As we’ve said almost too many times over the past two weeks, it is uncertain if NASCAR will return to downtown Chicago in 2026. NASCAR drivers seemed to hope that the Chicago Street Race returns — and so, too, did a few fans I spoke to at the race.
I also tried to reach out to a few businesses, but most of the businesses located trackside would’ve been closed on weekends anyway. I did get a hold of an employee at the Michigan Ave. Kilwin’s who told me business was, depending on the day, either above or the same as normal. The same employee told me that the threat of rain seemed to impact foot traffic more than the race, this despite the Kilwin’s being located right alongside the Michigan Ave. stretch of racetrack.
I also reached out to the owner bookstore Exile In Bookville, Kristin Ramirez, who made noise in 2023 and 2024 by criticizing the race and closing the physical location during both race weekends, opting for online-only ordering. I haven’t heard back and will update if I do.
The fans I spoke to seemed pretty happy with the event, although there’s an obvious selection bias here. While fans wouldn’t hesitate to criticize any aspects of the race that were poorly run, NASCAR fans who plunked down money for the event were more likely than not to be happy with it. Especially now that three years in, logistical details have been ironed out.
Indeed, last year I heard a few minor criticisms about the experience, even if fans were overall excited. This year it was all good vibes. Those I spoke to all wanted the race to return, though one conceded Chicagoland Speedway in suburban Joliet wasn’t a bad alternative.
Seneca Newkirk, 41, from Enterprise, Alabama, said “I think this is a really, just watching on TV, could be a really cool track if the weather holds out, it’s right downtown, it’s iconic.”
Joe O’Keefe, 60, who hails from the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood, was attending his first NASCAR race. He told me the Zac Brown Band concert on Saturday night was “phenomenal” and while the Cup race hadn’t even started yet when we chatted, he was in favor of it returning. “I don’t know how they’re going to pull it off, but it’s pretty cool.”
He finished with a very Chicago sentiment: “We need the money.”
Finally, Kevin Keeling, 39, and Seth Waldrip, 35, from Paducah, Kentucky, were attending their second Chicago Street Race and while they liked Chicagoland, they were in favor of the race remaining downtown. “I feel like they’ve tightened a lot of things up…it’s a well-oiled machine,” Waldrip said.
“I don’t want them to leave Chicago,” Keeling said, suggesting that NASCAR at least stay in the metro area for next season.
There won’t be a definitive answer for sometime, but it seems that the trepidation and cynicism surrounding the race in 2023 has given way to optimism — or, at least, a desire to turn this race from a curiosity into a tradition.
[Images © 2025 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]
