NASCAR Needs Better Luck with Chicago Street Race than CART Had in '81

• In 1980, Chicago officials and CART officials announced an Indy car race for downtown Chicago that was to be part of the 1981 schedule.

• The race, however, was canceled 44 days later by mayor Jane Byrne after weeks of pressure from residents and local media saying there were better places to put city resources.

• On Tuesday, 42 years later, NASCAR announced a race downtown for 2023.

Chicago has been down this road before. Let's just hope that this time, things go more smoothly.

Or at least, let's hope all sides have learned something about Windy City politics since Chicago's last try at hosting a major racing series downtown.

On September 23, 1980, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and the city of Chicago announced plans for a Indy car race downtown in the Grant Park district on July 4, 1981. And, much like Tuesday's NASCAR announcement of its planned 2023 event along the Lake Shore Drive and Soldier Field part of town, the press conference featured series officials and top Chicago officials.

Many of the talking points at both press conferences were the same.

"The announcement today is the latest example of Chicago's increasing attraction and fame as an international city," mayor Jane Byrne said at the 1980 press conference. "I think the Chicago Grand Prix will be an excellent way to showcase our city to the rest of the world because of the international popularity of auto racing."

Fast forward to July 19, 2022, and the current mayor's take from a playbook not too different from the 1980 version.

"I think it's gonna be one of the most iconic race courses—maybe ever—and introduce a whole new fan base to what NASCAR is about in the city of Chicago. We couldn't pass up that opportunity," said mayor Lori Lightfoot. "The fans of of NASCAR are broad and wide and deep. And the opportunity to really, I think, ignite our tourism with a new iconic event on the calendar was a no-miss opportunity.

"This is the tip of the iceberg. And I think the excitement is now going to be off the charts and people are really going to be looking forward to July of 2023 when the cars hit the streets here."

The 1980 Indy car race was to be paired with the Cam-Am Series and was to be on a 2.7-mile course covering 11 turns and include Outer Drive and connecting streets around Grant Park and Michigan Avenue.

Both press conferences included a driver appearance. In 1980, IndyCar legend Rick Mears was on hand in Chicago. On Tuesday, it was Bubba Wallace talking NASCAR. Carl Haas, a team owner in CART and a Highland Park (Illinois) car designer, said in 1980, "This could make Chicago the Monaco of North America."

The event, however, went over like a lead balloon to some in the community. Some, including influential Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko, felt the city had better things to do with its resources, and not all area residents were fans of alternate routes and parking issues on top of the usual ones in the city. Letters to the editor in Chicago-area newspapers called for more time spent on the problems of crime and poverty and less and festivals and "races on the Outer Drive."

Ultimately, plans for the Chicago Grand Prix were canceled on November 6, 1980—44 days after the race was first announced.

Mayor Byrne issued a statement with a lot less fanfare than the initial race announcement, saying, "I have decided to cancel" the race. She stated that the location abound Lake Shore Drive and the Field Museum would "impose an undue burden on an already crowded holiday weekend calendar."

Could it happen again? Could something a big as NASCAR still be turned away from the Windy City, much like CART was 42 years ago.

Well ...

So what do think? Is a downtown Chicago NASCAR race a good idea? Is it feasible? Will it fly—or get shut down before the green flag flies? Share your thoughts in the comments below.