Why Jeff Gordon Hopes Chicago Stays on the NASCAR Calendar in the Future

NASCAR returned to the streets of Chicago this weekend to hold races in the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series. Both events went down successfully despite the latter being shortened due to rain. Considering the positive outcome many are left hoping for the races to return in and beyond 2025, and racing legend Jeff Gordon is one among them.

Gordon was asked for his opinion on the Cup Series fixture and if it ought to remain on the calendar during his post-race press conference in the Windy City. The icon, who is now the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, made it clear that he was a big fan of how the race turned out despite the rain and that such telling events are the right way forward for NASCAR.

He said, “I thought other than just running out of time and not being able to get the full race in and having to stop — it’s a really entertaining event, and I hope it does stay on the circuit.” The rain made the race a great show and experience for everyone who was watching the event on television. But for those who were at the course, either as part of the team or in the audience, maybe not so much. 

Gordon acknowledged this and continued expressing how he’d been left surprised by the tire choices of drivers and the way the track reacted to them. All said and done, it is only obvious that he would be pleased with the day’s conclusion considering it was Alex Bowman, one of his drivers, who won the race. The icon finds all four of his team’s cars in the playoffs after Chicago.

Gordon believes that the Chicago Street Course race is an important event for NASCAR

Racing stock cars in the downtown of a major metropolitan city comes with a lot of perks. Global attention is one of them. Gordon views this as a big boost along the way of NASCAR’s ambition to reach more audiences and grow its fan base. He said, “They know that there’s a race happening here, and a lot of those folks maybe never watched NASCAR before.”

“It’s a great way for me to not only show that we’re capable of racing in locations like this and right in the center of a major metropolitan city, which is an important part of the market and the exposure, but it’s also opening up the door to a lot of new fans.” Going forward, he hopes not only to come back to Chicago but also to visit other such venues.