NASCAR’s Chicago connections

NASCAR has shared a long-running connection with Chicago, one that will be rekindled with this weekend's street course races. Let's explore stock-car racing's ties -- such as the 2011 playoff field's appearance at Buckingham Fountain -- to the Chicago area.

Start first with drivers, and there's little better place to start than Fred Lorenzen. Known as the Elmhurst Express for his Illinois hometown in the Chicago suburbs, Lorenzen scored 26 victories in what's now known as the NASCAR Cup Series, and cut his teeth at the now-defunct O'Hare Stadium quarter-mile nearby. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.

Chicago native "Tiger" Tom Pistone was a two-time Cup Series winner, netting both his victories in the 1959 season. He made 130 starts in NASCAR's top division and was a champion driver at Soldier Field, now home to the Chicago Bears.

Bill Venturini and his racing family have long called Chicago home. Venturini made occasional NASCAR national-series starts, but was a more regular competitor in the ARCA Menards Series, where he won 12 times.

Bob Dotter hailed from Chicago and enjoyed a long career in ARCA Menards Series competition. He was a five-time ARCA winner and also dabbled in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His son, Bobby, continues the family tradition as a current-day team owner in the Xfinity ranks.

Bobby Wawak, seen here in 1977, made 141 starts in NASCAR's premier series -- most of those in cars he owned. He called the Chicago suburb of Villa Park, Illinois, his home. It's worth noting his sponsorship from Encyclopedia Brittanica on his No. 36 car for that year's Daytona 500.

Chicago native Sal Tovella made just 14 Cup Series starts, but was a standout in USAC Stock Car competition. Tovella won six times in that division, and he was also a track champion at Chicago's Soldier Field in 1963.

In discussing Chicago connections, NBA legend Michael Jordan merits inclusion as a six-time champion with the hometown Bulls. The North Carolina native, seen here as a dignitary at the 2010 All-Star Race, has since joined NASCAR's team owner ranks with 23XI Racing.

Veteran FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy is known for his roots in Connecticut, where he was raised and served four terms on the town council in Windsor, Connecticut. Joy's birthplace, though, is Chicago.

The Chicago area has also been home to many racing venues, including the flat oval layout at Soldier Field. The stadium held many racing events, but just one for the NASCAR Cup Series. That 100-mile, 200-lap affair was won by Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts in 1956.

Midget cars were a popular attraction at Soldier Field, and the action sometimes got hairy. "Every night, there was excitement," Tom Pistone told NASCAR.com in 2012.
Other notable Chicago-area tracks that hosted motorsports events included O'Hare Stadium in Schiller Park, near where the international airport is today, and Sante Fe Speedway in Willow Springs. The latter track lasted until 1995 and hosted one Cup Series race -- a 1954 event won by Dick Rathman.

Another view of Soldier Field and the makeshift garage area. In addition to the one Cup Series race, three events for the former NASCAR Convertible Edition were held there -- with Curtis Turner, Glen Wood and Tom Pistone the winners.

Chicago Motor Speedway at Sportsman's Park started as a prime horse racing venue, but a group that included team owner Chip Ganassi brought auto racing to the site. The 1.029-mile oval in Cicero, Illinois, hosted four CART champ car races in its brief lifetime, but also held two events in the Camping World Truck Series. Joe Ruttmann (2000) and Scott Riggs (2001) were the winners.

NASCAR also was a frequent visitor to Chicagoland Speedway, south of town in Joliet, Illinois. The 1.5-mile track opened in 2001 and played host to all three NASCAR national series and ARCA.

The Chicagoland track hosted the opening event in the 10-race playoffs from 2011 to 2017, and the NASCAR industry annually took to the town for postseason kickoffs. Chicago's Cloud Gate serves as the backdrop for the 2012 playoff field.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. smokes up State Street with a burnout in front of the iconic Chicago Theater ahead of the 2012 playoffs.

Matt Kenseth soaks in the view from the Willis Tower's Sky Deck in Chicago ahead of the 2013 playoffs.

Denny Hamlin takes part in the postseason media day at The Murphy in downtown Chicago in 2014.

Jeff Gordon has a Chicago skyline backdrop during ceremonies ahead of the 2014 Cup Series Playoffs.

NASCAR's involvement with the Chicago area has meant crossovers with the city's other sports. Here, Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg greets Jeff Gordon before the Cup Series drivers' meeting at Chicagoland in 2005.

The No. 42 of Juan Pablo Montoya hits Wrigley Field during warm-ups for a Chicago Cubs game in 2007.

Kurt Busch has a long-lasting loyalty to the Chicago Cubs. On July 1, 2022, Busch threw out the first pitch for an interleague matchup at Wrigley Field with the Boston Red Sox and led the crowd in a rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."

Not to forget the South Siders, Martin Truex Jr. got in some cuts with the Chicago White Sox during batting practice for a spring-training game in Arizona in 2011.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series got the racing started at the Chicago Street Course with The Loop 121 on July 1, 2023. Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing won the inaugural event that ended under caution because of a torrential rain storm that shortened the race to 25 laps.

Damp conditions persisted as the NASCAR Cup Series raced on the Chicago Street Course for the first time on July 2, 2023. Australian Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen wowed the crowd and fellow drivers by zooming through the field to take the checkered flag in his very first Cup Series start.