The 2025 Chicago Street Race took a wild turn late in the race when a caution flag waved, not for a crash, but for a spectator medical emergency. NASCAR had to halt the race to get an ambulance across the track, right as Shane van Gisbergen passed Chase Briscoe.

Street circuits like Chicago run on closed city roads with tight barriers and no service roads or tunnels. That means the only way to get an ambulance safely across the circuit is to deploy a full-course caution and let the pace car gather the field while responders enter the track

Even on ovals, NASCAR has paused races for stalled emergency vehicles. For instance, at Richmond in 2017, an ambulance stopped near the pit entry, prompting a caution while officials cleared the track. This race was a regular-season finale, and Matt Kenseth was lucky that the storage didn’t cost him a spot in the playoffs. But for the Chicago race, it has now allowed the likes of Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs to launch an offensive on the race leader, Shane van Gisbergen.

Ideally, the fans do not mind a late race chaos or an overtime finish. But this stoppage was abrupt and raised questions about NASCAR’s preparedness to host the event. Lack of emergency exits shouldn’t be the reason to halt a race, and fans were fuming after this technical snag halted the racing action.

Fans sound off after NASCAR’s lackluster preparation leads to an emergency

One fan didn’t mince words: “Get off these stupid f—— street courses. No place for this. We’re not F1.” Street races like Chicago’s, with narrow streets and tight corners, aren’t built for stock cars. The urban layout makes emergency access a nightmare, unlike ovals with infield roads. While the racing was smooth and without the interruption of rain, the fans who, for once, were starting to enjoy street racing, found a reason to call it out.

Another fan chimed in: “I have never seen a caution like that before.” On traditional tracks, ambulances zip through dedicated paths without stopping the show. Chicago’s street course, with no such infrastructure, forced NASCAR to hit pause, a jarring first for many.

Frustration wasn’t just about the caution. “I hope you mention this coverage on the TearDown it’s been Horrible…What’s wrong with Blaney And Bell,” one viewer fumed. Fans slammed the TNT broadcast for missing key moments, a recurring gripe with Fox’s coverage known for cutting away from critical action.

Another fan vented: “Good lord nascar you couldn’t have planned an alternate f—— route.” Emergency plans, like movable barriers and trackside ambulances, are standard, but the fixed concrete walls and lack of service lanes make quick access tricky, as noted by Chicago officials.

The broadcast took more heat: “So dumb that they went to commercial before taking a couple seconds to explain the caution.” Fans craved clarity on the unusual stoppage, but TNT’s commercial break left them hanging, a move that’s fueled past complaints about sloppy coverage. It was only after the commercial break, fans came to know about the real reason why the race was put under the yellow flag.

Finally, one fan looked ahead, “I think this is something they gotta think about for San Diego or wherever. Whoever absolutely needs to be able to be transported, but gotta strategize how to not disrupt future races doing it.” With NASCAR eyeing to stage similar events in other metropolitan cities, they should have learned their lesson and be equipped to tackle such incidents if they had to in future.

NASCAR’s medical director has stressed hitting incidents in 15–20 seconds, but street courses like Chicago force tough choices between safety and race flow. With 2025, possibly Chicago’s last street race, this scare’s a wake-up call for future city circuits.