NASCAR’s buildup to this weekend has been grand, to say the very least. With all guns blazing, NASCAR has put maximum effort into promoting its first-ever Chicago Street Race. All this will hopefully pay off in garnering fans at the trackside. Their latest marketing strategy involved one of the city’s most iconic franchises, the Chicago Cubs.
The baseball giants are one of the most religiously followed teams in the country, and NASCAR has cashed in on that.
Drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr, former Kyle Busch Motorsports driver John Hunter Nemechek, and Harrison Burton have joined the fray in creating the hype for the weekend in Chicago.
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NASCAR Drivers Make an Appearance at Cubs’ Stadium to Promote Chicago Street Race
The three drivers got their promotional campaign going, led by Stenhouse Jr as their frontman. With Wrigley Field showing its excitement for the upcoming first-of-its-kind race, the signs have been positive so far. The trio performed up to the expectations, engaging with the crowd and setting the tune with small events like a miniature NASCAR race and the magnificent #45 Toyota on display.
Despite a great amount of backlash and protest, the plans have withstood everything. Finally becoming a reality, the Street Race shows promise in it. NASCAR’s plan to use Cubs as a medium to express their enthusiasm is also a great move from a marketing aspect. The collaboration not only creates a new wave of interest in fans from another sport but also gains a good deal of revenue.
The drivers also performed a long-running ritual in their appearance that got the fans excited. ‘Take Me Out to The Ball Game’ is the song sung as a part of the traditional seventh innings stretch. The ritual aims to give fans a break from continuously cheering for their teams. The song was originally written for a girl called Katie Casey who expresses her desire to be taken out to a baseball game by her fiance.
On your mark, get set…stretch!#NASCARChicago | @NASCARChicago | @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/WRzI1SPMds
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 30, 2023
#NASCARChicago takes over Wrigley Field! pic.twitter.com/aWh15HJtbj
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 29, 2023
Safe to say the drivers have done their bit in promoting something they are excited about themselves.
Fans Anticipate a Return for Jeff Gordon in the TV Booth
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Successful in all aspects of life, Jeff Gordon is arguably one of the personalities in NASCAR that truly excels at everything. The 4-time Cup Series champion is not only known for his racing prowess but also for his stint as a broadcaster at Fox Sports. Aside from being an excellent and knowledgeable analyst, Gordon is also now the right-hand to Rick Hendrick at Hendrick Motorsports. Watching the drivers in Chicago and at the commentary booth, fans have been reminded of Gordon’s glorious days as an analyst.
A fan on Reddit commented, “Damn, was hoping for a Jeff Gordon redemption” after watching Nemechek, Stenhouse, and Burton in the booth. Although the event was not bad in any manner and fulfilled its duty, the icing on the cake of Gordon was something some fans were hoping for.
Replying to this, another Redditor showed another viable plan that could be worth some wait.
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“Hahaha, that would’ve been cool.
But seriously, let’s hope that gets saved until 2025 so the redemption arc could be 20 years in the making.”
“The fact Jeff wasn’t Invited back...” said another fan lamenting at the unavailability of Gordon.
Some fans also took funny digs are the drivers that NASCAR chose for the promotional event. One fan wrote, “JHN looks like the kid in Rookie of The Year throwing that pitch….”
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Showing his praise for Stenhouse, one of the fans said, “Ricky would make a good frontman”. Would you agree to that?
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