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NASCAR has just confirmed the first street course in their 2023 schedule that is set to roll into the City of Chicago. The discussion of introducing a street course has been there for a while, but earlier this year, NASCAR announced that the discussion was heading in the right direction and there was a possibility of scheduling the first street course in 2023.
After a long discussion, they have finally reached an agreement with the City of Chicago and in 2023, drivers will be turning laps in the streets of Windy City. Many thought the street course news would receive a warm welcome, but it seems fans and spotters are disappointed with the move to introduce a street course.
Brett Griffin, a NASCAR spotter, is among the ones who don’t want to go to Chicago for a street course. He recently appeared on an episode of Door, Bumper, Clear podcast where he declared his dissatisfaction with the Chicago street course, saying:
“I’m just saying, I don’t wanna go there. It don’t speak American city to me, just doesn’t scream America.”
Griffin is not the only one who doesn’t like the idea, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among the people who criticized the move since the motorsporting association announced its intentions to move forward with the street course idea. According to Earnhardt Jr., his experience with iRacing on Chicago streets didn’t thrill him.
Road America will be replaced by the Chicago Street race in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season
Following the introduction of the street course in the 2023 Cup Series schedule, Road America won’t be hosting any Cup Series races in 2023. The Wisconsin-based track is among the new road courses that were added to the schedule, with Tyler Reddick winning the 2022 Cup Series event. According to NASCAR senior vice president Ben Kennedy, they might not be going to Road America in 2023 but it could be making its return in the future.
The 4.048-mile road course track will be replaced by the 2.2-mile street course which will feature 12 turns. As the newly announced street course will race around the city, the start/finish line, as well as pit road, will be situated on South Columbus Drive. The cars will then race through Grant Park and then the northern edge of Soldier Field all the way to Lake Michigan on South Lake Shore Drive.
NASCAR is among the racing organizations that have not embraced street racing, but with the recent move, they have officially joined the likes of IndyCars and F1 racing.
