Nascar over saturated the schedule with too many tracks that looked the same. Chicago, Kentucky, Kansas, Charlotte, Texas, and Vegas all looked like the same track and raced pretty much the same. I realize they had differences, but I'm talking about how it looked to the casual fan.
It's only a matter of time whether or not the Chicago Street Race will be a success or not. A lot are saying it's gonna be a disaster throughout the entire race weekend. But you really never know, it could be a clean race overall. But if the Street race doesn't stay long-term, they should return to Chicagoland
Being from Chicago I can tell you a lot of people aren’t happy. I know the city isn’t making much money from it also. I’m a NASCAR fan and I was pumped to hear NASCAR come to Chicago. Unfortunately I think this as a one and done race.
I Also another rumor politics:(may people believe Chicagos mayor, Lori Lightfoot approved the Chicago Street Race as a publicity stunt because it's an election year and any other year the city would have told nascar no.
Probably end up back at the Chicagoland Speedway. Contract for street race is for 3 years. And alot of those crooked politicians in Chicago don't even want it for the remaining 2 years even
It’s hard to create interest where there is none. People are less and less fascinated with racing and more happy to spend their time and money in the digital world and local events. Rainouts, travel and missed work are racing’s biggest enemies. Dull racing is obvious.
You got that right....will never waste my money or time to go to race...way to expensive as there r no tracks near me and then you risk the rain out b.s
"There weren't any plans public about a street course in 2020" Except for the iRacing Chicago Street Course that they released and raced on that year. So I'd imagine NASCAR was in talks since before then
poopy downforce packages ruined this track: same with Michigan and Auto Club. Now that the nextgen's performance at these types of tracks are amazing, I'd love to see it get a second chance.
Im still really pissed they took Road America off the schedule i was there for both races and there were supposedly 100k fans there at both races. Even more painful as a wisconsinite losing it to none other than chicago.
I love how as soon as the 2018-2019 races and the end of Chicagoland happened, everyone became a fan of the track. As a kid, I loved how unique the track was. Like the curvy backstretch. The only problems I had with Chicagoland was the September races were usually mid. The racing is perfect at the track when it was in July. Beautiful racing. As for IndyCar, it’s honestly one of, if not, the best cookie cutter oval track they’ve ever raced at! This track deserves another chance in terms of marketing because the Gen 7 cars and Xfinity cars can produce sexy racing on big tracks! It’s a shame that it declined in terms of attendance and it wasn’t “marketable”. A lot of fans took this track for granted. Thank goodness SuperMotocross will race there! :)
@@richardrice8076 it’s funny how they speak up as soon as anything is gone. But as for you, Richard. You’re the real one! I’m sorry you lost Chicagoland, man.
I can literally can see this track from my backyard. Hasn’t been open in a few years but you definitely hear the cars. Especially when they’re practicing. I’m 21 now but we’ve lived in this house since i was 4, And now it’s been announced to be open again. I’m definitely going to try and get tickets to whatever I can get for the experience finally. My siblings and I used to play NASCAR ‘06 on the PS2 and play the chicagoland speedway bc we knew it was right by our house and be like “I see our house!!!l jokes as a kid. Good times. thank you for this piece of history! 🏁🏁
They screwed everything up when they moved the date from a September playoff race back to a July race in 2018. This is the Midwest! It was so hot and humid, terrible for drivers and fans alike!!
The issue was the constant changing of the date on the schedule, running it during the heat of the day, and going against the Bears season at times. They also early on forced a season ticket plan. I went every year.
Went there in 2013 when it was a chase race. Was a rain delay at least half the fans left. I believe Matt Kennseth won it. Seemed like it was good racing.
Several other things, hotels tripled their prices, the heat in summer day races was horrible, getting in and out of the parking was terrible. A large segment of the nascar population has never recovered from the 2008 economic crash.
New format and new price structure of tickets. You had to buy all the races tickets not just one event. You could not give away the over race tickets I'd tried.
It seems a lot of the 1.5mile tracks in the midwest have failed. I wonder if there is any connection to the dates these tracks held? Usually late June/July and it seemed to always be 95-100degrees.
The problem for Chicagoland was the NASCAR race date bounced around for a while which made it hard for some folks to plan for the race. It was in The Chase, it was out of the Chase, what the heck? 🤨
Nascar has to change first, they have lost a lot of fans, like myself. The chase, cookie cutter cars, green yellow finishes, stage racing, drastic aerodynamic rule changes to cars that teams cannot catch up to, resulting in a car pulling out to pass, then pulling back in line because it can't. The first few races at Indianapolis were great, but then it became "follow the leader" real fast. etc, etc, etc...
Most of the races were held during the hottest part of the year and only used the light for Cup races a few times. The last couple races were really good and if they come back I'm really the racing will be fantastic.
Of course Kentucky had the same issues. as Chicagoland. Kentucky of course sold out standalone Xfinity races from 2001-2010 while also holding Truck, IndyCar, and 2 ARCA races during this time. The Truck Series had previously raced in the state of Kentucky from 1995-1999 at Louisville Motor Speedway. Louisville was shut down shortly after Kentucky Speedway opened to make it a success, especially since Kentucky Speedway was larger while being able to seat more people and had more state-of-the-are amenities than Louisville Motor Speedway. I think Kentucky was built from the get-go to host a Cup race, which took a complicated span of a decade including a lawsuit and a buyout by SMI from the original owners. Kentucky of course got its Cup race in 2011 and had issues for the first three years of its existence with the traffic incident, oppressive heat, and a rain-postponed 2013 race. 2011 also saw the addition of a second Truck race as a support race for what turned out to be the last IndyCar race at the track. IndyCar already announced Kentucky's removal from its schedule in 2012 probably citing low attendance (the 2011 IndyCar race at Kentucky was attended by no more than 10k-15k) and fan interests. The track decided basically to focus on NASCAR after 2011 especially after it gained a Cup race. In 2012, the track added a second standalone Xfinity race probably as a replacement for the IndyCar race with the second Truck race returning as support for the standalone Xfinity race. In 2013, the Truck race run as support for the standalone Xfinity race was removed with its race being taken over by an ARCA race, the series' first visit to the track since 2009. I will guess that the standalone Xfinity race was not successful as that race was dropped after 2017 and replaced by a second Las Vegas weekend in 2018. Kentucky soldiered on with just one race weekend even with declining attendance all across the board including a thrilling finish with the Busch brothers in 2019. Then the pandemic hit, and what turned out to be the final Cup race at Kentucky in 2020 had to be held without fans like most events in the country during this time. Just like Chicago, Kentucky was of course removed in 2021 citing declining attendance before 2020 and no guarantee of being able to hold the race with fans in 2021. The Kentucky race was moved to Atlanta, which ironically gave up one of its races after 2010 for Kentucky to get a Cup race in 2011. At least Chicago has seen some racing activity while Kentucky continues to sit dormant and is now used as a storage site for Ford F-150s from the Louisville plant the same way Nashville was also used as a storage site for Nissans from the nearby Smyrna plant for a decade before the track was revived.
@@RobertDetert Which is ironic. In 2011, Atlanta gave up one of its two dates to put Kentucky on the schedule. When Kentucky failed, that date was given back to Atlanta.
I used to spend $5,000-$6,000 a year attending NASCAR racing. I hope the Chicago street race goes bust. Permanent road courses are ok, I've been to The Glen a bunch of times.
I can not remember which drivers said it. Back in 2001 when Chicagoland was announced a few drivers came out and stated specifically we don’t need another 1.5 mile oval on the schedule. I think if they want to return to racing a track similar to maybe Bristol or even darlington would bring in more fans. It is kind of obvious that NASCAR is trying and maybe trying to hard to try and bring fans back and increase their market share by doing things like, dirt racing at Bristol, road course races in the rain. Somethings I believe they are trying to hard with.
What nascar fans don’t get. The Chicago market is huge. Yes. But not for a sport like nascar. Most people living im the city know nothing and care nothing for racing, let alone the southern variant
Most of Gen Z don't care for NASCAR. Me and my Dad basically talked about how people these days aren't into anything automotive. But I wish Chicagoland atleast Host an FD event. FD is was draws the younger Car enthusiasts crowed
@@DEIFAN agreed. Personally i love the track. I saw 2 cup races there. I don’t blame gen z for not being interested in cars. The way things are trending it’s getting harder and harder to buy a decent car when you’re starting out. And there’s a war on internal combustion.
@@eclark9965 I mean, there is a Section of Gen Z, who Mod Old Honda Civics, Salvage Title V6 Chargers and G35s, and Even try to make Altimas Cool. Really being a Car Guy is something you truly have to love. Cuz you will spend alot of money on Cars, mods, tuning ETC. I tell people, you really gotta love cars if you wanna be a True car guy, other wise you are just an Enthusiasts who likes cool cars but don't want to mod or own them.
@@DEIFAN i just bought an Audi and called it good but i get what you’re saying. Most of the modded cars i see are pep boys nightmares from young people
I think NASCAR just made a multi-year deal with the Chicago Street Course. So, it'll probably be a while until we see NASCAR come back to Chicagoland Speedway.
Route 66 Raceway has an odd thing going on. A different promoter has a lease on the dirt oval and runs several events a year there since 2021. The drag strip had signs of life with NHRA returning in 2023. However, that's the only event on the schedule for the drag strip. Being there, it seemed like NHRA broke into an abandoned track and held an event. The track had very little to do with the event. Hopefully NHRA at least keeps coming back
"Indy Car was not happy with the promotion for the event." he says. My brother lives less than a mile from this track. There was VERY LITTLE promotion for ANY events at this track! Really sad. The parking situation was also an issue. I think the only thing that's happened here since NASCAR left was a Motocross event last year. In 2020 the city of Joliet did a study to turn the site into Amazon type warehouses.
Well, when it comes to Chicagoland Speedway, I still say that I would have it on the schedule this year over the Chicago Street Course any day of the week. All-in-all, in the end, that's all I've got to say, so goodbye!
The key is - concentrate on what the fans want. What DO fans want? NOVELTY. If all the cars look and sound the same, there's no novelty. The same thing happened to Indycar - all the cars are made by the same company (Dallara). They all look the same, sound the same. This is happening slowly in Formula One too. They still build their own cars but the rules have them looking and sounding the same - the rules mean CONFORMITY, NO NOVELTY. The VARIETY of car designs in NASCAR, Indycar and Formula One was VERY PROMINENT in the past. - remember the high rear spoilers on the Superbird cars in the 1970s? - remember the turbine cars by Lotus and Granatelli in Indycar? - remember when Lotus introduced ground effects in Formula One? NONE OF THAT CAN HAPPEN ANYMORE. All race teams have to follow strict rules. If you want an exciting race, watch the Isle of Man TT races. 1) very little in the way of safety features (the 'run off' area is a steep plunge off a mountain) 2) very high speed driving considering the 'track' conditions 3) very high risks taken by the riders 4) crashes are usually catastrophic Most auto racing is as exciting as *_watching someone play miniature golf for 2 hours_* HOW TO REDUCE THE FAN BASE IN AUTO RACING 1) have a rules-setting body that makes all race teams conform and have similar vehicles and engines and noise 2) have huge run-off areas on both sides of the track or infield so that the risk-taking is mostly eliminated 3) when fans stop showing up at races, do not hire a market research firm to find out why the fans lost interest .
I never liked this track. It was so boring and just like many of the other tracks constructed in the 90s. I'm not sad to see them disappear from the schedule.
I don't think the Chicago Street race should be approved in 2024 that's the best case scenario for Chicagoland to come back. I still think the biggest mistake nascar made was making Kentucky a 1.5 mile speedway instead of a short track.
Nascar wanted 1.5 mile ovals because they held more people. The cookie cutter era should have never happened. The moment someone started calling them cookie cutters they should have taken a pause. The same style track every week is boring. Different layout styles work in affecting the racing much more on smaller tracks. Martinsville is different from Bristol is different from Richmond is different from Wilkesboro. All 1.5m ovals feel the same.
There's a contract for 3 years for the Chicago Street Race. However, it was not politically popular and one of the issues that cost Lightfoot her job. New Mayor Brandon Johnson has stated they will explore backing out of the contract after the 2023 race.
I never liked Chicagoland because it looked just like the races at Las Vegas, Kansas and later, Kentucky. I never understood making tracks that were that similar. I'm completely indifferent to it coming back; put warehouses on it, like Brooklands. Leave some of the curves to people can remember the track as better than it really was.
1.5 mile ovals all run the same. Different layouts don't affect them like short tracks do. It takes drastic differences (think Indy vs Daytona). Smaller differences really affect short tracks. Nascar is also just more interesting on smaller tracks.
Tickets were way too expensive. Road America was a better race and the prices were reasonable. Chicago street race is good for NASCAR, bad for Chicago.
To me taking stock car racing out of the South is like taking Premier League soccer out of England. Sure you can do it but it just lacks the appeal of the genuine article.
The tracks and markets have nothing to do with it. It’s nascar’s way of doing things that is the problem. nascar is only about money. And only the wealthy can afford to pay to attend races. The average blue collar worker who went to races before 2000 can no long afford the price of admission. nascar is no longer about entertainment. They’ve lost sight of their purpose. To entertain race fans. And the fans can no longer have access to the drivers. Which was a draw for race fans in the past. At NHRA events one can walk around the pit area and actually meet drivers, and crew, and watch them work on their cars.
This. I used to go to both Talladega races up until 2001. it got so expensive and I felt like I was turning into a wallet to be drained so I said to hell with it and I never went back.
It’s in the sticks of Will County, but the area is built up now with warehouses because the land was so cheap 10-20 years ago. The only problem is the areas of wealth in the MSA are all 30-90 minutes away on the other side the metro, and they could care less about a racing brand with a lowbrow reputation.
I work for ford and we are literally using the track to park all of ford’s 2025 new cars here .. its sad i looked up the speedway to know its history and see why its abandoned.
Sadly it's not just Chicagoland, I mean look at the broadcast of most major races and you'll see huge chunks of the stands covered up with advertisements the size of the footprint of a small home when those areas are supposed to be chock-full of people. Heck even Dover tore down a large chunk of their upper tier because of tax reasons which sadly had nothing to do with the race track or racing in general just liberal policies that no longer cater to the sport sadly.
Chicago is a huge sports town even though most of their teams suck. NASCAR has to compete for fans money. Plus, Illinois is not a very business friendly state. Very high taxes. Throw in a recession and a pandemic and you get very low attendance figures. And in my opinion, the Chicago/Illinois government does not like white conservatives. I really hope Chicago street race will be a huge success.
There’s plenty of white conservatives where the track is at in Will County and south of I-80, but the problem is that it is not where the wealth is concentrated in the state. The real money in the affluent suburbs and Chicago central core just doesn’t care about an overwhelming white Southern sport. It doesn’t help NASCAR has a reputation problem where it can’t shake the Southern toothless townie image. Some of it is deserved, some of it is not. It is probably better if NASCAR stayed out the major U.S. markets and stayed Southern. F1 is just better with luxury racing brands, international appeal, and a cleaner image which aligns more with the wealth and diverse audiences in the NE part of the state.
Sign of the times - people want to be more active these days, rather than spending hours just sitting down. Maybe. Studies need to be done if it is changing fashions.
@@eclark9965 Joliet is 46 miles from Chicago. Gary is only 31 miles from Chicago. Waukegan is also 46 miles from Chicago. *Plenty* of farmland between Chicago and Joliet, too.
Chicagoland’s issue for 2020-2021 solely goes on Governor Pritzker and his extreme “mandates” No one legitimately let alone legally has to show “your papers”. Fans and residents quit pouring money into Illinois businesses because of this alone
Regardless of the state-level COVID mandates at the time, there were and still are bigger problems at play in Joliet. Not only was attendance cratering, but they were having trouble finding sponsors and getting vendors. Even if they had a race in 2020 or 21, it was going to be unprofitable. This market looks down upon NASCAR. Just see what is happening in Chicago with the street course. No one wants them there.
@@86sVideoDump Yep. It was good the last 15 laps last year but that's it. This year was just a wreckfest. I'd love to see Chicagoland back on the schedule.
@@NativeMatt I hate Pocono, I don't see Texas leaving anytime soon. Also Texas Motorspeedway is Here to stay forever, due to it's multi use. Many stem programs use the facility
They don't even wait for the guy to get out of the car and the avalanche of leftover commercial pours out instead of the happiness of victory lane? The driver isn't the whole team and the track is for racing and not talking? I watch RUclips to avoid the constant split screen commercials?
This is why I hope the street course fails (part of the reason anyways). I don’t want this place to die for some experiment with a high risk factor -As a Chicago resident
I’m all for the street race failing, Chicagoland being plowed over and turned into Amazon warehouses, and for F1 to do a downtown race instead. The NASCAR brand is shot up here in the north.
the people who owns chicagoland did not reapply their business arimint with nascar or indy but the infield is going to used for Amazon trucks apparently. that is what I no as a illinois in and living a couple miles away.
That got voted down by the City of Joliet City Council. There s already way too much truck traffic and warehouses in that area..that's why it was voted down
disaster of a city fails to do anything related to the name itself. the on track product was always great, the people running the show are a dumpsterfire like the city itself
Nascar over saturated the schedule with too many tracks that looked the same. Chicago, Kentucky, Kansas, Charlotte, Texas, and Vegas all looked like the same track and raced pretty much the same. I realize they had differences, but I'm talking about how it looked to the casual fan.
It's only a matter of time whether or not the Chicago Street Race will be a success or not. A lot are saying it's gonna be a disaster throughout the entire race weekend. But you really never know, it could be a clean race overall. But if the Street race doesn't stay long-term, they should return to Chicagoland
Being from Chicago I can tell you a lot of people aren’t happy. I know the city isn’t making much money from it also. I’m a NASCAR fan and I was pumped to hear NASCAR come to Chicago. Unfortunately I think this as a one and done race.
I Also another rumor politics:(may people believe Chicagos mayor, Lori Lightfoot approved the Chicago Street Race as a publicity stunt because it's an election year and any other year the city would have told nascar no.
Street course don't last long
yeah but it is going to be for 3 years
Probably end up back at the Chicagoland Speedway.
Contract for street race is for 3 years.
And alot of those crooked politicians in Chicago don't even want it for the remaining 2 years even
Bring back Chicagoland! Favorite track I’ve gone too. Great racing and great atmosphere
They stopped
The brickyard 400 at 2020
Chicagoland 2019
Kentucky Motor speedway '20
@@vain3207 and 2021 Nascar Cup Series schedule cancelled including Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway
@muhammad wahyu hidayat if u take a look at nascar heat 5 they have Chicagoland motor speedway even though they didn't use the track
Rockingham Should Come back next
Awesome track. Cant believe its not on the schedule anymore.
It’s hard to create interest where there is none. People are less and less fascinated with racing and more happy to spend their time and money in the digital world and local events. Rainouts, travel and missed work are racing’s biggest enemies. Dull racing is obvious.
You got that right....will never waste my money or time to go to race...way to expensive as there r no tracks near me and then you risk the rain out b.s
@@jasongrisdale3084 I'd honestly just Stick to Texas and COTA. Only two tracks Closest to me.
One issue with Chicagoland was the fact you couldn't buy just a cup race ticket you had to buy the 2 weekend package with Indy Car in the fall.
I didn't like that either
They eventually eliminated that or made it cheaper to buy a 4 race pass than a cup ticket.
They got rid of that quite a few years before it closed up.
For the last few years we always went just to the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday
"There weren't any plans public about a street course in 2020"
Except for the iRacing Chicago Street Course that they released and raced on that year. So I'd imagine NASCAR was in talks since before then
2021
poopy downforce packages ruined this track: same with Michigan and Auto Club.
Now that the nextgen's performance at these types of tracks are amazing, I'd love to see it get a second chance.
I Wish OG autoclub stayed, aswell as Texas World Speedway
@@DEIFAN Texas World was pretty much doomed to fail from the beginning.
Im still really pissed they took Road America off the schedule i was there for both races and there were supposedly 100k fans there at both races. Even more painful as a wisconsinite losing it to none other than chicago.
Chicagoland needs to return to the schedule. It was such a good track.
Our home track.
Really liked the track and the facility
I love how as soon as the 2018-2019 races and the end of Chicagoland happened, everyone became a fan of the track.
As a kid, I loved how unique the track was. Like the curvy backstretch.
The only problems I had with Chicagoland was the September races were usually mid. The racing is perfect at the track when it was in July. Beautiful racing.
As for IndyCar, it’s honestly one of, if not, the best cookie cutter oval track they’ve ever raced at!
This track deserves another chance in terms of marketing because the Gen 7 cars and Xfinity cars can produce sexy racing on big tracks! It’s a shame that it declined in terms of attendance and it wasn’t “marketable”. A lot of fans took this track for granted.
Thank goodness SuperMotocross will race there! :)
Dan wheelen and Justin Wilson really want has killed the oval in indycar
Uh I've been going since 2001. The fans had no reason to speak up until NASCAR shuttered the speedway.
@@richardrice8076 it’s funny how they speak up as soon as anything is gone.
But as for you, Richard. You’re the real one! I’m sorry you lost Chicagoland, man.
@@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT thank you. hopin' to get it back. Route 66 raceway, the drag strip across the street, had a national event in May.
Essay
Loved going there. Saw a lot of snoozers but after they moved it back to July they put on a great show.
I feel bad for Chicagoland Speedway, I hope NASCAR would return there again some day.
Been there 5 times. Racing ing the summer was so hot it sucked. Good for a sunburn.
Use sun block. 🤦♂️
Chicagoland was one of my favorite tracks, I always thought the preferred line made it unique and added to the racing
I can literally can see this track from my backyard. Hasn’t been open in a few years but you definitely hear the cars. Especially when they’re practicing. I’m 21 now but we’ve lived in this house since i was 4, And now it’s been announced to be open again. I’m definitely going to try and get tickets to whatever I can get for the experience finally. My siblings and I used to play NASCAR ‘06 on the PS2 and play the chicagoland speedway bc we knew it was right by our house and be like “I see our house!!!l jokes as a kid. Good times. thank you for this piece of history! 🏁🏁
They screwed everything up when they moved the date from a September playoff race back to a July race in 2018. This is the Midwest! It was so hot and humid, terrible for drivers and fans alike!!
The issue was the constant changing of the date on the schedule, running it during the heat of the day, and going against the Bears season at times. They also early on forced a season ticket plan. I went every year.
Indy Car put on a show every year there. It's a shame they won't return. It was their season Finale and had fantastic racing.
I'd really like to see Chicagoland, Road America and a few other tracks share rotating dates to change up the Cup Series schedule each year.
Road America needs to come back too.
They had huge crowds both years and NASCAR leaves
NASCAR is run by absolute morons.
Ok. Have The Chicago Street Corse, For 1 Year, And Bring Back The Chicagoland Speedway, To Replace The 2nd Atlanta Race, And That's It.
Forget NASCAR coming back here. Slap the IndyCars back on here for some good pack racing. It would be a lot safer than it was 12 years ago
Went there in 2013 when it was a chase race. Was a rain delay at least half the fans left. I believe Matt Kennseth won it. Seemed like it was good racing.
Several other things, hotels tripled their prices, the heat in summer day races was horrible, getting in and out of the parking was terrible. A large segment of the nascar population has never recovered from the 2008 economic crash.
Not to mention nascar is boring as hell. Only people who care about nascar are the dumb and poor.
New format and new price structure of tickets. You had to buy all the races tickets not just one event. You could not give away the over race tickets I'd tried.
It seems a lot of the 1.5mile tracks in the midwest have failed. I wonder if there is any connection to the dates these tracks held? Usually late June/July and it seemed to always be 95-100degrees.
The problem for Chicagoland was the NASCAR race date bounced around for a while which made it hard for some folks to plan for the race. It was in The Chase, it was out of the Chase, what the heck? 🤨
Nascar has to change first, they have lost a lot of fans, like myself. The chase, cookie cutter cars, green yellow finishes, stage racing, drastic aerodynamic rule changes to cars that teams cannot catch up to, resulting in a car pulling out to pass, then pulling back in line because it can't. The first few races at Indianapolis were great, but then it became "follow the leader" real fast. etc, etc, etc...
Most of the races were held during the hottest part of the year and only used the light for Cup races a few times.
The last couple races were really good and if they come back I'm really the racing will be fantastic.
Iiked it when they ran in September 2 weeks after Labor Day weekend.
Wasn't so hot then.
Having to purchase season tickets for every event at the venue was a major hurdle, fans only want what they want!
Of course Kentucky had the same issues. as Chicagoland. Kentucky of course sold out standalone Xfinity races from 2001-2010 while also holding Truck, IndyCar, and 2 ARCA races during this time. The Truck Series had previously raced in the state of Kentucky from 1995-1999 at Louisville Motor Speedway. Louisville was shut down shortly after Kentucky Speedway opened to make it a success, especially since Kentucky Speedway was larger while being able to seat more people and had more state-of-the-are amenities than Louisville Motor Speedway. I think Kentucky was built from the get-go to host a Cup race, which took a complicated span of a decade including a lawsuit and a buyout by SMI from the original owners. Kentucky of course got its Cup race in 2011 and had issues for the first three years of its existence with the traffic incident, oppressive heat, and a rain-postponed 2013 race. 2011 also saw the addition of a second Truck race as a support race for what turned out to be the last IndyCar race at the track. IndyCar already announced Kentucky's removal from its schedule in 2012 probably citing low attendance (the 2011 IndyCar race at Kentucky was attended by no more than 10k-15k) and fan interests. The track decided basically to focus on NASCAR after 2011 especially after it gained a Cup race. In 2012, the track added a second standalone Xfinity race probably as a replacement for the IndyCar race with the second Truck race returning as support for the standalone Xfinity race. In 2013, the Truck race run as support for the standalone Xfinity race was removed with its race being taken over by an ARCA race, the series' first visit to the track since 2009. I will guess that the standalone Xfinity race was not successful as that race was dropped after 2017 and replaced by a second Las Vegas weekend in 2018. Kentucky soldiered on with just one race weekend even with declining attendance all across the board including a thrilling finish with the Busch brothers in 2019. Then the pandemic hit, and what turned out to be the final Cup race at Kentucky in 2020 had to be held without fans like most events in the country during this time. Just like Chicago, Kentucky was of course removed in 2021 citing declining attendance before 2020 and no guarantee of being able to hold the race with fans in 2021. The Kentucky race was moved to Atlanta, which ironically gave up one of its races after 2010 for Kentucky to get a Cup race in 2011. At least Chicago has seen some racing activity while Kentucky continues to sit dormant and is now used as a storage site for Ford F-150s from the Louisville plant the same way Nashville was also used as a storage site for Nissans from the nearby Smyrna plant for a decade before the track was revived.
The Fairgrounds or the Intermediate
@@DEIFAN The intermediate. I think reviving that is part of NASCAR's plan to get back to the Fairgrounds though.
Marcus Smith moved the Kentucky race weekend back to the Atlanta Motor Speedway .
Those were and still are SMI race weekends
@@RobertDetert Which is ironic. In 2011, Atlanta gave up one of its two dates to put Kentucky on the schedule. When Kentucky failed, that date was given back to Atlanta.
Here’s an idea. Re-configure Chicagoland like they did ATL. It would be one of the best races in a market with 9 million people 🧐
Most 1.5-mile tracks are good. There is just too many of them.
At the 2:24 time stamp that's Chicago's Soldier Field in the 1950's. Now home of DA' Bears. I watched races there in "me youth".
I used to spend $5,000-$6,000 a year attending NASCAR racing. I hope the Chicago street race goes bust. Permanent road courses are ok, I've been to The Glen a bunch of times.
Nascar makes a car that runs 1.5+'s great while dropping all the 1.5+'s
Funny how that Happens. I'd like for them to go back the 2000s Schedule.
@@DEIFAN as long as I get 2000 Bristol back I don't care
That's how NASCAR operates.
Every decision they seem. to make is wrong.
I can not remember which drivers said it. Back in 2001 when Chicagoland was announced a few drivers came out and stated specifically we don’t need another 1.5 mile oval on the schedule. I think if they want to return to racing a track similar to maybe Bristol or even darlington would bring in more fans. It is kind of obvious that NASCAR is trying and maybe trying to hard to try and bring fans back and increase their market share by doing things like, dirt racing at Bristol, road course races in the rain. Somethings I believe they are trying to hard with.
Ironic that Kentucky has become a parking lot since parking problems was part of its downfall.
Now they feature premium 'indoor' VIP parking, too.
Chicagoland was always a great race.
What nascar fans don’t get. The Chicago market is huge. Yes. But not for a sport like nascar. Most people living im the city know nothing and care nothing for racing, let alone the southern variant
Most of Gen Z don't care for NASCAR. Me and my Dad basically talked about how people these days aren't into anything automotive. But I wish Chicagoland atleast Host an FD event. FD is was draws the younger Car enthusiasts crowed
@@DEIFAN agreed. Personally i love the track. I saw 2 cup races there. I don’t blame gen z for not being interested in cars. The way things are trending it’s getting harder and harder to buy a decent car when you’re starting out. And there’s a war on internal combustion.
@@eclark9965 I mean, there is a Section of Gen Z, who Mod Old Honda Civics, Salvage Title V6 Chargers and G35s, and Even try to make Altimas Cool. Really being a Car Guy is something you truly have to love. Cuz you will spend alot of money on Cars, mods, tuning ETC. I tell people, you really gotta love cars if you wanna be a True car guy, other wise you are just an Enthusiasts who likes cool cars but don't want to mod or own them.
@@DEIFAN i just bought an Audi and called it good but i get what you’re saying. Most of the modded cars i see are pep boys nightmares from young people
@@eclark9965 I mean, during Tough times could Cause that. However I've seen Clean V6 Muscle Cars, with Wheels and a Wrap.
I miss Chicago the nascar races there were pretty decent and it was also one of if not the best track for Indycar back in the IRL days
I attended all the IRL races from 2001 - 2010. From 2002 on it was close, exciting racing at the track.
Indycar could hypothetically bring back pack racing with all the safety improvements that have been added since the last race here
Lo que daríamos en México por un óvalo así
I think NASCAR just made a multi-year deal with the Chicago Street Course. So, it'll probably be a while until we see NASCAR come back to Chicagoland Speedway.
insane prices, stage caution flags, semi scripted action, what could go wrong? O_o
Not to mention they tried to attract all that diversity.
Route 66 Raceway has an odd thing going on. A different promoter has a lease on the dirt oval and runs several events a year there since 2021. The drag strip had signs of life with NHRA returning in 2023. However, that's the only event on the schedule for the drag strip. Being there, it seemed like NHRA broke into an abandoned track and held an event. The track had very little to do with the event. Hopefully NHRA at least keeps coming back
Supercross is coming September 16th. Wsx that is
"Indy Car was not happy with the promotion for the event." he says. My brother lives less than a mile from this track. There was VERY LITTLE promotion for ANY events at this track! Really sad. The parking situation was also an issue. I think the only thing that's happened here since NASCAR left was a Motocross event last year. In 2020 the city of Joliet did a study to turn the site into Amazon type warehouses.
Well, when it comes to Chicagoland Speedway, I still say that I would have it on the schedule this year over the Chicago Street Course any day of the week. All-in-all, in the end, that's all I've got to say, so goodbye!
I remember going to the Tropicana 400 when I was in younger.
Building the same tracks over and over with a few tweaks is boring. And get rid of the stage crap in Nascar.
#BringBackChicagolandSpeedway
bet if they would have made it a short track (say between .5 to .7 of a mile) we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Hey for the record it is not abandoned, how's truckers have been using the roads around it to park trucks and trailers out there.
Didn’t like you had to by 2weekend tickets. That is why we stoped going there.
The key is - concentrate on what the fans want.
What DO fans want? NOVELTY.
If all the cars look and sound the same, there's no novelty.
The same thing happened to Indycar - all the cars are made by the same company (Dallara). They all look the same, sound the same.
This is happening slowly in Formula One too. They still build their own cars but the rules have them looking and sounding the same - the rules mean CONFORMITY, NO NOVELTY.
The VARIETY of car designs in NASCAR, Indycar and Formula One was VERY PROMINENT in the past.
- remember the high rear spoilers on the Superbird cars in the 1970s?
- remember the turbine cars by Lotus and Granatelli in Indycar?
- remember when Lotus introduced ground effects in Formula One?
NONE OF THAT CAN HAPPEN ANYMORE. All race teams have to follow strict rules.
If you want an exciting race, watch the Isle of Man TT races.
1) very little in the way of safety features (the 'run off' area is a steep plunge off a mountain)
2) very high speed driving considering the 'track' conditions
3) very high risks taken by the riders
4) crashes are usually catastrophic
Most auto racing is as exciting as *_watching someone play miniature golf for 2 hours_*
HOW TO REDUCE THE FAN BASE IN AUTO RACING
1) have a rules-setting body that makes all race teams conform and have similar vehicles and engines and noise
2) have huge run-off areas on both sides of the track or infield so that the risk-taking is mostly eliminated
3) when fans stop showing up at races, do not hire a market research firm to find out why the fans lost interest
.
Wait when did Route 66 Speedway have a road course. I live like 30 min away and went pretty often but never before 2013.
Maybe he was referring to Autobanh Country Club, I just checked and it's located near Route 66 Speedway
@@RandomCarl05 No, that is a private club, like a golf country club.
Honestly, this track is ripe for an Indy car return...
I never liked this track. It was so boring and just like many of the other tracks constructed in the 90s. I'm not sad to see them disappear from the schedule.
If it’s in Joliet why is it called Chicago? The same reason NASCAR refers to Homestead, Fl as Miami?
The funny thing is these are the best tracks right now with the Next Gen
I don't think the Chicago Street race should be approved in 2024 that's the best case scenario for Chicagoland to come back. I still think the biggest mistake nascar made was making Kentucky a 1.5 mile speedway instead of a short track.
My theory is it’s just a dog and pony show to get some higher TV numbers for the new contract negotiations. Hopefully it’ll be gone after this year.
Nascar wanted 1.5 mile ovals because they held more people. The cookie cutter era should have never happened. The moment someone started calling them cookie cutters they should have taken a pause. The same style track every week is boring. Different layout styles work in affecting the racing much more on smaller tracks.
Martinsville is different from Bristol is different from Richmond is different from Wilkesboro. All 1.5m ovals feel the same.
@@mrFiiSKiiS I wish they Did the Mini Superspeedway Experiment to Kentucky.
There's a contract for 3 years for the Chicago Street Race. However, it was not politically popular and one of the issues that cost Lightfoot her job. New Mayor Brandon Johnson has stated they will explore backing out of the contract after the 2023 race.
New mayor says they're going to have it
I never liked Chicagoland because it looked just like the races at Las Vegas, Kansas and later, Kentucky. I never understood making tracks that were that similar. I'm completely indifferent to it coming back; put warehouses on it, like Brooklands. Leave some of the curves to people can remember the track as better than it really was.
1.5 mile ovals all run the same. Different layouts don't affect them like short tracks do. It takes drastic differences (think Indy vs Daytona). Smaller differences really affect short tracks. Nascar is also just more interesting on smaller tracks.
Some tracks they go to twice a year could be replaced with Chicagoland. Such a great track. Replace a Richmond race with it.
Agree.
Every track except for Daytona and Talladega should only have 1 race weekend per year
Tickets were way too expensive. Road America was a better race and the prices were reasonable. Chicago street race is good for NASCAR, bad for Chicago.
Nashville Superspeedway closed because it was a boring track. After the first lap it was single file until the checkered flag.
To me taking stock car racing out of the South is like taking Premier League soccer out of England. Sure you can do it but it just lacks the appeal of the genuine article.
The tracks and markets have nothing to do with it. It’s nascar’s way of doing things that is the problem. nascar is only about money. And only the wealthy can afford to pay to attend races. The average blue collar worker who went to races before 2000 can no long afford the price of admission. nascar is no longer about entertainment. They’ve lost sight of their purpose. To entertain race fans. And the fans can no longer have access to the drivers. Which was a draw for race fans in the past. At NHRA events one can walk around the pit area and actually meet drivers, and crew, and watch them work on their cars.
This. I used to go to both Talladega races up until 2001. it got so expensive and I felt like I was turning into a wallet to be drained so I said to hell with it and I never went back.
None of the “wealthy” in the area want anything to do with NASCAR. It’s a Southern toothless townie sport to them. And they might be right.
The track was built in the middle of nowhere
…and? It’s 52 seconds off the highway lmao
Most tracks are
It’s in the sticks of Will County, but the area is built up now with warehouses because the land was so cheap 10-20 years ago. The only problem is the areas of wealth in the MSA are all 30-90 minutes away on the other side the metro, and they could care less about a racing brand with a lowbrow reputation.
I work for ford and we are literally using the track to park all of ford’s 2025 new cars here .. its sad i looked up the speedway to know its history and see why its abandoned.
What's going on with that track right now
if only there was a way to bring fans in........go to silvis, illinois and ask for a raceday train
Sadly it's not just Chicagoland, I mean look at the broadcast of most major races and you'll see huge chunks of the stands covered up with advertisements the size of the footprint of a small home when those areas are supposed to be chock-full of people. Heck even Dover tore down a large chunk of their upper tier because of tax reasons which sadly had nothing to do with the race track or racing in general just liberal policies that no longer cater to the sport sadly.
Your information is not correct. I was a pit crew member for a BUSCH team in 1997. The final race of the season was at Homestead, not 1999.
Chicago is a huge sports town even though most of their teams suck. NASCAR has to compete for fans money. Plus, Illinois is not a very business friendly state. Very high taxes. Throw in a recession and a pandemic and you get very low attendance figures. And in my opinion, the Chicago/Illinois government does not like white conservatives. I really hope Chicago street race will be a huge success.
There’s plenty of white conservatives where the track is at in Will County and south of I-80, but the problem is that it is not where the wealth is concentrated in the state. The real money in the affluent suburbs and Chicago central core just doesn’t care about an overwhelming white Southern sport.
It doesn’t help NASCAR has a reputation problem where it can’t shake the Southern toothless townie image. Some of it is deserved, some of it is not.
It is probably better if NASCAR stayed out the major U.S. markets and stayed Southern. F1 is just better with luxury racing brands, international appeal, and a cleaner image which aligns more with the wealth and diverse audiences in the NE part of the state.
Sign of the times - people want to be more active these days, rather than spending hours just sitting down. Maybe. Studies need to be done if it is changing fashions.
Idk, I see alot of incels Playing video games
This track races great. I lived about 8 miles from there. It’s not Joliet
And it certainly isn’t Chicago, either.
@@sludge8506 hence Chicagoland
Track is in the Joliet City limits.wass annexed in when they built it
@@RobertDetert yeah. I know what they did. It’s still not Joliet.
@@eclark9965 Joliet is 46 miles from Chicago. Gary is only 31 miles from Chicago. Waukegan is also 46 miles from Chicago.
*Plenty* of farmland between Chicago and Joliet, too.
And the heat
What happened? The Chicago Street Course happened
Chicagoland’s issue for 2020-2021 solely goes on Governor Pritzker and his extreme “mandates”
No one legitimately let alone legally has to show “your papers”.
Fans and residents quit pouring money into Illinois businesses because of this alone
You could just say you have no idea what you're talking about. Really cut to the chase.
Chicago is a good place to get robbed or killed .
Regardless of the state-level COVID mandates at the time, there were and still are bigger problems at play in Joliet. Not only was attendance cratering, but they were having trouble finding sponsors and getting vendors. Even if they had a race in 2020 or 21, it was going to be unprofitable. This market looks down upon NASCAR. Just see what is happening in Chicago with the street course. No one wants them there.
The 550 package
Chiraq street race. Have the mobilized the 82nd or the 101st for security yet?
The race is in the tourist area where we can keep all you scared snowflakes safe
Hot take, we shouldn't anywhere twice
0:52 "....and how did it fell"
.
i think ya meant fall
TBH I kinda hope the street course fails, and the city of Chicago backs out of the contract, so that maybe the cup series returns to the speedway
It's going to fail. The racing is going to be pretty bad track itself will be a major disappointment.
@@Tylnorton The racing has been awful but somehow they're still doing it, should've already been back at Chicagoland by now
@@86sVideoDump Yep. It was good the last 15 laps last year but that's it. This year was just a wreckfest. I'd love to see Chicagoland back on the schedule.
Like go figure as soon as the races started to get better the track goes byby
What happens when Chevrolet and Ford stop making cars?
I hope Chicagoland returns to the schedule replacing Texas
Or boring Pocono
Very good idea
I wouldn’t mind them replacing Texas with Chicagoland but I have a feeling when the street course fails they will go back to Chicagoland
@@NativeMatt I hate Pocono, I don't see Texas leaving anytime soon. Also Texas Motorspeedway is Here to stay forever, due to it's multi use. Many stem programs use the facility
@@rollingthunder8378 The streetcourse is probably gonna be a Wreakfest with Ty Dillion winning and going to the Playoffs
Bring back chcagoland to replace the Chicago street race and road america take texas and cota geting a 2nd date
There still racing at Texas motor speedway what the hell
They don't even wait for the guy to get out of the car and the avalanche of leftover commercial pours out instead of the happiness of victory lane? The driver isn't the whole team and the track is for racing and not talking?
I watch RUclips to avoid the constant split screen commercials?
This is why I hope the street course fails (part of the reason anyways). I don’t want this place to die for some experiment with a high risk factor
-As a Chicago resident
I’m all for the street race failing, Chicagoland being plowed over and turned into Amazon warehouses, and for F1 to do a downtown race instead. The NASCAR brand is shot up here in the north.
Not a big fan of the street racecin Murder Inc. This year...
They’ll be fine, precious. It’s the blind corners on the circuit that’ll be the real danger.
You need a 10 minute video to say NASCAR closed it?
the people who owns chicagoland did not reapply their business arimint with nascar or indy but the infield is going to used for Amazon trucks apparently. that is what I no as a illinois in and living a couple miles away.
That got voted down by the City of Joliet City Council.
There s already way too much truck traffic and warehouses in that area..that's why it was voted down
NASCAR owns that track
no
NASCAR happened.
There ain't any hotels around the track
Not around the track but there are plenty of nearby hotels on Interstates 55 and 80.
As what happens when most tracks close down. The fans let the track close down by not showing up. Y'all made it happen by not going.
disaster of a city fails to do anything related to the name itself. the on track product was always great, the people running the show are a dumpsterfire like the city itself
I like right next to the track. It's sad bro
It's probably gunfire or homeless people sleeping there.
It’s in the boonies of Will County
Needs to happen Chicagoland and Road America Returns to the Cup Schedule to replace Texas Motor Speedway, The Chicago Street Course, and Bristol Dirt
It’s dead Too many rules killed it
It's the new home for the illegals and the homeless
We’ll see you there