NASCAR Fans Give a “Hard Pass” as Key Announcement is Leaked

Published 07/08/2022, 1:34 AM EDT

Road Courses are a hit or miss with NASCAR fans. Some fans really enjoy them and find them a change of pace, pun intended. Others think NASCAR is a series made for Oval track racing. Of course, both the opinions are very valid, but one thing we can say for sure is that Road Courses do indeed perform well.

Now, there might be something big coming from the City of Chicago for all fans of road courses.

The Athletic announced that The City of Chicago is endorsing a race in the streets of Chicago. Moreover, this race will run for a stretch of three years, with the first race happening in 2023.

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Naturally, the fans had some things to say about this news. Though, some really appreciated the new race, others might not feel the same.

I speak for everyone when I say this. We don’t want the chicago street course. We want Chicagoland n
— Hero (@iHeroCL) July 6, 2022

Well you didn’t speak for everyone since that is not i would say. I would give the street course a shot and see how it races. We’ve never seen nascar cup cars race on the streets so why not give it a try!
— Kyle Cameron (@KyleCam53449881) July 6, 2022

We have gotten burned by multi-year deals, we don’t need another.
I am strongly against a street course race, especially in Chicago which we know is not a good city to be in, in the first place.
If we have to do this once to get it out of our system, then it is what it is.
— Brett (@BT4452) July 6, 2022

Hard pass from a fan of NASCAR for over 30 years. I’m 35 and a key demographic for what NASCAR should focus on when the average age of a fan is my parents age. No thanks to a street race. Figure out next gen car on a short track first and give me more of NASCAR’s roots
— Matt May (@matty_may757) July 6, 2022

I've supported NASCAR for over 40 plus years. Not in favor of a "street" race. I hate to say this against NASCAR their losing a lot of fans in the circle I'm in.
— Teresa (@tatwh59) July 6, 2022

Y'all complaining but you've never seen the Pinty Series Race at a Street Course https://t.co/JBaYrNJ3hG
— ChampionPlayz (@playz_champion) July 6, 2022

So, what do you think about the street circuit? Is it a good idea? Or, does it take away from the NASCAR spirit? Let us know in the comments.

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What Could Be Causing NASCAR To Introduce More Non-Oval Tracks?

The 2022 calendar has six road courses. And with the new revelation, we might add another. But why does NASCAR continue to introduce more despite the poor feedback?

One big possibility could be to attract a younger audience. Especially, since Formula one, a motorsport with no Oval tracks at all, performed better among the younger audience.

Motorsports on Sunday:
1) NASCAR (Road America, USA Network): 1.15 rating, 1.930 million viewers
2) F1 (Silverstone, ESPN2): 0.64 rating, 1.239 million viewers
3) IndyCar (Mid-Ohio, NBC): 0.57 rating, 877,000 viewers
🔲 F1 had the most viewers in the 18-49 category with 643K. pic.twitter.com/3hxHyJQjLO
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) July 6, 2022

Moreover, Road America, a road course race, was the second most viewed sporting event this weekend.

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Sunday marked the first NASCAR Cup race this season on @USA_Network, and viewership was down sharply from last year's event on @NBC (1.930 million Sunday versus 3.078 million last year).
🔲 Still, Road America was the second most-viewed sport event of the weekend after @WWE. pic.twitter.com/ZSlo6d4MEo
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) July 6, 2022

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In the end, NASCAR is an organization, and it will do whatever it needs to gain more popularity. But, as a fan , what do you think about the new change? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Hetul Katyal is an F1-NASCAR web stories creator at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing his degree in Journalism from the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, he is an avid supporter of Carlos Sainz and Scuderia Ferrari. Hetul always looks forward to the paddock going to Baku, but the part of F1 that excites him the most, is seeing the drivers tackle the 'Raidillon' at Spa.

Edited by:

Ankit Sharma