Chicagoans going to great lengths to watch NASCAR street race

If you don’t think Chicago wanted this NASCAR race, tell that to all of the people climbing on top of things to catch a glimpse. This Chicago Street Race Weekend is off to a great start. With the kind of crowd that has shown out just for Saturday, the folks at NASCAR have to see this as a big success.

Pictures came in on Saturday online of fans all over the place. They were in the stands, on the sidewalk, climbing on booths, and doing whatever they could to see the Xfinity Series race. Whether it is curiosity or what – Chicago seems to be enthralled by NASCAR.

This photo from Eric Estepp of all of these people climbing to get a look, you just don’t see this in sports anymore.

Folks outside the track climbing on stuff to get a peek at the cars on track haha#NASCARChicago pic.twitter.com/bzF5eX6mko

— Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) July 1, 2023

This wasn’t the only insane visual from NASCAR in Chicago. Fans were everywhere. You couldn’t go to a section of the track and not find a group of people gawking and trying to peer through the fence.

Meanwhile, these first responders were trying to watch the NASCAR Chicago action from the cherry picker on the fire truck.

Cool view near turn 8. Some first responders catching a glimpse of the on-track action. 💯 pic.twitter.com/7IN5ufbdwz

— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) July 1, 2023

Fans were trying to get any look they could get. That included tearing up the mesh banners on the fencing. When you can’t get a good look, might as well find a way. So, if you see some cuts in the fencing, that’s just the newest fan section on the track.

Since no one knew what to expect coming into this race, I’ll just say it – this has been a success.

NASCAR gets Chicago locals interested

When NASCAR said they wanted to take a street race to Chicago, they were laughed at. Many thought it wouldn’t work, at all. However, we have already seen the power this event has had. New fans are all over the place for this event and I bet it is going to win some over as long-term fans.

You will not see a better Xfinity Series crowd the rest of the season. Guaranteed. While there have been some good ones this year, this is different. Grant Park and the streets of Chicago are packed right now.

NASCAR wanted to bring the product somewhere it had never been. They wanted to put on a festival for Chicago and earn over new fans in the process. While this is not the NASCAR your dad and grandpa knew, this is an awesome event.

We are watching history being made. And I dare say, the future of NASCAR. When it comes time for Chicago to decide whether they want this race for 2024 and 2025, it will be hard to say no.