City officials, NASCAR seek better efficiency, financial impact in future Chicago Street Races

CHICAGO (WGN) — City of Chicago officials met with NASCAR representatives Monday to discuss what a possible return of their Chicago Street Race could look like.

“Everything they learned in the first two years, we all learn from our mistakes. And certainly they did too,” Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) said.

The meeting took place at City Hall, where alders and members of the mayor’s office met NASCAR for what both sides said was a productive meeting. Set up and tear down efficiency, along with improved financial impact at NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race, were leading topics of discussion at the meeting.

“After this meeting, I am absolutely convinced they want to come back and race in ’27, ’28 and beyond,” Hopkins said.

As previously reported, the motorsport company will exercise its two-year option and pass on holding a Chicago Street Race in 2026. Their goal is to reassess their business and logistics strategies while also finding a better date that suits both parties heading into 2027.

“They did further reassure us, with some more specifics behind it, that they’re going to use 2026 to continue to establish their presence in the community of Chicago,” Hopkins said. “They’re going to be doing even more charitable work than they’ve done, working with our youth organizations.”

Set up and tear down

“They’re getting smarter. They’re learning as they go along,” Hopkins said of NASCAR. “They even were able to successfully reopen all the roadways downtown a couple of days early this year. So that’s to their credit.”

Ald. Bill Conway (34th Ward), who represents parts of the Loop, South Loop and West Loop, told WGN-TV last Friday that residents in his ward have expressed frustrations with the hassles that come with the street race every year, but they haven’t been as much of a nuisance as initially expected.

“Every year, I conduct a survey of my residents to ask them about feedback for NASCAR, and they have consistently said NASCAR is inconvenient, but not as inconvenient as we thought it would be, but please don’t have it on July 4,” Conway said. “I was informed by their leadership that they’re keeping their office right here … They’re still going to be in the community, so their actions seem to back up their words that they do plan to race here in 2027.”

Financial impact

Another leading concern when it comes to bringing back NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race is on the financial end.

Can the city and NASCAR continue to build a relationship that turns into more profits over time?

“It’s time to hit the reset button and make sure that the Chicago taxpayers get what they’re entitled to for hosting this event,” Hopkins said. “We need to do more than break even on this. It’s not enough to break even. It’s not enough for the city to have a small profit.”

According to city estimates, set up, tear down and hosting the event costs approximately $15 million. And while Hopkins said NASCAR has shown commitment to the city, its long-term future hinges on stakeholder support and scheduling logistics.

“They did tell us that, they’re only looking at coming back to Chicago in June, July, possibly August,” Hopkins said. “But August is very challenging for them. They didn’t rule it out, but they did say there was a much lower probability that they could make a date work in August.”

According to a study conducted by Temple University’s Sports Industry Research Center on behalf of the city’s tourism bureau, the 2024 NASCAR Chicago Street Race generated $128 million in economic impact, a 17% increase from the 2023 iteration of the street race.

Temple’s analysis of the street race’s media and economic impact in 2025 is still underway, with results expected to be released in the next 2-3 weeks.

NASCAR is amid a 90-day period during which they will need to make an agreement to determine if the two-year option they are exploring for their Chicago Street Race includes 2026.