All good things come to an end. It seems like the Chicago street race will lose one of its biggest partners, two years after the event found its place in the NASCAR calendar.

It seemed like a match made in heaven. Based out of Chicago, McDonald’s seemed like the perfect sponsor for NASCAR’s Chicago street course and was the first company to extend their support for the inaugural race in 2023. Unlike other collaborations, the ‘deal’ was not for the race title, as NASCAR went for ‘Grant Park 165’ while the QSR chain was promoted on the track, television, and the radio. The racing property was looking for three-year deals, with the focus primarily being on companies headquartered in Chicago or having a major presence in the city’s market.

McDonald’s, worth an estimated $200 billion, ticked all the boxes, but not anymore…

On January 9, Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern was the first to report the surprising departure. “.@McDonalds has ended its founding sponsorship of the @NASCARChicago street race after two years, dropping a local connection the event had with one of the biggest corporations in the city.” While the terms NASCAR had reached with the QSR (quick-service restaurant) chain are unclear, the Chicago street race event organizers will now be looking for other sponsors to make up the $2 million deficit that the fast-food chain’s withdrawal will bring.

While the news is not official—with no statements coming from either side—the iconic McDonald’s logo is no longer present on NASCAR Chicago’s partner page portion of its website. On the other hand, founding partners such as ABB, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, and Xfinity still remain listed.

The QSR chain’s withdrawal seems like a big loss for the event. However, McDonald’s remains a founding partner for 23XI Racing and Bubba Wallace…

Even though the Chicago-based corporation is taking away its sponsorship from a specific race, it will continue to be associated with 23XI Racing and its #23 racer for the foreseeable future. As things stand, the restaurant chain remains listed in the team’s updated partner’s page for the 2025 campaign, even though the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan co-owned side has been involved in an anti-trust lawsuit with NASCAR.

The upcoming NASCAR campaign remains the last year of the sanctioning body’s original agreement, after which they may look to shift its street race concept to another city. As for McDonald’s, the company’s iconic M logo will no longer be visible at a dedicated section of the 2.2-mile circuit around Grant Park along with fan entrances, concert stages, and way-finding placards.

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While their reasoning is unclear, the loss is a big one, not just for the sport but for the city of Chicago as well. But for now, let’s explore…

What might be the reason behind McDonald’s decision?

The collaboration came with plenty of promise. After all, McDonald’s and NASCAR were teaming up as part of a brand-new racing format in 2023. While street racing has yielded mixed results so far, the QSR chain heavily sponsored the event in the first few years, which included advertisement time with NBC Sports. However, pulling out of the event ahead of the 2025 season has led to plenty of speculation, even though the Chicago-based corporation has been coy about the underlying reasons behind its decision.

The most logical conclusion would be that McDonald’s simply didn’t see the benefit of continuing to spend $2 million annually on the race as one of the founding partners. With exposure being a key aspect that brands target, dwindling viewership may have convinced the company’s hierarchy to pull out their support. In 2013, NASCAR averaged 5.8 million viewers per race. In 2024, that number has plummeted to 2.87 million.

Meanwhile, their continued sponsorship with 23XI Racing and Bubba Wallace is already giving them visibility on the racetrack, which meant there was little added benefit in sponsoring the race itself. Perhaps McDonald’s was willing to take the gamble on the street race format, believing that the new format would lead to increased viewership, giving them exponential returns on their investment. However, when the results didn’t match expectations, the company could no longer justify the expenditure.

Just to give you an idea: In 2023, the race peaked at 5.383 million TV-only viewers from 9:15-9:30 pm ET when Shane van Gisbergen took the checkered flag. Last season, that number fell to an average of 3.87 million viewers on NBC. But, it’s not all doomsday. As per Block Club Chicago, live attendees in 2024 increased to 53,063 from 47,405 in 2023. Well, definitely makes things a little confusing, doesn’t it? Looks like we’ll have to wait for an official update to understand what exactly went wrong between McDonald’s and Windy City.

Having said that, with Bubba Wallace not winning a race since 2022, could the QSR chain eventually pull its sponsorship from 23XI Racing as well in the foreseeable future? Only time will tell.