You guys should go read the comments from the Chicago

Spotter22

Spotter22

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residents. NASCAR hit a Grand Slam with an event that had everything going against it. Great time to be a NASCAR fan


 
Spotter22 said:
residents. NASCAR hit a Grand Slam with an event that had everything going against it. Great time to be a NASCAR fan


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Agreed. NASCAR Radio is lit up with positivity. I have NEVER heard anything like it, and I am ecstatic. I am still pissed MY Toyotas got screwed on the shortening notification, but even I have to put that behind me because this is ****** awesome!
 
Revman said:
Agreed. NASCAR Radio is lit up with positivity. I have NEVER heard anything like it, and I am ecstatic. I am still pissed MY Toyotas got screwed on the shortening notification, but even I have to put that behind me because this is ****** awesome!
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It was most definitely a hit with the local establishments. Many comments from people who work in the service industry talking about nice everyone was and they were opening their wallets
 
The Nature Boy said:
This might be unpopular but things like this and the race at the Coliseum are essential for growing the fanbase and getting NASCAR in front of new eyes.
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Is it the uniqueness of it more than it is the geographical location? I didn’t hear anyone in the NASCAR world even mention Chicagoland, almost acting like it doesn’t even exist and this was the first time NASCAR has even been to the Chicago area. Should have we just abandon all 1 1/2 mile ovals and instead race downtown? Why is a street course so much better at attracting new fans than a 1.5 mile oval is? Why didn’t the Chicago residents have any interest in going to Chicagoland, but they were so thrilled going to the street race?
 
Brentford said:
Is it the uniqueness of it more than it is the geographical location? I didn’t hear anyone in the NASCAR world even mention Chicagoland, almost acting like it doesn’t even exist and this was the first time NASCAR has even been to the Chicago area. Should have we just abandon all 1 1/2 mile ovals and instead race downtown? Why is a street course so much better at attracting new fans than a 1.5 mile oval is? Why didn’t the Chicago residents have any interest in going to Chicagoland, but they were so thrilled going to the street race?
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Many center city residents do not have a car, and the public transit in this country outside of major cities pales in comparison to countries in Europe and Asia. When I visited the UK I never rented or even rode in a car. There is a train station in every city, town and village and you can get to any of them easily. In America that doesn’t exist.
 
Brentford said:
Is it the uniqueness of it more than it is the geographical location? I didn’t hear anyone in the NASCAR world even mention Chicagoland, almost acting like it doesn’t even exist and this was the first time NASCAR has even been to the Chicago area. Should have we just abandon all 1 1/2 mile ovals and instead race downtown? Why is a street course so much better at attracting new fans than a 1.5 mile oval is? Why didn’t the Chicago residents have any interest in going to Chicagoland, but they were so thrilled going to the street race?
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Chicagoland is an hour from Chicago so it isn't convenient for anyone who isn't already a NASCAR fan. It's the same problem that Fontana has in relation to Los Angeles.

You're taking NASCAR and putting it in people's backyards. That's why the Coliseum and the Chicago Street Course are important. You get them hooked and then they'll go out of their way to go to NASCAR.
 
It’s disappointing that we live in a society/country where they can’t have the proper means via shuttle service or car rental or public transit to get to a track like Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, it’s much better of an overall race & event than a street course where you can’t see much of the track.

The Gen7 has excelled at 1.5-2 mile racetracks like Chicagoland Speedway.

I would love to see this street course event move to New York City or Denver or New Orleans or Seattle where there’s no logistically viable NASCAR track within 90 miles.
 
The Nature Boy said:
Chicagoland is an hour from Chicago so it isn't convenient for anyone who isn't already a NASCAR fan. It's the same problem that Fontana has in relation to Los Angeles.

You're taking NASCAR and putting it in people's backyards. That's why the Coliseum and the Chicago Street Course are important. You get them hooked and then they'll go out of their way to go to NASCAR.
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When people buy tickets at the gate, they probably don’t need to give their address, do they? I’m just curious to know how many of the tickets sold were from people living in Chicago’s city center or if NASCAR has any way to know that information.
 
racingfan7 said:
It’s disappointing that we live in a society/country where they can’t have the proper means via shuttle service or car rental or public transit to get to a track like Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, it’s much better of an overall race & event than a street course where you can’t see the track.

I would love to see this street course event move to New York City or Denver or New Orleans or Seattle.
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If I had energy, I’d probably do a bit of looking into the transit service system in Chicago. I live in a city of roughly 400k and we have a bus transit that makes stops all over town. It probably doesn’t take you to the suburbs though. But with how large Chicago is, I would think their transit system would be rather expansive.
 
Brentford said:
If I had energy, I’d probably do a bit of looking into the transit service system in Chicago. I live in a city of roughly 400k and we have a bus transit that makes stops all over town. It probably doesn’t take you to the suburbs though. But with how large Chicago is, I would think their transit system would be rather expansive.
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I think NASCAR or all of the promoters could do a better job of a “NASCAR shuttle bus” or something, and their marketing effort could be better for races like Chicagoland.
 
Brentford said:
When people buy tickets at the gate, they probably don’t need to give their address, do they? I’m just curious to know how many of the tickets sold were from people living in Chicago’s city center or if NASCAR has any way to know that information.
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I never have, the best source of that data would be people who bought tickets ahead of time.

Brentford said:
If I had energy, I’d probably do a bit of looking into the transit service system in Chicago. I live in a city of roughly 400k and we have a bus transit that makes stops all over town. It probably doesn’t take you to the suburbs though. But with how large Chicago is, I would think their transit system would be rather expansive.
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It looks like there's a train from Chicago to Joliet but it's an hour and a half ride. NASCAR would do better to just run shuttles from downtown to Chicagoland.
 
Chicagoland has nothing to do with NASCAR’s initial success in downtown Chicago.

But hey … rather than build on it, let’s see if we can bus all these people away from the amenities that attracted them to a street race in the heart of the city.
 
I love downtown Chicago and have spent much time there. It's one of my favorite cities and I love to visit whenever I can.. Still, I wasn't sure what to expect from a NASCAR street race there. There had been a lot of negative press (Bloomberg) before the race about how much money merchants there were losing because of the streets being blocked off and how they were trying to pressure the city government to get out of the remaining races on the contract.

Then with the fire smoke a few days ahead of time then the bad weather over the weekend, it was starting to look to me as if it was shaping up to be a real disaster. The first part of the Xfinity face really wasn't a good sign with its lack of passing at the front. With the great street races Indycar runs in this country, I was convinced after seeing the Chicago layout, that the NASCAR race could be a real blast however if they could ever get past the start-up problems.

I wasn't sure then that they would even get the Cup race started that day but once it did, I thought it was fantastic. Then I sat there watching the race and thinking, here I am watching a NASCAR race on the streets of Chicago...something I've never seen before...then a ringer comes out of nowhere and wins the race in his first start in NASCAR and on a street race no less. I was looking for someone to pinch me by then to make sure I hadn't slipped into some kind of parallel racing universe.

I thought the race was great and rated it a 10. The racing world is really changing lately it seems. F1 is now racing on 3 different US tracks and next thing we know, NASCAR will be trying to figure out a way to get to Monaco to burnish it's international credentials.
 
After yesterdays success, Chicagoland Speedway isn’t walking through that door anytime soon if ever again. I’m done pining for it and wishing it back to existence….for whatever reason it was deemed expendable. Maybe it was the date dance that the race date had, maybe it was lack of love for the previous gen car I don’t know. I don’t buy the theory folks stopped showing up because it was an hour from the city, if you’ve been to any of these tracks like I have, most of these places are in the middle of nowhere.

Will the love be there for the Chicago Street race 5 years from now? Not sure, as Motorsports across the spectrum have a graveyard of various street circuits that were here one day and dead the next. But I’ll tell you what…until the reaper comes for this new Chicago circuit or if it even does, I’ll be attending it next year for sure. In this instance, I feel no need to wish upon tracks gone by when something this neat is in front of me
 
Tumbleweed said:
I love downtown Chicago and have spent much time there. It's one of my favorite cities and I love to visit whenever I can.. Still, I wasn't sure what to expect from a NASCAR street race there. There had been a lot of negative press (Bloomberg) before the race about how much money merchants there were losing because of the streets being blocked off and how they were trying to pressure the city government to get out of the remaining races on the contract.

Then with the fire smoke a few days ahead of time then the bad weather over the weekend, it was starting to look to me as if it was shaping up to be a real disaster. The first part of the Xfinity face really wasn't a good sign with its lack of passing at the front. With the great street races Indycar runs in this country, I was convinced after seeing the Chicago layout, that the NASCAR race could be a real blast however if they could ever get past the start-up problems.

I wasn't sure then that they would even get the Cup race started that day but once it did, I thought it was fantastic. Then I sat there watching the race and thinking, here I am watching a NASCAR race on the streets of Chicago...something I've never seen before...then a ringer comes out of nowhere and wins the race in his first start in NASCAR and on a street race no less. I was looking for someone to pinch me by then to make sure I hadn't slipped into some kind of parallel racing universe.

I thought the race was great and rated it a 10. The racing world is really changing lately it seems. F1 is now racing on 3 different US tracks and next thing we know, NASCAR will be trying to figure out a way to get to Monaco to burnish it's international credentials.
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I was watching the local news this morning and they had many of interviews with bar and restaurant owners, they said their weekend was a success. Folks were in a good mood and were spending, I don’t see how this doesn’t come back next year.
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
I was watching the local news this morning and they had many of interviews with bar and restaurant owners, they said their weekend was a success. Folks were in a good mood and were spending, I don’t see how this doesn’t come back next year.
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I hope it does! I gave it a 9.5 rating and I enjoyed the racing much more than I thought I would. But I also hope it gets people wanting to attend other track types as well. The plan should be to get people into NASCAR, not just into street courses.
 
Brentford said:
I hope it does! I gave it a 9.5 rating and I enjoyed the racing much more than I thought I would. But I also hope it gets people wanting to attend other track types as well. The plan should be to get people into NASCAR, not just into street courses.
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I can understand that thinking, I just don’t know how they capitalize on the momentum to get them to a track like Bristol that doesn’t have much around it till about 20 min away in Johnson City,TN or back to Chicagoland which has nothing around it except warehouses and gas stations. It’ll be interesting to see how they leverage the street courses (you know there’s more coming) to get these fans to attend the traditional NASCAR tracks.
 
aunty dive said:
Chicagoland has nothing to do with NASCAR’s initial success in downtown Chicago.

But hey … rather than build on it, let’s see if we can bus all these people away from the amenities that attracted them to a street race in the heart of the city.
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I never said it did?
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
After yesterdays success, Chicagoland Speedway isn’t walking through that door anytime soon if ever again. I’m done pining for it and wishing it back to existence….for whatever reason it was deemed expendable. Maybe it was the date dance that the race date had, maybe it was lack of love for the previous gen car I don’t know. I don’t buy the theory folks stopped showing up because it was an hour from the city, if you’ve been to any of these tracks like I have, most of these places are in the middle of nowhere.

Will the love be there for the Chicago Street race 5 years from now? Not sure, as Motorsports across the spectrum have a graveyard of various street circuits that were here one day and dead the next. But I’ll tell you what…until the reaper comes for this new Chicago circuit or if it even does, I’ll be attending it next year for sure. In this instance, I feel no need to wish upon tracks gone by when something this neat is in front of me
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COVID-19 changed things.
 
The Nature Boy said:
This might be unpopular but things like this and the race at the Coliseum are essential for growing the fanbase and getting NASCAR in front of new eyes.
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We’ll see. Ratings were down for Year 2 in Los Angeles. At least you can see the whole track at the LA Coliseum lol.
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
After yesterdays success, Chicagoland Speedway isn’t walking through that door anytime soon if ever again. I’m done pining for it and wishing it back to existence….for whatever reason it was deemed expendable. Maybe it was the date dance that the race date had, maybe it was lack of love for the previous gen car I don’t know. I don’t buy the theory folks stopped showing up because it was an hour from the city, if you’ve been to any of these tracks like I have, most of these places are in the middle of nowhere.

Will the love be there for the Chicago Street race 5 years from now? Not sure, as Motorsports across the spectrum have a graveyard of various street circuits that were here one day and dead the next. But I’ll tell you what…until the reaper comes for this new Chicago circuit or if it even does, I’ll be attending it next year for sure. In this instance, I feel no need to wish upon tracks gone by when something this neat is in front of me
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I think we’re seeing a shift in consumer behavior. The previous generation built stadiums and arenas in the burbs, now they’re being built in the cities. The Braves are the only team to buck that trend. People want their entertainment convenient to them.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I think we’re seeing a shift in consumer behavior. The previous generation built stadiums and arenas in the burbs, now they’re being built in the cities. The Braves are the only team to buck that trend. People want their entertainment convenient to them.
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In short, we’re getting dumber and dumber as a society.
 
racingfan7 said:
In short, we’re getting dumber and dumber as a society.
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Building in the suburbs was the anomaly. We’re course correcting. Every classic sports venue was built in the city. We’re getting back to basics.

The rise of motorsports coincided with the boom in suburban stadium building.
 
The Nature Boy said:
Building in the suburbs was the anomaly. We’re course correcting. Every classic sports venue was built in the city. We’re getting back to basics.

The rise of motorsports coincided with the boom in suburban stadium building.
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I don’t want to watch 10-36 road course races a year though.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I think we’re seeing a shift in consumer behavior. The previous generation built stadiums and arenas in the burbs, now they’re being built in the cities. The Braves are the only team to buck that trend. People want their entertainment convenient to them.
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What's convenient for some, isn't convenient for others. If I don't have to go downtown, I'm not going to. Even more so for Chicago. We went to Chicagoland Speedway. Of course we wanted to go to downtown as well. That was a nightmare, as was trying to find a place to park that didn't break the bank.
 
Brentford said:
Is it the uniqueness of it more than it is the geographical location? I didn’t hear anyone in the NASCAR world even mention Chicagoland, almost acting like it doesn’t even exist and this was the first time NASCAR has even been to the Chicago area. Should have we just abandon all 1 1/2 mile ovals and instead race downtown? Why is a street course so much better at attracting new fans than a 1.5 mile oval is? Why didn’t the Chicago residents have any interest in going to Chicagoland, but they were so thrilled going to the street race?
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It was more exciting, something brand new and it ****** worked.
 
racingfan7 said:
COVID-19 changed things.
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I think you can say it changed thinking across the board, NASCAR is shaking the box that they think outside of. They’re trying things that they might not have tried if it wasn’t for the pandemic.
 
racingfan7 said:
It’s disappointing that we live in a society/country where they can’t have the proper means via shuttle service or car rental or public transit to get to a track like Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, it’s much better of an overall race & event than a street course where you can’t see much of the track.

The Gen7 has excelled at 1.5-2 mile racetracks like Chicagoland Speedway.

I would love to see this street course event move to New York City or Denver or New Orleans or Seattle where there’s no logistically viable NASCAR track within 90 miles.
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Oh oh oh Seattle or Portland and I'm there. I'd go hunt Kurt down and say hey.
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
I think you can say it changed thinking across the board, NASCAR is shaking the box that they think outside of. They’re trying things that they might not have tried if it wasn’t for the pandemic.
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I would like to see Texas or Kentucky Speedway get the Nashville Superspeedway concrete treatment if the Downtown Short Track in Nashville gets built.
 
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