nascar-cup-series-race-illinois-gets-official-name

NASCAR Cup Series Race in Illinois Gets an Official Name

In over 80 days, NASCAR’s Cup Series comes to Illinois, and the race at World Wide Technology Raceway will have a name.

On Monday, track officials and the pro racing league announced the June 5 “Enjoy Illinois 300” race at Madison, Ill. The raceway had hosted NHRA and currently hosts Camping World Truck races at the track once known as Gateway Motorsports Park.

The track is minutes northeast of St. Louis.

Fox 2 Now said the Illinois Office of Tourism would sponsor the race.

NASCAR Race To Have Illinois Name

Before the Cup race, nearby Tri-City Speedway will host a World of Outlaws Late Model Series race on Friday, June 3. The following day, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota 200 will be on Saturday in Madison.

“The Enjoy Illinois 300 establishes Illinois’ own World Wide Technology Raceway as the country’s standout track for stock car, open-wheel, and drag racing alike,” Governor JB Pritzker said. 

Pritzker called the Cup race “an incredible opportunity to showcase Illinois. He added the state looked forward to welcoming NASCAR fans “to our great state.”

A recent Maryville University study said the Cup race would bring $60 million to the region and more than 83,000 fans for the race weekend.

Track owner and CEO Curtis Francois said he was “thrilled to partner with the Illinois Office of Tourism to deliver the best Illinois has to offer.”

The TV station said the track would host live entertainment all weekend from local, regional, and national musicians. NASCAR would also hold a hauler parade through downtown St. Louis that would cross the Mississippi River before ending at the track on June 2.

NASCAR F1-Style Race In Works For Chicago?

Another NASCAR-styled race proposal at another has been in the news for Illinois.

Earlier this month, Sports Business Journal revealed that NASCAR and Chicago officials.

The impromptu track would be almost a four-hour, 20-minute drive north of Madison in the Windy City’s streets. 

When Joliet’s Chicagoland Speedway lost its Cup date in 2020, NASCAR decided not to bring it back to the track. But the pro racing league still wants those racing fans.

Besides, street racing seems like the next logical step for NASCAR. This past Cup season opened with an extraordinary exhibition event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Organizers called the Busch Light Clash a success.

NASCAR may want to cash in with other racing leagues like IndyCar and F-1, bringing street racing to the United States. There’s been successful F-1 racing at Long Beach, Calif., and Detroit for years.

Besides, NASCAR already had a few fans in current drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. According to NBC, the drivers are constant watchers of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” docuseries.