The preseason Busch Clash has been held on a temporary track inside the Los Angeles Coliseum for the past two years and NASCAR held its annual All-Star Race in May at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a track that had been shuttered for nearly three decades until a recent revitalization project. The race itself is an ambitious play by a sanctioning that’s been making them recently.
In addition to three races over two days across various series, the weekend’s event around Chicago’s Grant Park features concerts by The Chainsmokers, Miranda Lambert and others designed to attract attendees who wouldn’t otherwise go to a NASCAR race.īut pushback from local officials, a new mayor and logistical and traffic impacts to Chicago residents could put the race at risk of not completing the three-year contract between the city and sanctioning body. As F1’s popularity has grown over the past five years in the United States and road courses became some of the most entertaining tracks in NASCAR, a street race made logical sense.