Windy City of change

When the 2011 edition of NASCAR's championship Chase opens at Chicagoland Speedway, the most important number won't be 12 (as in assumed eligible drivers) or 10 (as in playoff events) or even 400 (as in miles). It will be No. 3 -- and we're not talking about someone potentially competing in a Dale Earnhardt throwback car.

We're talking about market size, and the greater Chicago area's standing in relation to everywhere else in America. Make no mistake about it, this relocation of the Chase opener for next season has less to do with racing than it does trying to give NASCAR's first playoff race the big-city, major-media-market feel that was always lacking in rural and rustic New Hampshire. Joliet, Ill., where the 1.5-mile oval sits, is on the outskirts of a sprawling sports-mad region home to 9.5 million people, factors that NASCAR surely hopes will elevate its opening Chase event to new levels of publicity and attention.

"We think that Chicagoland being the first race in the Chase is a tremendous opportunity not only for the track, but for our avid race fans in the Midwest," Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president for racing operations, said during Monday's announcement in downtown Chicago. "A lot of people forget that the Chicago market is the No. 2 market we race in outside of the L.A. market, so it's a really huge opportunity for us to kick off the Chase in 2011."

NASCAR loves the bright lights of the big city, and understandably so given that it's constantly trying to convert new fans and prove -- something it doesn't need to, really -- that it belongs on the same stage as the major American team sports. Finding the right big city to hang its helmet, though, has been a process fraught with complications. For years NASCAR pursued a race in New York, with International Speedway Corp. even buying land on Staten Island from which it hoped one day a race track would arise. It never did, and after endless wrangling with local bureaucrats, the plot was eventually sold. Even the postseason banquet, a tradition in Gotham since 1981, bid the city goodbye.

Then there's Los Angeles, that shining empire on the West Coast, the capital of the U.S. car culture and the center of automotive industry design. Seven consecutive sellouts in as many races led NASCAR to go all-in at California Speedway, sacrificing a race at one revered institution (North Carolina Speedway) and a weekend at another (Labor Day at Darlington Raceway) to add a second annual event to the Fontana track. But because of a combination of marketing missteps and over-expansion, attendance at the 2-mile oval dropped like a speedometer needle in rush hour on I-10. On Tuesday, Kansas Speedway will announce that it's adding a second annual date at the expense of Auto Club Speedway, which will go back to the single spring race it had so much success with originally.

Now, it's Chicago's turn. Let's be honest, there are some inherent issues with this move, beginning with the fact that Joliet is 51 miles from downtown Chicago -- close enough to be part of Chicagoland, far enough that the buzz of the race track often gets lost somewhere between the cornfields of outer Joliet and the Loop. Driving around Chicago on last month's race weekend, it was painful to note that the race barely even mentioned a passing mention on local radio stations. No matter what time of year, the sports fronts of the city's two major newspapers are always crowded. People live and die with Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks. Adding a Chase race isn't magically going to change all that.

But Chicagoland will try, moving its night race back to daytime for a Chase opener slated for Sept. 18, 2011, and potentially head-to-head against a Bears game.

"I think being first race of the Chase helps elevate the prestige of the event and helps separate it within the media a little bit, as well as the fan base," track president Craig Rust said. "I think being the first one, we're well aware of the passion of Bears fans out there. But the reality is, if you're going to be in this market, you're going to compete against somebody."

Truth be told, New Hampshire has much of what NASCAR needs in a Chase opener. The 1-mile track in Loudon has a strong, loyal following, selling out its first 28 Cup events in a streak that ended only recently. It has a larger capacity, 101,000, than 75,000-seat Chicagoland. New England is a hotbed for local racing, primarily NASCAR-sanctioned modifieds. There is a big city, Boston, in the region.

NASCAR will open the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway. By opening its 10-race playoffs in Chicago, NASCAR will be racing in the second largest media market on the Cup tour.

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But Boston is 77 long miles away from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The glow of the Hub does not radiate to a track ensconced in forest, surrounded by more dirt roads than blacktop highways. Loudon and Boston are in different media markets. Yes, Joliet is a little out there, too, but it's at least considered part of the third-largest city in America, and to NASCAR and its sponsors that carries a certain degree of cachet.

"We've got a tremendous fan base in the Midwest that, we think, will really get behind this date," O'Donnell said. "It's no secret that a lot of sponsorships, a lot of big companies, are based in Chicago, so it only makes sense for us to do that. ... For us, [it's about] all the sports backgrounds that Chicago has, and also sponsorship, and really the opportunity to get the sport in front of as many eyeballs as possible."

So pop open an Old Style and raise a bottle to Chicago, the latest linchpin in NASCAR's strategy to win hearts and minds in the big city. No question, this kind of thing riles purists, who don't understand why the sport wants to get so high-falutin' -- ignoring the inherent truth that sponsors want to be seen by as many people as possible, and that traditional Southern tracks are losing races for a reason, namely because too many purists would rather complain than buy tickets. From a racing perspective Chicago's hole card is its proximity to the late model-crazy state that is Wisconsin, which sends thousands of fans south for the race each year. Forget Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Rust needs Matt Kenseth to be in title contention in 2011.

And really, if NASCAR wants to try to make a big splash with its Chase opener, what other options does it have? Bristol would bring more sizeable football conflicts, and running in East Tennessee won't help you get more coverage on front pages nationwide. Charlotte only preaches to the faithful. Las Vegas' bid for a second date will apparently have to wait. Given the choices, given the population base, given that Chicagoland sold out as recently as two years ago, given that the spires of the Windy City are close enough that visitors to the race track can enjoy dinner on Michigan Avenue -- it's worth a try.

"It's great for out sponsors. To kick it off here is good for us in all aspects," said two-time Chicagoland winner Kevin Harvick. "Really, there are no drawbacks that comes with us being here for the first race in the Chase."

And if it doesn't work? There's always Texas. What's the weather like in Dallas/Fort Worth in September, anyway?

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.