Hamlin keen to see Chicago street race remain on NASCAR schedule

There are mixed feelings ahead of Sunday’s race about whether it will be the final NASCAR event in Chicago, and whether drivers want to see it remain on the schedule.

Denny Hamlin has no such hesitation.

“I personally would like to see them do everything they can to keep it here,” Hamlin said. “I'd like to see the city rally behind this race. I could just tell you that non-racing fans at the hotel I'm staying at are talking about the race. I think that it's certainly got some sort of economic impact to the city itself. We're certainly exposing some new fans to this. I think it's very important. I think you try everything you can to get this thing back here in Chicago, because I believe it is an important place for us.”

NASCAR brought $109 million in economic impact to Chicago during the 2023 inaugural event. The number rose to $128 million last year. As for the attendance of new race fans, Julie Giese, president of the Chicago street course, said it was 80 percent the first year and close to 70percent in 2024.

Sunday is the last race in a three-year contract between NASCAR and the city of Chicago. However, there are option years in the contract.

“Chicagoland (Speedway) is not a substitute for this race,” Hamlin said of the dormant intermediate oval in Joliet, Illinois. “I'd like to see us run both. I don't know where you go next, not really sure. Wild thought is, what about a street oval?

“All you need is just flat pavement to make a race track. We run a flat Clash, right? It’s at a flat track and we kind of make it work. I get it, though. There are so many things to put on a race so I wouldn't know. But there's a lot of hospitality and stuff around this track that you need miles to expand into. But I’m not sure the right place, I just know that it seems like it works here.”

Chicagoland has recently become a more vocal wish list item for some drivers and fans, although NASCAR has not publicly acknowledged its return being on their radar. But given that the Next Gen car performs reasonably well on intermediate racetracks, some would like to see it back on the calendar. NASCAR last competed there in 2019.

San Diego is the biggest rumor at the moment. The Athletic has reported NASCAR is working on a deal, but RACER is unaware of one having been finalized to this point.

The question then becomes: Would a Chicago street course race and a San Diego event exist on the same schedule? Or, is San Diego next in line to try and replicate what NASCAR did in Chicago?

“Until we know the alternative, I don't know whether they’re ones better or worse than this,” Hamlin said. “I just feel like this is a bigger event than some of the ovals that we go through, simply because of the atmosphere of where it's at. The exposure to new fans that are here casually in the city. I can only speak from my experiences in the casual people that for instance, I go shopping yesterday. I go to all these different stores, ‘What are you in town for? Oh yeah, there's a race. We were talking about going to that. We didn't go last year because the rain, but we're thinking about going.’

“You want these are younger people that they’re not going to travel to Chicagoland to go to a race. You have to have it right here where they can walk to it. I don't know if anyone shares the same sentiment I do, but I don't run the series, I don't make the decisions. But it just seems like from my standpoint, there's more excitement around the venue itself than what a normal NASCAR race venue has.”