Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is open to two more years of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, but only after exploring the possibility of shifting the marquee event to a different date that does not pose the “challenges that July 4th weekend presents,” a top mayoral aide said Monday.

Senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee acknowledged that there are “some real limitations on moving the date” based on NASCAR’s overall schedule and “some of the local events in Chicago in the same footprint” in and around Grant Park.

But now that the event’s three-year contract has expired, a search for alternative dates is the next step. NASCAR has 90 days to request a contract extension from the Chicago Park District.

“Certainly, there is interest in seeing if it can work on another date, just because of some of the challenges that the 4th of July weekend present,” Lee told the Sun-Times on Monday.

“It’s a holiday weekend. A lot of people want to be out enjoying some of the public space that NASCAR uses. There’s also just logistical concerns relative to our emergency management personnel, including law enforcement. That’s a weekend where we want to have a lot of people out, a lot of our officers out across the city. If there’s a large-scale event happening downtown, that’s going to put pressure on our resources and overtime costs.”

Moving the date would also make sense from a tourism standpoint, since Chicago is already one of the nation’s top destinations for July 4th weekend, Lee said.

“Tourist numbers have been growing over the last several months. We’re really excited about the direction we’re heading. I’m never going to say that we don’t need events to bring more energy and lure more people to the city. But obviously, there’s a good volume of folks who come in for 4th of July to enjoy the city. So, we do OK” without NASCAR, he said.

Julie Giese, president of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, said conversations about shifting the race to another weekend have already begun, and NASCAR is “open to” continuing those negotiations talks.

“There’s a couple of factors at play working through the NASCAR schedule and how those shifts may impact the schedule. But more importantly, making sure that there’s a window that would work with the Grant Park schedule,” Giese said.

“We like the holiday. We’ve shown it can be successful. The mayor mentioned [Sunday] that there’s a large number of people coming into the city from a flight perspective traveling in. We’re open [to a change], but also open to staying on the same date as well if that is what works.”

Pressed on whether NASCAR wants to return to Chicago, Giese said, “We wouldn’t be having the conversations if we didn’t.”

Five alderpersons whose wards comprise the 2.2-mile NASCAR footprint are demanding a postrace meeting with Giese to discuss NASCAR’s future in Chicago.

Downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said their goal is to shrink the “footprint,” further reduce the setup and take-down time and explore alternative dates.

“July 4th weekend, there’s just too much else going on in the city. It’s such a tough weekend — even for people who would just prefer to come downtown and enjoy downtown. It hampers their ability to do that,” Hopkins said. “There’s alternative weekends. Not that many, I get it, with Suenos, Lollapalooza, Blues Fest. There aren’t a whole lot of available dates that it could possibly work. … But we need to at least consider it.”

Hopkins said he is going into the post-race negotiations “skeptical of our ability to solve the problems that cause most of the objections” from his constituents: traffic and “exclusionary use” of Grant Park for an extended time.

“I don’t know that they can shorten the setup and take-down time any more than they have, but that would be key in getting my support for them to continue — minimizing the impact and reducing the time downtown residents are denied access to their major park,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins also has a third priority: sweetening the deal for Chicago.

Johnson managed to secure an additional $2 million payment from NASCAR only because former Mayor Lori Lightfoot “got fleeced” by NASCAR, Hopkins said.

“They negotiated an extraordinarily weak deal for the city. And that has to change if we’re going to keep them. We need more revenue from this,” Hopkins said.

Giese said NASCAR has already reduced the setup and take-down time by 42% and will try to shrink it even more “if we have the ability to do that.”

What about sweetening the pot?

“Those are all conversations we need to continue to have with the city,” Geise said. “We’ve driven the economic [impact] to $230 million-plus — the television broadcast, the media value — in addition to the parks fee.”

Photo: Multimatic

You’ll find Ian Willis in the No. 64 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 pit stand during IMSA race weekends.

As the team’s race engineer, his focus is squarely on squeezing every ounce of performance from the car in the program’s second year. It’s a big role—but one he embraces without losing sight of his roots at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

“I literally, as a kid, rode bikes around there and know every inch of the place,” said Willis. “It is home.”

He first visited in 1961, attending the track’s inaugural race. His father, a key figure at British Empire Motor Club (the organization that built the track), brought him along.

“My father oversaw the pre-grid area,” Willis said. “And, you know, you get to meet the drivers. And as a very young kid, I had—I’m pretty sure it was Lorenzo Bandini—grab my cheek like a true Italian, squeeze it, and say, you know, ‘bambino’.”

Fast forward a few decades, and Ian, along with his brother Keith, helped shape Canadian motorsports through the formation of AIM Autosport in 1996.

The team’s journey began in Formula Ford with the Aero2 race car—designed and built by Ian and Keith — a car that became a bit of a Canadian legend and a catalyst for AIM’s early growth.

From there, the team found success in Formula BMW, Star Mazda, and later in sports cars, highlighted by six IMSA wins in two seasons with Vasser Sullivan Lexus.

Photo: Multimatic

Although AIM closed its doors post-COVID, the impact was lasting. The team was inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2022.

“We were passionately Canadian,” said Willis. “And AIM gave a lot of people their start—not just drivers, but engineers and crew. I’m really proud of that.”

His transition to Multimatic—builders of the Mustang GT3—came via long-time friend Larry Holt, executive advisor at the Canadian company.

“For 30 years, Larry would call and bug me every year at AIM and say, ‘Hey, when are you going to come work for us?’” Willis said.’” Willis said.

“And I said, Larry, I’ve got my own team. So, when the opportunity arose, I phoned up and said, ‘hey, I’m available.’”

Willis’ first race as the official race engineer for the No. 64 Mustang GT3 was at Sebring.

Photo: Multimatic

Earlier this season, the No. 64 scored its first win in Detroit, following the No. 65 car’s Rolex 24 triumph in January.

“It was a bit of a monkey off the back,” he said. “Just validation for all the hard work.”

One IMSA victory that still eludes him? Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

“We’ve been on the podium with some of our programs,” Willis said. “So, obviously a bucket list item.”

This weekend offers a special twist: sibling rivalry. Keith Willis is also in the paddock — as team manager for the AWA Corvette.

“He’s on a Corvette, I’m on a Ford,” Willis said. “So, there you go. There’s a family dinnertime discussion.”

The latest news, photos and video features from the trusted Sportscar365 web staff.

Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace raced each other hard in the final laps after they tangled in Chicago last year. Bowman got the better of the head-to-head matchup, finishing eighth and eliminating Wallace from the tournament.

John Hunter Nemechek was 15th, one spot better than his opponent, Chase Elliott. Gibbs had a strong day and finished second, good enough to beat AJ Allmendinger in sixth. Ty Dillon, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith and Erik Jones also moved on.

The 14th-seeded Smith upset No. 3 seed Chris Buescher by finishing 14th. He is matched up with Gibbs for Sunday’s road race at Sonoma.

“I hate we had to knock another Ford out, but it’s super cool to advance,” Smith said.

With the in-season tournament — part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT — NASCAR is following in the footsteps of the NBA and soccer leagues around the world. After Sonoma this weekend, it concludes with races at Dover and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Bowman said the tournament wasn’t on his mind as he battled with Wallace at the end in Chicago. Whatever the reason for the contact, their head-to-head matchup certainly added a bit of intrigue to the racing behind van Gisbergen’s victory.

With the money involved and the field trimmed to eight drivers, there could be more moments like the duel between Bowman and Wallace in the final weeks of the challenge.

“I wasn’t expecting that to happen or to get raced like that, but we did,” Bowman said. “We just have to move on from it and keep digging.”

It sure sounds as if Dillon is enjoying the competition. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Brad Keselowski on Sunday after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin at Atlanta on June 28.

There was absolutely no drama in Dillon’s win after Keselowski was collected in an early crash that began with Carson Hocevar hitting the wall and spinning out between Turns 10 and 11. Hocevar was eliminated by Reddick.

“I’m just so proud of Kaulig Racing and our No. 10 team,” Dillon said. “I knew in a basketball city, going up against Brad in a game of knockout, I was going to have a good chance.”

Dillon takes on Bowman and Preece faces Reddick in the next round. But the most interesting contest just might be Nemechek versus Jones in a matchup of Legacy Motor Club teammates.

“I felt like if we could have gotten through the first round, these next two rounds are really good for us,” Preece said. “Our road course program is pretty strong, and we keep making it better. So going into Sonoma, I think we’re up against Tyler Reddick, so he’s really good at road courses as well, but I like being the underdog.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series will tackle the 1.99-mile Sonoma Raceway road course in Northern California.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action July 25 at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

NASCAR Cup Series’ Toyota / Save Mart 350

• Sunday, July 13
  • 3:30 p.m. (All times Eastern)
• 110 laps
  • Stages end on laps 25, 55, 110
• TNT (stream on Max), Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
• Last year’s winner: Kyle Larson

Unlike last week at Chicago, no drivers will fail to qualify with 37 drivers on the entry list (36 chartered, 1 open entry).

Katherine Legge will race the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet for the second week in a row and her fourth start of 2025.

Odds for NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma 2025

Chicago Street Course race winner Shane Van Gisbergen is the opening odds-on favorite to win Sunday, per Caesar’s Sportsbook. Kyle Larson, the 2024 winner at Sonoma, has the second-shortest odds.

Here are odds for select drivers for Sonoma as of Monday, July 7:

• Shane Van Gisbergen +175
• Kyle Larson +350
• Chase Elliott, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick +1000
• William Byron, Ty Gibbs +1400
• Chris Buscher +1600
• Christopher Bell+1800
• A.J. Allmendinger +2000
• Ross Chastain +2500
• Ryan Blaney +2800
• Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch +3500
• Chase Briscoe +4000
• Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez +5000
• Denny Hamlin +6000
• Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Preece +7500
• The rest of the odds are coming soon.

NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250

• Saturday, July 12
• 79 laps
  • Stages end on laps 20, 45, 79
• CW, Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
• Last year’s winner: Shane Van Gisbergen

One driver will miss the field with 39 entries for 38 spots.

Shane Van Gisbergen, the 2024 winner, and Riley Herbst are the only drivers slated for double-duty this weekend, with SVG piloting the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and Herbst the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Other notable entries include:

• Connor Mosack: No. 14 for SS-Greenlight Racing
• Brad Perez: No. 45 for Alpha Prime Racing

Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.

From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book “All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story” with racer Geoff Bodine.

Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.

You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.

Drivers compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race at the Grant Park 165 on Sunday in Chicago.
(AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

CHICAGO (AP) — Shane van Gisbergen completed a sweep on the Chicago Street Course on Sunday, winning the NASCAR Cup Series race on the tricky downtown circuit.

It was van Gisbergen’s second victory of the season and his third career Cup win. The Trackhouse Racing driver also won in Chicago in 2023, becoming the first driver to take his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.

Ty Gibbs was second, and Tyler Reddick finished third. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.

It was a dominant weekend for van Gisbergen, a three-time champion in Australia’s Supercars. The 36-year-old New Zealand native won the Xfinity Series race from the pole Saturday. He also was the top qualifier for the Cup race.

Michael McDowell joined van Gisbergen on the front row and quickly moved in front. He won Stage 1 and led for 31 laps before he was derailed by a throttle cable issue.

Van Gisbergen regained the lead when he passed Chase Briscoe with 16 laps left. As fog moved into downtown Chicago with thunderstorms in the forecast, van Gisbergen controlled the action the rest of the way.

AJ Allmendinger was sixth, and Ryan Preece finished seventh. Ryan Blaney, who won the second stage, was 12th.

William Byron’s day was cut short by a clutch problem. The Hendrick Motorsports driver began the day on top of the series standings.

After McDowell seized the lead early in the race, Carson Hocevar caused a multicar crash when he hit the wall and spun out between Turns 10 and 11. Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez and Will Brown were among the drivers collected in the wreck.

“I didn’t see it until the last second,” Keselowski said. “I slowed down and I actually felt I was gonna get stopped and then I just kind of got ran over from behind. It’s just a narrow street course and sometimes there’s nowhere to go.”

Ty Dillon and Reddick moved into the third round of NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament when Keselowski and Hocevar were unable to finish the race. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Keselowski after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin last weekend at Atlanta.

Gibbs, Preece, Alex Bowman, John H. Nemechek, Zane Smith and Erik Jones also advanced. The winner of the five-race, bracket-style tournament takes home a $1 million prize.

Bowman, the 2024 champion on the downtown street course, won his head-to-head matchup with Bubba Wallace. Bowman and Wallace made contact as they battled for position late in the race after they also tangled in Chicago last year.

What’s Happening?

Part-time NASCAR driver, Greg van Alst announced this morning that he is forming the new race team, Greg van Alst Motorsports. The team will field the number 35 truck part-time for the remainder of the 2025 season, beginning at Lucus Oil Raceway Park. Alst, 44, made his stockcar racing debut in the ARCA Menards Series in 2002. After a long sabadical, he returned to the series in 2021 and has race part-time ever since.

• Alst, best known for his ARCA win at Daytona in 2021, made some part-time starts earlier this season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Those starts were in the number 35 for Joey Gase Motorsports. His best finish this year was a 26th-place run at Daytona.
• The newly formed team plans to run four races. Its schedule will begin at Lucus Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis. It will then be followed up by Bristol, Talladega, and Martinsville.
• The team will be run under the TRD banner. It will be interesting to see how they perform in the coming weeks.