The NASCAR Cup Series hit the Chicago streets again this year with pomp and splendor. But Mother Nature cut down a huge chunk of that excitement again as well, as a rain delay rattled the racers. As it turns out, the whimsical clouds also affected the race profits quite like last year. Instead of the anticipated 100,000 fans, only 75,000 showed up for the race in 2023.

Hence, NASCAR may not have been able to take full economic advantage of the Windy City. Yet the sanctioning body is cementing another goal – as an insider recently revealed. An eclectic audience apparently ranked better than an eclectic purse.

NASCAR insider reveals the real Chicago dream

Ever since NASCAR saw the light of day in the 1940s, it saw a restricted section of people in its audience. Mostly dominated by white Caucasian males, the motorsport rarely stepped outside its traditional boundaries for years. It made strides to rope in other people, but only rarely. Recently, however, the sport’s executives have actively begun to search for a fresh, diverse audience.

Holding the Chicago Street Race was one of the trajectories NASCAR took for this objective. Being outside of its conventional venues, the profit charts are still jittery, as ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ co-host Brett Griffin recently pointed out. “I think when NASCAR opens the gates at every track, they make money. I think they’re not making money there. I don’t see how they would be making money unless the city of Chicago were paying them a 5 or 6-million-dollar check to roll into town. And I think it may even be the opposite.”

Despite the plummeting paycheck, NASCAR is achieving its diversity initiative. Roughly 85% of attendees at last year’s Chicago Street Race were first-timers at a motorsports event. Hence, Griffin outlined the sanctioning body’s real objective behind racing in Chicago. “Where I am going with this is, you know we talk about wanting to diversify the fanbase – whether that be age, race, religion, whatever – in a city like Chicago you can do that. If we are racing in the middle of nowhere in Brooklyn or Michigan, it ain’t gonna happen.”

The demographics of Chicago indeed provide so much more than the typical NASCAR fan market. Yet it may take some time for the sport to properly align its profits with the Windy City’s financial goals. For instance, in 2023, the massive infrastructure overhaul entailing the race cost Chicago $3.2 Million. But on the other hand, NASCAR only doled out $620,000. The economic impact of $109 million was also lower than the NASCAR-projected total of $113.8 million. And local business vendors felt the economic impact on the ground.

The race created ripples in Chicago

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Being the only street race on NASCAR’s schedule, the Grant Park race is bound to be different. It requires altering a portion of the city’s landscape entirely, roping off streets for weeks on end, and making for traffic disruptions. This causes a tumultuous situation for residents and local businesses alike. For example, in 2023, an Italian ice and snack shop on Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard also requested $76,174 for 19 days of disruption.

Then the busy event also rattled some businesses, as Jayden Valencia, an employee at Kong Dog, said. “It was super busy. We had a line going out the door and there were just flocks of people coming in. Every time there is something happening in the Loop this place gets pretty crowded but NASCAR was, like, overwhelming.”

Exile in Bookville, a bookstore on Michigan Avenue, also faced problems. Co-owner Kristin Enola Gilbert said she had to cancel lucrative author events and change store hours because of the deafening noise of loud stock cars. Last year, she expressed her utmost dissatisfaction: “The problem does not lie with NASCAR or NASCAR fans. My issue is squarely with the city of Chicago. I am very, very upset again.”

Evidently, NASCAR has a long way to go to cement good relations with the folks of Chicago. Hopefully, their diversity initiatives will align with an economic balance as well.

What do you think about the whole scenario? Let us know in the comments below.