Grant Park buzzed with energy Saturday morning as tens of thousands of attendees descended on the park grounds for the third NASCAR Chicago Street Race amid rising temperatures and a blazing sun.
The third and final race weekend of NASCAR’s three-year deal with the city brought fans from throughout the country, with first-time race attendees and seasoned fans flooding through the gates. The city and NASCAR could extend the contract for two more years of races if both parties agree to do so, but the race in Chicago faces a murky future.
When asked if the event would return in 2026, Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese said, “We’ll have those conversations after the race, but right now our focus is on this weekend.”
Katie Wylie, 35, visited her hometown of Chicago this weekend to give her twin sons, 7-year-olds Jack and Ben Wylie, their first in-person NASCAR experience. Her partner, Ben Trueblood, joined them for the trip from Nashville, where the family now lives.
Katie Wylie walks with her twins, Jack Wylie (left) and Ben Wylie, at Butler Field before the NASCAR Chicago Street Race on Saturday.
“They’re big race fans, so we’re excited for them to experience their first in-person race,” Katie Wylie said, adding that she was most excited for the opportunity to be in the city and experience the energy of race weekend.
The family made the most of their visit, catching the Cardinals-Cubs game at Wrigley Field on Friday and planning to wrap up their Saturday night with fireworks at Navy Pier before heading home Sunday.
As for the NASCAR festivities, Wylie said she was impressed with the atmosphere. “It’s really great. I honestly didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “They did a great job with curating the environment of the grounds and this village here.”
Aaron Moy and sister Amy Moy wear NASCAR-themed accessories and outfits at Grant Park on Saturday.
Aaron Moy, 54, originally from Chicago, traveled from his new home in Minnesota to attend this weekend’s NASCAR Street Race. A longtime fan, Moy said he has previously attended NASCAR races in Joliet from 2006 until 2015, when his favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, retired.
Since the Chicago street races began, Moy made it a point to attend. This year, he’s attending both days of racing and hopes to catch a glimpse of some of his favorite drivers. “We’re trying to see our favorite drivers: Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott,” he said. “Secondly, we want to see our drivers win the race.”
Like many fans, Moy is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast after rain put a damper on the event the last two years. “The last two races were rain-impacted. And the forecast isn’t great tomorrow,” he said of Sunday’s races.
Sunday’s high is expected to be in the low- to mid-80s with chances of storms, according to the National Weather Service.
When asked what he did during last year’s weather delays, Moy explained that although it’s tempting to seek shelter at a nearby business, he’s previously chosen to stay near the track area.
“You never know when they’ll say, ‘OK, drivers to your cars’ and then we gotta rush back in,” Moy said.
Moy came prepared for another round of possible showers this year. He said he packed a poncho to wear because umbrellas are not permitted on the race grounds, and he was also sporting what he called an “Anti-Rain Vortex” hat in hopes of keeping the rain away.
NASCAR fan Aaron Moy wears an “Anti-Rain Vortex” hat that he hopes will keep the rain away during the NASCAR race at Grant Park.
For some attendees, it’s hard to ignore a street race in their backyard.
Loop residents were among the tens of thousands venturing to Grant Park on Saturday.
“It’s right down the street from me,” said 73-year-old Clarissa Hinton, who lives in a condo less than 10 minutes away.
It’s probably safe to assume Hinton would have traveled farther; the 10-year NASCAR fan was decked out in a black checkered racing suit accentuated with a necklace made of toy race cars and a purse to match.
Besides rooting for Shane van Gisbergen, the winner of the inaugural Chicago race two years ago, Hinton was enjoying the atmosphere of the two-day event, which also features local food vendors, a kids’ zone and live entertainment.
“It’s a lot of fun!” she said.
Clarissa Hinton wears a checkered flag outfit and carries a bag decorated with toy cars during NASCAR events Saturday in Grant Park. She’s been a fan of NASCAR for 10 years and is rooting for Shane van Gisbergen.
Sam Eddy, 24, of Mundelein, has been a NASCAR fan for years, attending races in Joliet and Phoenix and spending childhood summers at Illinois’ now-closed Rockford Speedway. This weekend marks his family’s first time at the NASCAR Chicago Street Race.
Eddy attended Saturday’s event with relatives including his mother, Angela Eddy, 55, who noted the family’s longstanding ties to the sport. “We’re a NASCAR family. My uncle was a famous NASCAR driver back in the day: ‘Tiger’ Tom Pistone,” she said. “He was a very famous racecar driver when they used to race at Soldier Field in the ’50s.”
Both mother and son said they were excited to finally experience the Chicago street race for the first time after missing the last two years.
The Eddys said they planned to attend both days of the event, with VIP passes in hand, while also keeping an eye on Sunday’s forecast. “We’re going to see how it plays out,” Angela Eddy said.
Cooper Lawrence, 26, of the Loop is a NASCAR newcomer who wanted to see what the event had to offer.
“It’s pretty nice,” he said. “I’ve got a good viewing area over here. Everything’s pretty reasonably priced. It’s not like other sporting events.”
He said it was worth the nearly 90-degree heat, especially for the opportunity to see a street race format, rather than cars running on “a boring oval.”
He planned to stick around for the Zac Brown Band show Saturday evening, but Lawrence said he primarily came for the street race, but said the Zac Brown show was a “bonus.” Lawrence said he’d welcome another year of NASCAR in Chicago.
“I’d be back,” he said.
Also in attendance Saturday was Ray McElroy, 52, a West Chicago resident and former NFL player for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts. The event was McElroy’s first NASCAR race, which he said came about as part of an effort to bring more young people of color into the sport.
McElroy was there on behalf of his nonprofit, A Ray of Hope on Earth, which works to provide youth mentoring opportunities. “We got introduced to an official with NASCAR that’s looking to expand NASCAR’s diversity with young people of color,” McElroy said. “And since we have a nonprofit that we work with a lot of young people, we wanted to expose some of our young men to this opportunity.
“We’re really excited about an opportunity to expose some of our young men to the opportunities that NASCAR has to provide,” he added.
Beyond the community work, McElroy said he was looking forward to the thrill of the live racing experience. “To see how fast these friggin’ things roll down Lake Shore Drive. It’s got to be incredible,” he said. “You see it on television, but it’s totally different than seeing it live.”
McElroy said he and his organization also had special access to certain areas “Just to kind of see the guys put the cars together and all of the ins and outs of racing, behind the scenes, is also very exciting,” he said.
Other attendees traveled well over an hour from Illinois’ suburbs.
For the last three years, 61-year-old McHenry resident Georgene Sergeant has made it her mission to bring others along with her to experience the “excitement, speed, loudness and fun” of the event.
This time, she recruited Amber Rausch, a friend she met at a St. Patrick’s Day event.
“I think it draws in people that might not be NASCAR fans and then they become fans,” said Sergeant, who works for Sunoco, which is NASCAR’s official fuel.
“We just don’t have NASCAR up here. So, I think it’s an experience for people who don’t normally have that option.”
Sergeant said she was most looking forward to the Zac Brown Band concert and wished event organizers hadn’t pared down the number of musical acts this year. “I’m disappointed,” she said.
Still, her new pal, Rausch, was content to take in the general atmosphere.“Everybody’s fun and friendly and ready to party,” said Rausch, 36, of Woodstock, after snapping a selfie in front of Buckingham Fountain. “It’s just a happy day.”
JR Motorsports has reached a multi-year contract with iconic fast food chain Arby’s. As part of the agreement, Arby’s will sponsor three JR Motorsports drivers for a combined eight races during the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
Carson Kvapil will get things kicked off at EchoPark Speedway in February and will carry the Arby’s colors for a total of four races. Sammy Smith will add three races with Arby’s sponsorship, while Justin Allgaier will fly the brand’s logo in one race. Allgaier will also have a full-season Arby’s associate sponsorship.
Additionally, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has secured a personal service agreement with Arby’s, and Arby’s will also serve as a partner for Dirty Mo Media beginning in 2026.
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Matt Marrie | TobyChristie.com
Dead On Tools, which was an integral partner on Harrison Burton’s path to a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Playoff berth with AM Racing in 2025, will return to support the driver in 2026 as he moves to Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 24 Toyota GR Supra.
Dead On Tools will serve as a 12-race primary sponsorship partner for Burton and the No. 24 team.
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lost their charters heading into the antitrust trial against NASCAR. Michael Jordan had to see his team, 23XI, participate as open teams in the final months of the season.
NASCAR representatives probably thought they had the upper hand in court. But when the trial began, 23XI used NASCAR’s own strategy against them and walked away with everything they’d been fighting for. It can be argued that NASCAR underestimated Jordan’s impact in the courtroom, and the result was always headed this way.
Why was Michael Jordan Destined to Beat NASCAR?
During the trial, Jordan openly voiced his confidence in winning. “I would have settled if I thought a settlement was worthwhile,” NASCAR reporter Adam Stern quoted the basketball superstar at that time.
Back in September 2024, NASCAR pulled what they thought was a power move. After two years of tense negotiations with racing teams, they dropped a final offer with essentially no time to consider it.
Sign by the end of the day or lose your charter. No discussion. No negotiation. Take it or leave it. There were grievances, of course, but only two teams chose to show it, while the others put pen to paper.
It was a risky move for the teams not to sign the charter. Without a charter, a team makes less than $5 million a season. With one, they’re guaranteed a spot in every race and a decent revenue stream.
Still, 23XI and FRM dared to take that risk and challenged NASCAR on court. They accused NASCAR of running an illegal monopoly.
Here’s the thing, NASCAR didn’t seem to understand: Jordan came from a world where this kind of stuff doesn’t fly. In the NBA, teams and the league share revenue roughly 50-50. Players have unions.
Jordan testified that NASCAR’s revenue split was worse than any business he’d ever been part of. He’d just sold his stake in the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion, making a $2.6 billion profit.
He understood franchise value. He understood fair deals. And he wasn’t scared of a fight. More importantly, Jordan had something the other NASCAR owners didn’t: he wasn’t trapped.
Rick Hendrick, Roger Penske, Joe Gibbs – these guys have spent their entire lives in NASCAR. They’re NASCAR people through and through. They weren’t going to burn bridges with the France family, who’ve run the sport since 1948.
Jordan? He’s been in NASCAR since 2021. He loves racing, sure, but he doesn’t have decades of history making him nervous about challenging the bosses.
Standing on the courthouse steps after the settlement, Jordan and Jim France acted like old friends. They discussed compromise and what is best for the sport. Very diplomatic.
But make no mistake about what happened here: NASCAR bet they could bully Michael Jordan the same way they’d been bullying team owners for decades, and they were utterly wrong.
Jordan is one of the most competitive people who has ever lived. He’s got millions to spend on lawyers. He came from a sport where franchise values have skyrocketed because leagues treat their teams like actual partners, rather than servants. And he had absolutely zero reason to back down.
NASCAR, meanwhile, was in a nightmare scenario. Every day of the trial exposed more dirty laundry. Their own documents portrayed them as monopolistic bullies. Their chairman looked inflexible and out of touch.
Eventually, NASCAR realized it had no choice but to cave in. Jordan delivered another masterstroke in court — not on the hardwood, but in the legal arena this time.
Joey Logano is one of the most intense competitors in the NASCAR Cup Series field. He seldom backs down from a fight and always pays back for the mistakes that have been committed against him. This trait isn’t limited to the race tracks on the NASCAR calendar alone. Even at home, when he is racing against his children for fun, he maintains the same commitment.
Logano’s eldest son, Hudson Joseph, is eight years old now. The two race in the track that Logano has put together in their home, and get quite competitive at it. Speaking on Donut Podcasts earlier this year, the three-time Cup Series champion detailed how he doesn’t take things lightly when little Hudson tests his patience during their races.
He said, “We have a couple of go-karts at the house, and I built a racetrack at the house. That’s like the first thing you do as a race car driver. You build a racetrack at your house. So, now he’s getting pretty quick. We can compete pretty quick. He’s 100 lbs lighter than me, you know? He gets out of the corner a lot faster.”
“But now, he’s like starting to get a little rough, and he’ll knock me out of the way a little bit. I’m like, ‘You son of b****’. And it pisses me off. The switch goes off. Eventually, I got to dump him. I got to spin him out. I just have to. He hit me. I got to show him it’s not okay.”‘
He continued to admit that it is a lot of fun racing his son around the house.
Will Hudson follow his father into motorsports?
Only a number of NASCAR legends have been fortunate enough to see their children carry on the family legacy behind the wheel of a race car. In current times, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are seeing their children achieve big results in grassroots-level races. Following them, Logano’s children, Hudson, in particular, might soon get involved with professional racing as well.
The boy looks up to his father already and splits his time between racing cars and playing basketball. Asked if one of the children might follow in his footsteps, the Team Penske driver provided an honest answer.
It went, “I don’t know if any of them will, to be honest with you. Maybe. I’m not gonna force them, I know that. I’m just gonna let them live their life. They see what dad does, and if they want to race, great. I know some good avenues to help.”
With his other two kids, Jameson and Amelia, not appearing to have caught the racing bug, his hopes lie completely in Hudson for now.
The tires on race cars today are part of mobile research labs as companies like Pirelli, Michelin and Continental test compounds under extreme conditions.
“We use the term track the street. There’s no tougher place to test your products than on the track,” Matthew Cabe, president and CEO of Michelin North America told Newsweek.
During a race, tires are exposed to the extremes of physics. “We believe that endurance racing is the place where you get the most out of that test in a in a short amount of time. You go out for 24 hours in Daytona, you go out for ten hours in Petite [Le Mans], and they are pushing the limits through all of those sessions. What we get is a real laboratory-type opportunity to see what [Michelin] can do,” Cabe said.
Customers are generally not going to drive their vehicle for a full day at a time, nor will they be driving 200 mph regularly, powered by engines designed to maximize power output over fuel efficiency.
The CEO explained: “Your average consumer is not going to drive at full capacity for 24 hours. Especially in [the] IMSA [motorsports performance driving series], we’re driving vehicles that are not so far away from the [ones] drive[n] on the road. Obviously, they’re way more powerful. Obviously, they’re able to push harder. But, the dynamics of those vehicles are not dissimilar to what we drive in every day.”
Not just that, but Michelin can change up its tire compounds to adapt to the results of the on-track action, getting new compounds to the track in a matter of weeks and months.
“We have the opportunity, in the next race, to be able to come back and to try something new and, to continue to innovate,” Cabe said. “We collaborate with all of the manufacturers there and real time and stress test ourselves really quickly.”
All those laps also result in Michelin having a test bed for the products of tomorrow, including those that contain increased levels of sustainable materials. The company is working across its upstream, operations and downstream product channels to deliver on short- and long-term sustainability goals.
Many electric vehicles were developed by automakers under similar sustainability goals. Hand-in-hand, Michelin worked to develop tires to take on the types of strain those models put on their rubber, which is different than what is presented by traditional internal combustion engined vehicles.
“We’ve been working with tires for with electric vehicles for quite a long time. Some of the challenges that come along with electric vehicles: the weight and incredible torque,” Cabe explained. “It’s interesting. You get high torque so it causes additional wear.”
Michelin isn’t developing tires just for electric vehicles. Their tires must be able to withstand the rigors of the vehicle they’re affixed to, regardless of powertrain.
“When we make a product, we want to make sure that it’s capable of not just delivering on one of those aspects that a consumer’s looking for in a product, but really delivering [capability in a meaningful way],” he said.
Michelin does not want its customers to feel as if they are compromising on any factor by choosing their tires, not on longevity, rolling resistance or handling in wet conditions.
Arby’s has officially switched NASCAR teams for the 2026 season, leaving Rick Ware Racing to join powerhouse JR Motorsports (JRM). As part of the agreement, Arby’s will serve as a primary sponsor for eight races across three JRM drivers while also expanding its presence beyond the racetrack through Dirty Mo Media and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Arby’s Joins JR Motorsports as Multi-Year NASCAR Sponsor Starting in 2026
JR Motorsports has announced a multi-year partnership with Arby’s, bringing the fast-food brand to the forefront of its NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program beginning in 2026.
A NASCAR journalist on X confirmed the move, “NEWS: @Arbys is joining @JRMotorsports as an eight-race primary sponsor for drivers Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith and Justin Allgaier during the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign.”
#NASCAR… Arby’s will sponsor Carson Kvapil at Atlanta, Rockingham, Texas, and Chicago.
The company will jump aboard Sammy Smith’s No. 8 at Talladega, San Diego, and the ROVAL.
Justin Allgaier will carry the colors of Arby’s at Darlington. https://t.co/rk7QI8X7Z5
As part of the deal, Arby’s will serve as the primary sponsor for eight Xfinity Series races in 2026, split across three JRM drivers, namely Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith, and Justin Allgaier. Kvapil will carry Arby’s branding at Atlanta, Rockingham, Texas, and Chicago. Smith’s No. 8 Chevrolet will feature the brand at Talladega, San Diego, and the Charlotte ROVAL, while veteran Allgaier will run fast food giant’s logos at Darlington.
Beyond those races, Arby’s will also be featured as a season-long associate sponsor on Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet, cementing a consistent year-long partnership with JRM. The partnership doesn’t end at race weekends. The company has also signed a personal services agreement with JRM co-owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Earnhardt, one of the sport’s most influential voices.
The new partnership is expected to play a central role in Arby’s fan engagement strategy, leveraging Earnhardt’s credibility and platforms to expand its reach within the NASCAR community.
MORE: NASCAR’s Evergreen Charter Victory May Have Just Created a Bigger Problem for the Sport
“It’s an exciting opportunity to have Arby’s partner up with our companies,” said Earnhardt. “Arby’s is very aggressive with their activation and we pride ourselves on being a tremendous asset when it comes to offering a variety of unique marketing platforms, so I’m looking forward to how we can work together to continue to grow their business.”
For JRM, the agreement adds another major brand to their already strong sponsorship portfolio. It also reinforces the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team’s position as one of the sport’s most lucrative organizations for long-term visibility.
For Arby’s, the deal signals a strategic investment in stock car racing, combining competitive on-track performance, star power, and social media engagement to deepen its connection with racing fans across the 2026 season and beyond.
Hendrick Motorsports purchased a significant plot of land after team owner Rick Hendrick revealed that his overall business generated $1 billion in one year alone.
According to Cabarrus County real estate records obtained by the Charlotte Business Journal, an entity affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports purchased a 20.2-acre site at 7001 Bruton Smith Blvd. for $14.2 million last month. The land was bought from Charlotte Motor Speedway LLC — which is tied to Speedway Motorsports — and is located less than one mile from the front entrance of the historic track.
This is hardly the only major land purchase that Hendrick — who provided his two cents once NASCAR and Michael Jordan’s 23XI reached a settlement in their year-long antitrust lawsuit — has overseen in recent years. Back in 2023, Hendrick Motorsports purchased another 82 acres from Charlotte Motor Speedway for approximately $22.6 million. The property sits adjacent to the organization’s campus and the Hendrick Auto Mall.
Speaking to the Charlotte Business Journal, a Hendrick spokesperson shared that there are “no specific plans for the property” acquired in the most recent $14.2 million acquisition at this time.
The latest acquisition comes on the heels of a telling court admission about the substantial losses Hendrick Motorsports has suffered while competing in the Cup Series. In a letter directed to NASCAR CEO Jim France from April 2024, Hendrick conceded that teams had “reached a breaking point” regarding the 2024 charter agreement.
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“You and I have become good friends. I have tremendous respect for you and truly value our personal relationship. In turn, I understand you must prioritize business and the best interests of your company, your family and your employees,” Hendrick wrote.
“But for the sake of transparency, I want to share my dismay at the state of these negotiations and the ineffective process we’ve endured over the last two years. Both sides have wasted a tremendous amount of time and resources, and we find ourselves at an unnecessary impasse.”
Even though Hendrick Motorsports secured two Cup Series titles over a five-year span, Hendrick claimed that the team still suffered a total loss of $20 million due to the existing model, which was “unsustainable for teams and cannot continue without substantive, fundamental change.”
In order to keep the team afloat, Hendrick noted that “Hendrick Automotive Group did $1 billion in business with Hendrick Motorsports sponsors in 2023, including: Ally: 22,000 loan originations ($951 million in retail paper), UniFirst: 24,000 uniforms leased ($4 million), Axalta: 33,000 gallons of Axalta paint used ($8.5 million purchased), Valvoline: 887,000 gallons of oil poured, NAPA: 1.2 million parts purchased ($9 million).”
Less than two weeks after heading to trial in a Charlotte courthouse, NASCAR reached a resolution that will provide all teams with “evergreen” or “permanent” charters. In addition, all 15 Cup Series teams will receive a percentage of international revenue for the first time and a third of new business deals regarding Intellectual Property (IP). The three-strike rule will also be increased to five strikes, thereby providing teams with more decision-making power.
