When NASCAR left Chicagoland Speedway in 2019, many individuals thought the observe was gone for good. Small crowds made it appear to be the observe had no future. However that story fully modified in 2026. After a large comeback race, NASCAR bosses are actually wanting to return to Illinois in 2027. In response to Dale Earnhardt Jr., they had been amazed by what number of tickets had been bought.
Dale Jr.’s largest Chicagoland Speedway concern vanished in only one weekend
Earlier than the race weekend, . On the Dale Jr. Obtain podcast, he admitted he was frightened about unhealthy ticket gross sales.
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“Chicagoland should be b—-s; I’m fairly excited… I heard ticket gross sales aren’t going effectively. And I suppose Chicago Road Course is coming again. So I don’t know if Chicagoland stays. I’m nervous. We hadn’t even gotten it again but… We already misplaced it,” he stated.
These issues made what occurred a couple of days later much more stunning. earlier than the inexperienced flag even dropped.
“So, I talked to Steve O’Donnell, and so they completely wish to return to Chicagoland,” he defined. “He informed me on Thursday, he’s like, ‘Hey man, it’s appeared like we is perhaps bought out.’ I used to be like, ‘No s–t.’ I heard all these unhealthy issues about ticket gross sales, and the way within the hell did we get to a sellout?”
The shock was not simply the sold-out crowd. The weekend had heavy rain and muddy parking tons. However Sunday’s Cup Sequence race gave NASCAR precisely what it wished.
Followers loved the on-track product. Drivers beloved the previous, bumpy observe. Junior famous that almost each driver he spoke to stated the identical factor: carry Chicagoland again in 2027.
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The numbers proved the hype was actual. NASCAR stated followers traveled from all 50 states and 31 totally different international locations to look at the race. Even higher, 59% of the ticket holders had been at their very first NASCAR occasion. This was an enormous success for a forgotten observe. It was additionally a large probability for the game to develop.
NASCAR bosses clearly obtained the message.
“Taking a look at a possible sellout on Sunday, which is improbable, in order that market stays essential to us, be it a road race or on the oval [in 2027],” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell stated, through Adam Stern.
NASCAR COO Ben Kennedy echoed that optimism. He informed the Chicago Tribune that the area is robust sufficient to probably assist each Chicagoland Speedway and the Chicago Road Course starting in 2027.
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However there are obstacles in the best way of that. Up to now, NASCAR has had bother holding two massive races in the identical metropolis in a single yr. Followers usually choose one race over the opposite as a result of tickets and journey price an excessive amount of. This hurts crowd sizes for each races.
As well as, NASCAR’s 36-race schedule is at the moment full. Preserving Chicagoland would probably imply dropping or rotating one other observe on the calendar. Regardless of these hurdles, Chicagoland Speedway is in a significantly better spot right now. A packed stadium, tons of latest followers, and excessive reward from drivers make a really robust case.
The 2027 schedule isn’t but set. Nevertheless, Chicagoland’s epic comeback proved that the observe nonetheless belongs.
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