Why van Gisbergen could have won the last Chicago Street Race

Despite its immense success, politics looks set to claim NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race after Shane van Gisbergen was again victorious last weekend.

Three years and three sellouts and it looks like the streets of Chicago won’t echo with the sound of stock cars next July. NASCAR’s boldest modern gamble, a street race through Grant Park, appears to have run its final lap.

Despite pulling impressive crowds, bringing diversity to the grandstands, and injecting millions into the local economy, the Chicago Street Race has likely come to a premature end, undone not by fan apathy or poor racing, but by a familiar foe: politics.

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And as Chicago packs up the barriers for the last time, San Diego is warming up for its debut as NASCAR’s next urban playground.

When NASCAR announced it would run a street race in downtown Chicago starting in 2023, there were plenty of raised eyebrows. Street racing was more Formula 1’s thing in American eyes. NASCAR belonged to ovals, superspeedways, and small-town thunder. But Grant Park turned out to be the perfect backdrop for a new chapter in stock car spectacle.

Across three years, 2023, 2024, and 2025, the Chicago Street Race delivered everything NASCAR had hoped for. The inaugural event drew 50,000 fans trackside and over 4 million viewers on television. It also produced a Hollywood script, with Shane van Gisbergen changing the course of his career by winning on debut in a rain-soaked thriller.

Year two was also hit hard by weather, a now-trademark Chicago summer deluge forced the race to be shortened, but attendance held strong. Year three saw a smoother event overall, with the racing, logistics, and fan experience all praised as the best yet, and the weather held out too.

Economic benefits flowed freely too. The first year alone generated an estimated $109 million in economic impact. Hotels booked out. Restaurants boomed. NASCAR was winning hearts in the Windy City, but not City Hall.

The street race was the legacy project of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who signed the initial three-year deal with NASCAR without consulting the full City Council. Ironically, she was ousted from office before the first race took place.

Her replacement, Mayor Brandon Johnson, inherited the deal and remained consistently cool on its renewal. While he allowed the event to proceed through its three-year contract, he refused to publicly endorse extending it. Privately, according to several sources close to the administration, Johnson and his team saw the race as more hassle than help.

Critics within city departments pointed to the long road closures around Grant Park, the displacement of other summer events, and resource strain on emergency services. The Chicago Fire Department, in particular, staged visible protests during the 2025 event, complaining of staff shortages and diversion of personnel to the race precinct.

Despite public support from the Illinois state government, which tipped in $5 million for the 2025 edition, the writing was on the wall by mid-year. There would be no renewal. And NASCAR, sensing the political wind shifting, had already begun preparing its exit strategy.

NASCAR Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese remained diplomatic over the weekend, saying that “discussions are ongoing” with city officials and emphasising the success of the 2025 edition.

“We’ve had three incredible years here,” Giese said. “Our focus has been on delivering the best event possible, and we’re continuing conversations about what the future might look like.”

With San Diego almost certainly locked in for 2026, NASCAR is ready to turn the page. And while the setting will change, the mission remains the same: bring the race to the people, tap new markets, and continue reshaping what NASCAR can be.

Chicago will forever be the scene that started van Gisbergen’s American dream as he arrived as an unknown rookie in 2023 and left as the superstar winner on everyone’s lips.

Less than a year later he made the move and joined the Xfinity Series and two years later he was dominating as a full time Cup Series star.

“This joint, it’s changed my life,” van Gisbergen said.

“I didn’t have any plans to do more NASCAR races when I first came over here, and I never thought I’d be in NASCAR full time.

“It is pretty special here, some good memories, and some good races. I love the track.

“It’s a cool place to come to. You feel a nice vibe. You feel a good vibe in the mornings walking to the track with the fans. It’s pretty unique like that.

“Yeah, I enjoy it. I hope it stays next year. But as the guys were saying, when I arrived, I’m biased. Obviously I love street circuits, but if we go to a new place, I’m all for that, as well.”

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