Can Both New NASCAR Races in 2023 Deliver on Hype?

by
Peter Stratta
December 7, 2022

Photo Credits to Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Between Wilkesboro and Chicago, Will Both New NASCAR Ventures Pay off in 2023?

In celebration of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season, the sport will see two new races. The All-Star Race will move to the hallowed North Wilkesboro Speedway; the first-ever street race will also happen in downtown Chicago. Saluting the sport’s past and looking into its future, both of these venues have a ton of emotion, hype, and buildup behind them. Will both bold and eye-catching new events live up to their billing? Ahead of NASCAR’s diamond year, a lot of excitement should be held in anticipation of both events.

Making its long-awaited return to the NASCAR Cup Series on May 21 is North Wilkesboro Speedway. A relic from NASCAR’s inaugural season in 1949, the Wilkes County short track has sat largely dormant since its last Cup race in 1996. Thanks to the Racetrack Revival campaign spurred by SMI and Dale Earnhardt Jr. the 5/8 mile bullring welcomes NASCAR’s premier division again.

For nearly three decades, the track adjacent to highway 421 in the Carolina foothills was a seemingly forgotten piece of NASCAR history. Whether locals or not, fans of North Wilkesboro Speedway have been clamoring for a rebirth of this revered racing stage ever since the final checkered flag.

North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted a total of 93 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1949 until 1996. Seen here is the main grandstand before the first Racetrack Revival event from summer 2022. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports

The list of race winners at North Wilkesboro reads like the NASCAR Hall of Fame. One current NASCAR star will add their name to this legendary list of North Wilkesboro Speedway winners. That honor will come along with the All-Star Race’s $1 million payday.

The 2023 All-Star Race will culminate a week’s worth of on-track action at the historic venue. Late models, Craftsman Trucks, and the Cup Series will all take to the track in late May. Interspersed throughout the on-track action will be concerts as well. SMI’s monumental efforts to bring Wilkesboro back from the brink will certainly leave a big splash. Far more than just a race, the All-Star week will be a much larger event.

Excitement for this All-Star Race has been palpable from the day it was announced. NASCAR will look back upon its rich history by resurrecting one of the few venues left from the sport’s birth. So far, this change appears to be a universally-loved move. The last race at North Wilkesboro Speedway was a sellout crowd of eager race fans to see the sport’s best. May is already shaping up to be more of the same; tickets for this race sold out in a matter of hours.

Mere weeks later, July 4th will be celebrated with another new NASCAR innovation. The sport will host its first-ever street race weekend with both Cup and Xfinity cars in downtown Chicago. The circuit within Grant Park will be unlike anything NASCAR has ever seen. Despite this never-before-seen spectacle factor, the Chicago Street Race has already seen mixed reactions.

A map of the layout for the Chicago Street Course. Photo Credit to NASCARMedia

The current package used with the Next Gen car has produced less-than-stellar road course racing. In addition, the tight confines of a street layout leave little room for any mistakes, thus single-file racing and chain-reaction accidents are possible. Lastly, NASCAR is hosting this highly-touted event in the Windy City, when fan-favorite Chicagoland Speedway has sat vacant since 2019. This race’s very existence has also seen some unenthusiastic response from local politicians.

Despite all of these negatives, the vision NASCAR is trying to achieve with the Chicago Street Course does deserve a chance. Whether a barnburner race or not, the atmosphere at the inaugural event will be electric, similar to the Busch Light Clash in February at the L.A. Coliseum.

It may be easy to say that Wilkesboro will provide amazing racing and Chicago will not. However, that would be failing to give a street course a fair chance at giving what could be a very entertaining product. Truth be told, nobody quite knows what to expect with stock cars on a street layout. This level of unknown is similar to the first stadium race, the first Bristol Dirt event, or the maiden running of the Charlotte Roval. All three of these events left very lasting memories. Likewise, downtown Chicago may have its own great moments in store on July 1 and 2.

The year-long commemoration of NASCAR’s 75th season will be special, much like the 50th anniversary was in 1998. With one old track returning and one brand new venue, both new innovative races have the chance to be the headliner moments for the 2023 season.