Street Race a Hit Despite Chicago Rain

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

I’m often critical of NASCAR but this Chicago street race thing was positively inspired.

Overlook the weather. It rains in the Midwest in the summertime.

The layout of the track, though, was excellent. It inspired racing bumper to bumper. Even the drivers had a chance to show off their skills on a wide track, elevation changes, and smooth transitions from wide to narrow surfaces.

Driver race craft was definitely tested and most passed the exam. But that’s what racing should be.

The rain did cause problems. The places for standing water to drain from the track surface seemed to be covered by signage. That didn’t help.

And there were reports of street racers getting on the track overnight but that’s an issue of security, not NASCAR. Frankly it’s also a problem of urban America in 2023.

The bottom line, I hope this becomes more of a norm going forward. Maybe even double header weekends with IndyCar or IMSA.

I truly loved the track layout and was impressed with the drivers who handled it with little practice away from the simulators.

Who needs road racing ringers anyway!

Peace.