Kevin Harvick calls for end to Chicago Street Race, offers NASCAR perfect replacement

This weekend’s Chicago Street Race will be the third in as many seasons for the NASCAR Cup Series. While the first was a landmark moment for the sport, Kevin Harvick believes the bloom is off the rose a bit for the event.

He believes NASCAR should explore different options, perhaps holding a street race in a different city. However, he’s not willing to give up on Chicago just yet, stating that the NextGen car could provide some awesome racing at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

“Anything that’s old is new again. Chicagoland was really worn out. Has the enthusiasm for the Chicago Street Race created some re-energized enthusiasm for Chicagoland Speedway? Because with the NextGen, I believe that mile-and-a-half race, on that worn out surface, with all those bumps, would be really good in Joliet,” Harvick stated, hoping for Chicagoland to return and replace the Chicago Street Race, via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.

“… I think that the the Chicagoland Speedway, with the way that it’s shaped, with the bumps and the way that — the fact that the asphalt has just been sitting there. I just believe that taking these NextGen cars back to Chicagoland Speedway would be a great race.”

The Cup Series hasn’t been back to Chicagoland Speedway since 2019. That’s when Alex Bowman won. Prior, famed wheelmen like Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin made it to Victory Lane at the track.

As for the Chicago Street Race, Shane van Gisbergen famously won the first iteration of the event, and the aforementioned Bowman was victorious last season. Unfortunately, both events were affected by rain, so if this is the last time NASCAR runs the streets of Chicago, hopefully they’ll get sunny skies throughout, and the result they envisioned from Day 1.

If Chicagoland does return, it would open the door for NASCAR to take to the streets of a different city. Options like San Diego, Philadelphia and New York City have been floated. It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow the sport, and keeping it fresh with a myriad of different options would be a solid game plan moving forward.

Alas, Kevin Harvick’s idea of Chicagoland Speedway returning is wonderful. Will it come to fruition? Only time will tell, but NASCAR would be wise to take the former champion’s advice on this one.