Supported by
by Mitch Smith
Photographs by Jamie Kelter Davis
Reporting from Chicago
On a rainy holiday weekend, the city of Chicago and the NASCAR game celebrated the ultimate wedding with a lakeside ceremony.
Chicago did the décor, with its skyscrapers as a backdrop, as well as the catering, with Viennese beef hot dogs, Garrett popcorn and Lou Malnati’s deep food quarters for sale.
NASCAR sent its drivers like a wedding party, roaring up to 140 miles consistent with the hour to the Field Museum before storming Michigan Avenue, and booked music for the reception, even though summer monsoons meant The Chainsmokers and country singer Miranda Lambert were canceled.
The one-year commitment had been complicated at times and there were many skeptics. The NASCAR series, after all, had never raced on city streets. the city center and the rumbling traffic for days. However, for the richest or the poorest and under torrential rains, Chicago gave its streets to NASCAR for racing, if only for the weekend.
“I was actually pessimistic when it was first announced,” said Denny Hamlin, a longtime racing powerhouse who said he warmed up with the concept and fastest qualifier for Sunday’s main race. “When you see enthusiasts walking around here on Saturday, their excitement to see a NASCAR race car up close, to take pictures, I mean, it’s kind of like what we’re meant to do. “
Finally, Shane van Gisbergen, a local from New Zealand competing in his first NASCAR Cup Series race, used his street racing experience to survive the series regulars and finish first.
But torrential rain, which began Saturday night and lasted into Sunday, dampened the festivities. Tarra Laux, a resident of Chicago’s South Side who participated in the race for the first time, said she enjoyed watching qualifying with her circle of family on Saturday. But he was disappointed to see Mrs. Lambert’s concert cancelled and hesitated to return even for Sunday’s race.
“We expected to come here first thing in the morning and spend a full day,” Laux said. They moved on to the race anyway, but said the rain “cushioned everything a little bit. “
The NASCAR-ification of downtown Chicago, where piles of new Goodyear tires lay on sidewalks, concrete barriers in front of bus shelters and the prominent Art Institute served as a site for pre-race interviews — a calculated risk.
NASCAR, which competes on tracks designed for racing with straights and left turns, needs to diversify its fan base and introduce its game to city dwellers. Chicago, whose downtown has battled the coronavirus pandemic, needs to attract new visitors and fill hotel rooms.
While the potential benefits were clear, so were the costs of the 12-lap, 2. 2-mile circuit along some of Chicago’s most iconic roads. Sections of the park were closed to the public. Downtown citizens were serenaded, lap after lap, through the shuddering scream of 3 dozen race cars.
Since joining The Times in 2014, he has written extensively about gun violence, pipelines, state-level politics and the national debate over police tactics. You are in Chicago. Learn more about Mitch Smith
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