They’re concerned about engine vibrations shaking multi-million dollar pieces of art
On July 2, 2023 NASCAR is going street racing in Chicago, Illinois. They’ll close the streets and build a temporary race track right in the heart of one of the biggest cities in America.
NASCAR set to race in the streets of Chicago
NASCAR teamed up with iRacing who scanned the city streets. They then put together and tested multiple configurations in a digital world using scans of the real-world counterpart.
In partnership with the city itself, the 2.2-mile track has been proposed and a date has been announced. NASCAR Cup Series machines are set to race down famous streets like Michigan Ave.
The Chicago area is loaded with race fans. However, there might be significantly less so within the downtown city limits. And some of them are vocal and in opposition of the new NASCAR race.
The Art Institute of Chicago has voiced concerns, behind a paywall. They’re concerned that the cars will shake the art.
They’re also concerned about how pedestrians will reach their museums. The track runs directly alongside the Museum.
Both of those things could be legit concerns for a building housing priceless art. These cars are powerful, loud and certainly bring vibrations along with them.
With a track setup in the middle of the park, it’s certainly going to make crossing more difficult. Though, that doesn’t mean NASCAR and the City of Chicago won’t have a plan in place for crossing over the track. It remains unknown if they have plans in place to address those pedestrian concerns.
At the same time, the race could bring around 100,000 fans within walking distance of the front doors of all these museums. There’s a way to encourage them to visit your building while they’re in town, this isn’t it.
Dale Earnhardt Jr comments
Dale Earnhardt Jr commented, “I guess if you’re the art guy, you’re concerned. You’re like, ‘Hey man! What’s going to happen?’ “
“I laughed when I heard about that. I might have even said something on Twitter about it.”
“But, this is the part about the Chicago street course that is sort of bugging me a little bit. It’s like, a lot of people in Chicago are not happy or excited about it. They’re kind of like, ‘Well, I don’t know if this is going to be a good thing or not.’ “
“They’re not really embracing it, at least in the media that you read about. It’s just a sort of stream of concern and I don’t know what to think about that.”
Dale Jr added, “That kinda takes the wind out of the sails for me.”
The Chicago Street Race will begin with the NASCAR Xfinity Series event on July 1st. The next day the NASCAR Cup Series rolls to the track.
