the 2021 season came at exactly the right time but I think if the current Red Bull domination continues the growth of the sport will slow down.
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It already has with my friends and cousins**

**I acknowledge this is anecdotal.
 
pjmolo said:
For those unfamiliar with downtown Chicago, this shows where in Grant Park that the track will be laid out.

View attachment 70951
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Was this the only place where the city of Chicago would allow them to run the race? I mean, I'll be honest, the layout is a bit uninspired. Looks like something The Borg from Star Trek would design as a race track. I don't know if all of Chicago city streets are in a grid pattern, but this city has to have some elevation and sweeping turns, right?
 
I can’t foresee Chicago unfolding like a normal road course race or processionally. It’ll probably be chaotic good or chaotic bad.

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday by a different street course with an, on paper, ordinary layout. So I’m keeping an open mind. Xfinity at the very least should be pretty interesting.
 
SpeedPagan said:
Was this the only place where the city of Chicago would allow them to run the race? I mean, I'll be honest, the layout is a bit uninspired. Looks like something The Borg from Star Trek would design as a race track. I don't know if all of Chicago city streets are in a grid pattern, but this city has to have some elevation and sweeping turns, right?
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Yes, Chicago city streets are almost entirely in a grid pattern with little, if any, elevation.

Generally, the only place to find any kind of sweeping turns is in the city parks.

imo, this is where the street race should have been set up, on the South Side in Jackson Park.

Jackson Park street course 2.jpg
 
donthaveanickname said:
It might be a bit reminiscent of the NASCAR "boom or bust" years. There are already rumors of a fourth US GP in New Jersey.
The excitement of the 2021 season came at exactly the right time but I think if the current Red Bull domination continues the growth of the sport will slow down.


The ones who say that are the 15 year-olds who didn't know F1 existed before they found DTS on Netflix.
Monaco, along with Indy and Le Mans, is the most prestigious automobile race in the world and it would be asinine to get rid of it.
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Except that unlike Indy and LeMans, Monaco offers absolutely NOTHING from a sport and competition angle. The ONLY thing that made last week's race even 1% interesting was the rain, which ultimately changed very little about the outcome. I mean not ONE on track pass for the lead since 1996, and not a straight up dry track one since 1986? Why not just give the pole sitter the trophy and spend the weekend at the beach?
 
I'm not a fan of street courses, They are usually concrete canyons where the driver can't see around a corner. The Chicago track looks a little interesting (not sure how narrow the track is). I'm guessing a pass will involve trading paint.
 
Zerkfitting said:
I'm not a fan of street courses, They are usually concrete canyons where the driver can't see around a corner. The Chicago track looks a little interesting (not sure how narrow the track is). I'm guessing a pass will involve trading paint.
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different racing of course, but the Detroit circuit yesterday was a fun one.
 
pjmolo said:
Yes, Chicago city streets are almost entirely in a grid pattern with little, if any, elevation.

Generally, the only place to find any kind of sweeping turns is in the city parks.

imo, this is where the street race should have been set up, on the South Side in Jackson Park.

View attachment 71015
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With all the talk of how dangerous and violent Chicago is (read the first page or two in this thread even though the mods deleted a bunch) I think nascar preferred to stay away from the south side.
 
Daytripper said:
With all the talk of how dangerous and violent Chicago is (read the first page or two in this thread even though the mods deleted a bunch) I think NASCAR preferred to stay away from the south side.
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As I recall, most if not all of the earlier posts that trashed Chicago as dangerous were typical of the feelings of those not from the area.

Indeed, there is criminal activity but it's not like it's on every street corner, day and night.

Downtown Chicago is where the city's major hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions are located.

If a race of any kind was going to happen, doing it downtown was a no-brainer in order to get the registers ringing.
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
different racing of course, but the Detroit circuit yesterday was a fun one.
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pjmolo said:
As I recall, most if not all of the earlier posts that trashed Chicago as dangerous were typical of the feelings of those not from the area.

Indeed, there is criminal activity but it's not like it's on every street corner, day and night.

Downtown Chicago is where the city's major hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions are located.

If a race of any kind was going to happen, doing it downtown was a no-brainer in order to get the registers ringing.
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100% I'm from Chicago and never had a problem. Just like any large city, there are areas to be avoided. Stay in that lane and you are fine.

Oh, and never make eye contact on the bus or train.
 
Eh, we all know that the media does their best to spit out fear, some of us fall pretty heavily for that line. Common sense reduces your chances of bodily harm. That course on the shore of the Lake looks so bad ass.
 
The best part about Chicago is it made Road America even better for standalone racing.
 
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