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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – JANUARY 12: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, speaks to the Media during the NASCAR Next Gen Test at Daytona International Speedway on January 12, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – JANUARY 12: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, speaks to the Media during the NASCAR Next Gen Test at Daytona International Speedway on January 12, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Earlier this year, NASCAR unveiled the 2023 calendars for the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series. One of the new additions is the long-proposed Chicago street race. This has obviously divided plenty of people, with some excitement for it and some against it. Nevertheless, the race looks like it is going ahead, but it is facing resistance from an unusual source, the Chicago Art Museum. They were concerned that the motors would disturb the artwork, but Dale Earnhardt Jr found it ridiculous.
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He said, “I laughed when I heard about that. I might have even said something on Twitter about it. This is the part about the Chicago street course that is sort of bugging me a little bit. It’s like, a lot of people in Chicago are not happy or excited about it. They’re kind of like, ‘Well, I don’t know if this is going to be a good thing or not. They’re not really embracing it, at least in the media that you read about. It’s just a sort of stream of concern and I don’t know what to think about that.”
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What else did Dale Earnhardt Jr say?
The former NASCAR driver does hope that the Chicago race will go off without a hitch. The sport has taken a massive gamble by advocating for the first NASCAR street race. Such a race has never been held in a NASCAR capacity, so it will be interesting to see how the Cup cars tackle the event. In the buildup to everything, there was a lot of resistance, especially since people were worried about the noise disturbing them.

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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – APRIL 07: Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver of the #88 Hellmann’s Fridge Hunters Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway on April 07, 2022 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Eventually, after a lot of back and forth, it seems that the Chicago race will finally hit the ground. Of course, there will still be some minor concerns from the community, like the one that the art museum raised. The thing is, as the race draws ever closer, there will always be voices of dissent. They will only stop if the races are pulled off successfully and the attendance figures are high.
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WATCH THIS STORY: “Each Time, It Gets Tougher” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Hints at Stopping His Fan-Favorite NASCAR Tradition
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