2023 was a year filled with major sporting highlights. From Novak Djokovic ending the year with his seventh ATP Finals Trophy to Sha’Carri Richardson winning the 100-meter gold, American sports delivered stellar moments throughout the season. That being said, NASCAR was no slouch either. Debuting the Chicago Street Race, the sport had pulled out all the stops and resisted the weather to deliver a great race.

So when Sports Business Journal awarded the Chicago Street Race with the Sports Event of the Year title, NASCAR could rejoice amidst their Next-Gen dilemma. However, several issues with the inaugural race also left many fans in disagreement.

Despite major setbacks, was the Chicago Street Race NASCAR’s best moment from 2023?

As things stand, NASCAR can’t seem to escape controversial moments. From the short-track package debacle to Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s $75,000 penalty, the sport just can’t seem to catch a break. Which is why the SBJ award was a tasteful surprise. Taking to X, Bob Pockrass shared, “Chicago race earns an honor as the best sports event of the year..,”

However many NASCAR fans raised concerns with how the race had unfolded. For weeks, Illinois had received little to no rain, creating perfecting conditions for the race weekend along with its other activities. But as Lady Luck would have it, the skies turned gray over the Chicago Street Circuit as NASCAR arrived in town. Naturally, this led to various issues for the organizers, who had to cancel three out of the four planned concerts for the weekend.

Apart from that, NASCAR also caught slack for the management of the Xfinity Series race. With cautions lasting way too long, NASCAR had to call off the race halfway through the event. For an inaugural event, such a decision showcased poor management and was something officials just didn’t anticipate happening. Fortunately, the Cup Series race managed to turn things around with Shane van Gisbergen’s stellar drive to victory lane, that too, on his debut.

In an intense battle right down to the last lap, Shane van Gisbergen delivered a result that NASCAR could only have dreamed of on their debut. Fighting tooth and nail with Justin Haley for the win, SvG showcased what stock car racing truly is in front of many new fans. Reportedly, this had managed to undo a lot of damage from the Xfinity Series race and concert cancelations.

But was the event still enough of a success to be deemed the Best Sports Event? A majority of NASCAR fans didn’t seem to agree.

The NASCAR community questions the Chicago Street Race’s worthiness as the best sports event

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Shane van Gisbergen’s debut certainly riled up the community and gave the 2023 season momentum toward the second leg. Still, the weather-plagued weekend wasn’t in the best books for most fans. Naturally, users felt that there were other sporting events last year that deserved the crown over Chicago’s street race.

One user pulled no punches as they stated; “What a travesty. this is an awful race.” After only one running of the street circuit, fans felt the issues were largely overcast by The Kiwi’s heroics. Another fan shared, “They have to thank SVG for saving that tire fire of a “race.” In a year where many US Sports witnessed athletes achieve breathtaking feats, was the Chicago Street Race the best event?

This is when several fans felt the need to remind NASCAR of their shortcomings in Chicago. One fan shared; “I feel bad for the other nominees if this won,” whilst another added, “There’s just no way lol” Apart from taking the roaring V8s to the streets of America in a one-of-a-kind event, users felt that the Chicago Street Race would not hold that momentum for much longer.

Still, highlighting the various issues with the Street Race, fans began to call for the Chicagoland Speedway’s return; “Idk how 4 concerts being canceled, the Xfinity race being called before halfway, and the cup race being shortened qualifies for Sports Event of the Year #BringBackChicagolandSpeedway” To conclude, another user added; “It was cool as a novelty, but…I’d rather them bring back Chicagoland Speedway.” 

Before the Chicago Street Race began, NASCAR had already established an enticing market in Chicago with the Chicagoland Speedway. Cup Series races at the 1.520-mile oval began in 2001 and ran strong until 2019. As an iconic speedway on the NASCAR calendar, Chicagoland Speedway observed several iconic moments. From Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson’s “Slide Job” to the Big and Orange trouble in turn 4, if there were any NASCAR event that could beat the street race, it was the Chicago Speedway itself.

In Bill France Jr’s own words, “This type of racing will rival the NFL, NBA and Major League baseball for fan and sponsorship involvement. (NASCAR) We are absolutely thrilled to be here.” That being said, the track faced an unfortunate demise after the COVID-19 pandemic saw multiple employee lay-offs, leaving the iconic track little more than a ghost town.

After looking at the negative reaction from the NASCAR community over the Chicago Street Race’s commendations, do you think that NASCAR needs to reconsider its approach this time around?