NASCAR 2023 was a washout

Recall the NASCAR race weekend last July? We do. Rain of near-biblical proportion fell.

Thus it hardly is surprising that the race failed to meet its economic projections, bringing in $108.9 million in economic impact rather than $113.8 million. Had the race met its economic projections on such a lousy weekend of weather, then those projections would have been inaccurate (hardly a surprise in the fuzzy world of economic-impact forecasting, which likes to assign dollar values to such nebulous matters as positive media exposure).

Actually, what’s notable here is how close the washout came. Clearly, NASCAR and the Lightfoot administration, which brought the race to town, had set themselves achievable year-one targets.

As we noted last summer, there is as yet insufficient data to meaningfully analyze whether or not this race is worth all the hassle to residents, or even what level of disruption it will create on a nice, hot weekend. Still, lots of people (more than 47,000) came to town to get soaked.

We also don’t put much stock in City Hall’s recent puffery about getting a better deal for residents by requiring NASCAR to set up and tear down faster next year. Dollars to donuts, wily old NASCAR already was going to do that anyway but decided to make nice with the new administration and let them take the credit.

So NASCAR remains a wait-and-see. One thing we do know. The race was no Taylor Swift. She blew NASCAR out of the water in terms of hotel rooms booked and other economic benefits.

And her setup and teardown disrupted nobody.

She’s the one we most need back.