Will the NASCAR Chicago Street Race be canceled as Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses the re-election?

The Chicago Street Race is part of NASCAR’s plans to diversify its fanbase.

Will the NASCAR Chicago Street Race be canceled as Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses the re-election?

Lori Lightfoot, Bubba Wallace and during the 2023 Chicago Street Race announcement (Credits: NASCAR.com)

The NASCAR Cup series will host the first-ever Street Course Race in Chicago downtown on July 2 this season. The temporary circuit will also host an Xfinity series race and an IMSA Sanctioned race alongside the Cup main event. NASCAR aims to enter a new demographics and market with the initiative.

Holding a race in Chicago, a city with a tough time handling its increasing crime rate, was criticized by NASCAR fans and political parties. The City’s current mayor, Lori Lightfoot, lost re-election against Paul Vallas. She is the first mayor in 40 years not to win re-election. This has kept fans wondering whether the City will cancel the race, as the opposition was never in favor of organizing it in the first place.

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Fox Sports senior NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass was asked about a potential contract termination on Twitter by a concerned fan. The veteran journalists noted that the contract has a 120 days notice period before termination. New Mayor Paul Vallas won’t take over the office until May 15. This means the city is legally bound to facilitate the event.

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“The new Chicago mayor (to be determined by runoff) wouldn’t be inaugurated until May 15, and the contract requires a 180-day termination notice from city (after that, there would be a legal battle as far as reimbursing NASCAR for costs). So unlikely any impact on 2023 street race,” Bob Pockrass replied.

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Jimmie Johnson wouldn’t have liked the cancelation of the Chicago Street Race

Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson

Most of the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series grid are eager to race through the 12 turn-track which passes through some of the city’s iconic landmarks, such as Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain. Unlike the previous cars, the Next-Gen car is built in a way that is more suited to racing on Street and Road courses.

Seven times Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson, who returned to Cup racing as the owner-driver of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, is one of the drivers who are eager to race at Chicago. While making his race entry announcement, JJ pointed out that he had wanted to race at the track since the day it was announced. So, Johnson would have been disappointed with the contract termination, and the fans would have missed a great opportunity to witness the legend in action.

“As soon as they announced NASCAR would host a street course, I immediately was interested in running it. From my last two years in IndyCar, the experience of a street course is like no other – it’s such a good vibe. There is just something about driving a racecar through the city street that many of these drivers have never experienced,” Jimmie Johnson said.

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