Will NASCAR Benefit by Sharing the Chicago Street Course With Formula One?

Last year, NASCAR broke new ground when the series visited Chicago for its first street race. The sport may be synonymous with oval races, but it was no stranger to road course racing. However, the stock car racing series had never attempted a street race, so they were really treading unknown territory. Nevertheless, NASCAR somehow managed to pull it off, gave fans one of the most memorable races, and birthed a breakout star.

Now, street races don’t enjoy such a great relationship with Formula One, and F1 has the experience to show for it. For years, Formula One has been competing on street circuits, and more of them are coming. Just recently, reports emerged that F1 is applying for four trademarks. Those include, ‘Chicago Grand Prix’, ‘Formula 1 Chicago Grand Prix’, ‘Grand Prix of Chicago’, and ‘Formula 1 Grand Prix of Chicago’. Now it isn’t a huge leap of logic to assume that F1 will borrow the track that NASCAR ran on last year.

How can NASCAR gain from the F1 presence at Chicago?

Say what you will about the quality of racing in modern F1, it is still considered the pinnacle of motor racing. If the sport does head to Chicago, it could really rake in the crowds, and with NASCAR returning there, could have a positive effect. Obviously, many NASCAR fans would just have to cast their minds back to 2023. Considering that Shane van Gisbergen gave everyone a good show, many would flock back to expect a similar NASCAR race in 2024.

When that happens though, the pressure may be on NASCAR to deliver the goods. At the same time, there could be pressure on Formula One to try and top the show that its stock car counterpart put up. Admittedly, NASCAR also had the advantage of rainfall to make the race a bit of a lottery. There is no guarantee that if Formula One eventually goes to Chicago, the same might happen for them as well.

As things stand, F1 has only just applied for a trademark and it isn’t guaranteed that a Chicago F1 Grand Prix is on the cards.

READ MORE: Should NASCAR Begin Targeting a Younger Demographic by Following F1’s Example?

Could Chicago be forced to choose between the two motorsport giants?

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Recently, Member of the Chicago City Council, Brian K. Hopkins, said, “I’m told that F1 typically requires a 10-year minimum deal. And that appears to be non-negotiable. The conversation [with the city] did not get much past that. What we did with NASCAR, welding manhole covers and smoothing over potholes and calling it a track — that doesn’t work with F1. More complicated, thus higher price tag.”

Meanwhile, his colleague Brendan Reilly confessed that he was unsure if Chicago could juggle both F1 and NASCAR. He believes, if push came to shove, the city would have to choose between the two. When NASCAR came to town, the worst-case scenario that happened was that Grant Park and the surrounding streets were inaccessible. If F1 dropped by, getting the necessary infrastructure would be more complicated than NASCAR.

First and foremost, F1 tracks are generally longer than NASCAR tracks. The Chicago Street Course is around 2.2 miles long, while the likes of COTA, Las Vegas, and Miami were between 3-4 miles long. In other words, more work would be needed to make it fit F1’s standards. Especially when you factor in elements like grandstands, a Paddock Club, and other such amenities.

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