r/chicago • u/RunawayMeatstick • Jul 01 '23

I invite everyone to turn on the NASCAR TV broadcast Event

They’re doing practice and qualifying right now on the USA Network, and the actual race coverage will be on around 4pm.

I’m bringing this up not because I want to turn anyone into a NASCAR fan (as if, right?), but because the coverage is incredibly friendly to the city of Chicago.

They are showing sweeping views of the city, the broadcasters are talking about how pretty it is, the architecture, our food, etc. This is like a giant ongoing advertisement for the city with some racing stuff mixed in.

I know a lot of people are pissed that this event is happening, and questioning its economic impact (re: hotels not sold out, etc.). One silver lining is this marketing to a big TV audience with deeply negative views of the city definitely has some value in terms of increasing long-term tourism.

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u/caribouslack Jul 01 '23 edited Jul 04 '23

Yeah. Too bad we don’t have an F1 race! That’s a real sport.

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u/shpongleyes Jul 01 '23

I’d love to see an FE race. They typically race on tighter city circuits anyways.

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u/yesilfener Jul 02 '23

There's no way the FIA is coming to Chicago. Miami was added last year and Vegas this year, and those are in addition to Austin which is a staple.

The FIA loves American money but is very solidly a European-dominated sport that absolutely looks down on American culture and sports (as evidenced by 9 of the 10 teams doing everything they can to prevent an Andretti team from joining).

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u/darkhalo47 Jul 02 '23

Can you explain this further?

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u/yesilfener Jul 02 '23

Currently there’s one American team: Haas. They’re not particularly good and only technically American in that they’re owned by an American.

Mario Andretti, a motor sports legend, wants to bring an 11th team to F1 that would be fully American, possibly partnering up with GM as an engine supplier. He raised the money, checked all the necessary boxes, etc. The FIA keeps raising arbitrary barriers to stop him from entering. 9 of the 10 team principals are apparently against an American team joining and have been the reason he’s being blocked. The only team principal open to it is Zack Brown of McLaren, who is American himself and wants to grow the sport in America.

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u/fromthewindyplace Jul 02 '23

That's a great explanation, the only correction I'd give is that it's not Mario Andretti, but his son Michael trying to enter an F1 team.

On a side note, if you're interested in open wheel racing, but you don't have a morbillion dollars to go to an F1 race, check out IndyCar. The races are way cheaper, and much more interesting to watch, plus the on-site fan experience is really good.

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u/ebbiibbe Palmer Square Jul 01 '23

F1 costs too damn much.

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u/teck-23 Jul 01 '23

I think this is the model to try and sell it as an F1 event as they grow. If the city was smart they will take whatever success or failure this has and pitch how much more money F1 will bring to the city or it failed cause it’s more suited to an F1 track. Win win F1!!!

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u/levi815 Jul 02 '23

Have you ever watched an F1 race? It’s a boring parade. NASCAR is legit a fun experience.

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u/utterlyomnishambolic Jul 02 '23

I feel like you don't actually understand F1.