Chicago Street Race Highlights NASCAR’s Best & Worst

Well, that went a lot better than most expected. To say when the Chicago Street Race was announced that it was controversial would be an understatement. However, NASCAR put everything they could behind the race. With TV money alone, NASCAR likely dumped millions into ensuring the Chicago Street Race would be a success. When weather threatened the event, many were speculating about how this would turn into another failure. However, NASCAR was able to get their street circuit race off on Sunday night. Luckily for NASCAR, it looked to be a massive success.

On track, the rain looked to enhance the racing. Drivers were slipping and sliding around the track. Especially in the closing laps, over aggression and attempting different lines saw drivers run off the course and (sometimes) run into the tire barriers. Shave van Gisbergen was able to navigate through the field with 25 laps to go to school all the NASCAR drivers. The move he made to allow Justin Haley to pass him only to pull the crossover was a chef’s kiss. While the concern was that the rain would damper the thrills, it actually enhanced them. Overall, the Chicago Street Race was great entertainment.

Despite that entertainment though, it would be dishonest to say everything about Sunday’s race was great. Entertainment and quality sport can be two distinct things. For Sunday, fans got mostly entertainment with the quality of racing down a bit. It would be difficult to argue that Chicago was anything but a success. However, the race did demonstrate the best things about NASCAR as well as the worst things.

The Worst of the Chicago Street Race

It is always better to start with the negatives and finish with the positives. While the Chicago Street Race (and weekend) seem to be a win for NASCAR, there is no denying that there were massive hiccups and outright failures. Whether it was on track, in the booth, or the general aura of the event, somethings did not click this weekend. Not only were there bad things, but this weekend flashed some of the worst of what NASCAR has to offer.

Xfinity Race

Since this article is mostly about the Cup Series Chicago Street Race, this entry for the Xfinity Series will be quick. Almost everything about the Xfinity race is a black-eye for NASCAR. While they cannot control weather, their lack of control over their own race is what was most concerning. The city of Chicago forced NASCAR to pull their cars off the track with less than two laps until the race was official on Saturday. Since NASCAR was racing around Grant Park, Chicago got to call those type of shots.

After the postponement to Sunday, the Xfinity race was called due to the weather. In theory, NASCAR could have finished the Xfinity race on Monday. However, due to logistical concerns for the Xfinity Series and Chicago probably not willing to give up their streets for an extra day for the Xfinity Series, NASCAR called the race. Out of their control? Essentially. A good look? Absolutely not. There are rules for a reason and if NASCAR can choose to ignore them, it is not a good precedent to set. Also, the Xfinity Series race was a bit of a snoozer prior to this drama.

The NBC Broadcast

FOX receives plenty of criticism from fans about their broadcasts. For the most part, it is warranted. However, the glee that some fans had about the return of NBC does not make much sense. Through two races, they have not been an improvement compared to the FOX broadcast. Their broadcast of the Chicago Street Race left much to be desired. Now, they did try something new with a “radio-style” booth with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, and a borrowed Mike Bagley were placed throughout the course while Rick Allen and Steve Letarte remained by the start/finish line. It was an interesting setup and not the reason for the poor broadcast.

Much of this gripe against NBC is the lack of going through the field. Want to know why AJ Allmendinger fell seven spots in a matter of a turn or two? Go check Kaulig’s Twitter account because NBC did not show it. This was a constant issue. The camera stayed locked onto the front two or three cars, even if there was nothing going on. If there was a camera cut to deep in the field, it was usually for Noah Gragson crashing into the Turn 6 tires. While showing the leaders is important, it is not the only interesting part of the race. Fans want to see their drivers. Why not show Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, or Shane van Gisbergen running through the field? The broadcast did not show Gisbergen on his run until he reached fourth. Instead, they showed Austin Dillon a second and half behind Justin Haley.

Out of the three road course broadcasts, this one is definitely the worst. FOX did a better job of going through the field and showing more of the action. If NBC was not on the leader, they would ride on board a car driving by itself for a full lap or two. They did it with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. Why did NBC not do a split window? At Nashville, they were able to flash up three position battles at once. What was stopping them from doing that in Chicago?

While the FOX broadcast booth has their issues, NBC’s is not much better. Rick Allen is a gaffe machine. Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr spend most of the race yelling.  Burton and Earnhardt are too similar in style and analysis where one of them could leave the booth without missing anything. Plus, they gaffe almost as much as Allen does. While it may seem like a knit pick, but Earnhardt saying that “Garage 91” won is not a good look. Steve Letarte is inoffensive but does not add much substance. Comparing FOX and NBC in terms of the booths demonstrates the glaring issue NASCAR has with their show. For both networks, the best commentators are left on the sidelines rather than in the booth.

Inconsistent Officiating

Tale as old as time. NASCAR runs a race. NASCAR finds a way to have confusing officiating during said race. Rinse and repeat. Even ignoring the Xfinity Series debacle, NASCAR demonstrated one of their worst traits on Sunday. Every NASCAR fan knows how frustrating the organizing body can be when it comes to how they make a call on track. The “new” fans for Sunday got to experience that as well. The most NASCAR thing about the Chicago Street Race was multiple feelings of confusion.

When it comes to making tough decisions, NASCAR somehow always finds a way to do it too late. Prime example from 2022 is the summer Daytona race where it was raining for two laps prior to the massive wreck that took out almost every car. On Sunday, it was clear that NASCAR was going to battle the darkness. With how many early cautions there were, the likelihood of the race going the full distance seemed slim. However, NASCAR waited to make that call. Even after a caution flew on Lap 42, NASCAR held off on their decision. Nine cars made a pit stop on that caution (with two others having already done so previously). By the time the Lap 45 caution flew, NASCAR had then decided to reduce the race to 75 laps.

Once again, this is a difficult decision for NASCAR to make. They want to run the full length of the event. At the same time, how much truly changed between the two cautions? NASCAR’s delay in decision making stuck all of the Top-15 behind slower cars. The Top-15 were still strategizing for the 100 lap scheduled finish. This gave an advantage to back markers who had no risk in stopping for gas at that point. Justin Haley and Austin Dillon went from outside the Top-20 to potential race winners thanks to NASCAR. These type of decisions (or delays in decision making) makes NASCAR look bumbling. Unfortunately, it got worse shortly after.

On Lap 49, William Byron spun out in Turn 11. Kevin Harvick checked up for the spin. Corey LaJoie, who had been aggressive all race, either did not see Byron spin or thought he could take advantage of it. Regardless, LaJoie spun out Harvick and caused a massive pile up in Turn 11. Numerous cars were caught behind the pile up while others were able to squeeze their way through. This caused confusion among everybody. How would NASCAR sore the running order? Would the cars that squeezed by get to keep their position? What about the cars that got stuck but were in not involved in the wreck?

Well, NASCAR decided to reward the drivers who were caught up in the event that brought out the caution with their track position back. What? Whether the drivers who had to park behind the accident regaining their position was one thing, but nobody expected Byron, Harvick, and LaJoie to get their spots back. Once again, NASCAR’s officiating making everyone scratch their heads in confusion.

Rigging the Game

NASCAR has a tendency to pick and choose what they want to market. Obviously, special events deserve preferred treatment. The Chicago Street Race was clearly a special event. It received a lion’s share of the marketing campaign. NASCAR was pushing this thing as much as they could. However, there was clearly an agenda here. NASCAR selectively marketing this or that is a staple. Remember all the commercials for Chase Elliott returning? That is an issue, but it is what it is. Instead, NASCAR was overselling this race and playing cheap tricks to do so.

How often was the crowd mentioned during the broadcast? There were plenty of crowd shots, the announcers kept mentioning it, and NASCAR clearly wanted to draw attention to it. For a rainy day, the crowd size was solid, but nowhere near a sellout. Was NASCAR’s goal a sellout? Not necessarily. Their apparent goal was 50,000 attendees for Sunday. Well, NASCAR made sure that a good chunk of that 50,000 would at least have access.

On Wednesday, Bubba Wallace held his block party with rapper/singer Lupe Fiasco. The event was free for attendees who registered ahead of time. Apparently, 7,000 people registered for the event. NASCAR decided to reward them with a general admission ticket to Sunday’s race. That is some grade-A BS. 7,000 tickets makes up 14% of the 50,000 goal. When NASCAR brags about attendance of the race, almost a fifth of them were handed tickets.

Not only did they hand out free tickets, these tickets were not cheap. The cheapest general admission ticket for Sunday’s race was $269.00 (before taxes and fees). For simplicity, if every one of those tickets was worth $269, NASCAR gave away $1.883 million in revenue. That is crazy. It is also unfair to every other poor sap who paid for their general admission ticket. NASCAR rigs the game to brag about quality attendance. It feels slimy and wrong, as if NASCAR had to make sure the internet trolls could not rip on them for bad attendance. They should have had better faith in their ability to draw the fans in. That or do not outprice the event for the fanbase you are chasing after. A $269 ticket is more expensive than sitting in the top section for the Daytona 500.

The Best of the Chicago Street Race

While there were definite negatives, the overall feeling of the Chicago Street Race is one of positivity.

Success Found

Outside of financially, the Chicago Street Race has to be considered a success for NASCAR. There was a considerable buzz for the weekend. Countless NASCAR fans were stating how excited they were even while debating the quality of racing fans would see. While shots of the “paid attendees” were nice, the best crowd shots were people gathering on the fence or on balconies of nearby buildings to catch a glimpse of the action. Showing people who are willing to crowd somewhere simply to get a look is great. It is a better aesthetic than showing a quarter empty LA Coliseum for The Clash. A key to marketing is showing people who look enthused. NASCAR was able to show that.

While some may gripe about a non-NASCAR driver winning, it welcomes an international crowd to NASCAR. Even if it is only for this event, Supercars fans tuned in to see their driver beat the NASCAR blokes. Gisbergen’s win grabs headlines. Would Justin Haley winning do the same? Domestically, maybe. Though this is only an assumption, but it feels that Gisbergen winning would draw more casual attention than if Haley won. Even someone like Kyle Larson winning would not have done the same for NASCAR as Shane van Gisbergen. Outside of the loss of profits, the executives at NASCAR have to be happy with the event.

A Quality Finish

Prior to the last 25 laps, the Chicago Street Race was a mid-race. The wet track forced these cars to be tough to drive. Mistakes happened without ruining anybody’s race (for the most part). Passing was seldom but still happened, even if NBC failed to show it. For the first two stages, the quality of racing was a bit lackluster Honestly, most of the NextGen road course races have been. After the pileup on Lap 49 though, business picked up. Thanks mostly to Shane van Gisbergen and his climb through the field, the last 25 laps of this race allow fans to ignore the mediocrity that came before it.

The finish to a race is the most important part. While judging a race based on the entirety of the run would be most fair, everyone remembers a good or bad finish. For example, most people thought this year’s COTA was a bad race. Why? Mostly because the chaos on the multiple overtime restarts. Prior to those restarts, COTA had been the best road course racing this season. Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Ross Chastain put on a show at the front of the pack. However, all that is remember from 2023 COTA is sloppy restarts. The reverse is true with this race. The last section of this race saved it from being remembered as mediocre (in terms of on track performance).

While Shane van Gisbergen outclassing the field was great, credit has to be given to Justin Haley and Austin Dillon as well. Dillon and Haley were having an exciting battle for the lead prior to Dillon wrecking himself out. It was intense, hard driving that kept viewers glued to the TV. Meanwhile, the threat of Gisbergen climbing his way through the field only elevated Dillon’s attempts to pass Haley. Once Dillon took himself out, Chase Elliott loomed.

Another thing to point out about the finish was how clean the racing was. Gisbergen cleanly passed Elliott and Haley. Haley did not rough up Gisbergen trying to keep the lead. Even Dillon’s move to take the lead did not come at the expense of anyone other than himself. It was the polar opposite of COTA displayed. The worst “aggressive” move was Dillon giving Haley a speed boost through one of the corners trying to bump him.

Trackhouse as NASCAR’s Poster Team

Trackhouse Racing should be the team that NASCAR uses as their main draw. While Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are still the pillars of the Cup Series, Trackhouse is the most exciting team going. From ownership to the drivers, Trackhouse is the team to watch. Justin Marks and his ownership group are innovative and embrace different strategies to get attention. Even PROJECT91 is an outside the box experiment that is paying dividends. If NASCAR could help them by making it more profitable to run a non-chartered car, that would help since Marks said there are no current plans to run the 91 car again in 2023.

Even the drivers Trackhouse employees provide quality content for NASCAR. Ross Chastain might be the most polarizing driver in NASCAR. Despite that, Chastain has become a highlight real for NASCAR. Whether it is his “Hail Melon’ move at Martinsville or continuous rivalries on track, Chastain is becoming one of the main faces of NASCAR. While Daniel Suarez has not hit those heights like Chastain, he is another driver with personality and a post-victory signature celebration. Since the start of last season, Trackhouse has built itself up to be a powerhouse, especially in the Chevy camp. While Hendrick Motorsports still holds top billing at Chevy, Trackhouse is the exciting team on the rise.

The (Mostly) Right Amount of Chaos

NASCAR is not the most sophisticated racing league in the world. As mentioned when discussing NASCAR’s identity, NASCAR is rough around the edge and blue collared. While NASCAR may forget that at times, a large part of their branding revolves around it. Compare marketing efforts between NASCAR and F1 or IndyCar. Half of a commercial slot for NASCAR involves cars bouncing off each other (if not outright wrecking). NASCAR sells the chaotic nature of the sport. Wrecks are used to draw the audience in. The phrase “rubbin’ is racing” is synonymous with NASCAR.

Sunday’s race presented enough of that chaos to stay true to the brand. Within the first three laps, there were multiple cars that found the tire barriers. Cars were sliding around the track and bumping off of each other. It was far from the polished street racing racing fans would see from F1. These cars filled up the track and battled for the limited space on it. Watching Corey LaJoie early in the race was entertaining. He remained aggressive throughout the race without dipping into stupidity. At one point, LaJoie and Alex Bowman were trading bumps.

Was every bit of the aggressiveness good? No, but it mostly remained in a positive realm. To NASCAR’s credit, it took until Lap 49 of the Cup Series race for there to be a pileup on the track. It only took IndyCar one lap at Nashville to do that. Noah Gragson consistently running into the tires at Turn 6 was not the best look either (unless it was an ingenious marketing ploy for the new Baconator). Toyota as a whole started to fall apart late in the race, especially Bubba Wallace and Martin Truex Jr.

Even with those less-desired moments, the other “NASCAR moments” fall into chaotic good. Austin Dillon’s wreck seemed more a move of desired aggression than a driver out of control/”running out of talent”. NASCAR presenting an alternative version of a street circuit turned out to be entertaining. Was it due to the rain? Based on this weekend, seems likely. However, for one race, NASCAR was able to ride that balance of entertainment and quality racing. Should NASCAR do this again? That can be debated. This might be a one-off success or the start of a new revenue path for NASCAR. It is highly likely fans will see the Chicago Street Race return next year. After that race, then NASCAR will know how successful this venture was.