Whenever NASCAR is undertaking a big business initiative, the likelihood is that Julie Giese will be involved somehow, someway. And she will have a prominent voice in how that project is completed.
NASCAR appointed Giese project manager to oversee the $400 million renovation of Daytona International Speedway, its marquee track, that began in 2013 and was completed three years later. Once Daytona was finished, Giese became the point person for multimillion-dollar projects at Richmond Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Phoenix Raceway, the latter of which included her serving as track president beginning in October 2018 until last fall.
Advertisement
So, in August, when NASCAR named Giese president of the still-in-development race to be held in downtown Chicago the following summer, most everyone within the NASCAR industry understood why the league had put Giese in charge. There was no one more qualified.
For an unprecedented event in NASCAR history — and one facing numerous hurdles — that will see drivers race on a 2.2‐mile street circuit along Lake Michigan and around Grant Park, the position required someone with the knowledge of building a venue from scratch, the ability to assuage concerns within the city about NASCAR taking over downtown on Fourth of July weekend, and the skill set to navigate the quagmire that is Chicago politics.
“There’s certainly some similarities,” Giese said. “For me, I think it’s a pretty special opportunity, a very unique opportunity, it was what was very appealing to me when the opportunity presented itself to me to be part of something that our sport has not done in its 75-year history. That’s pretty special. And I think my learnings from whether it’s at Daytona or Phoenix or Richmond or Talladega, those redevelopment projects have definitely helped set me up for success with this event and what we’ve got going on.”
But even having the right person in charge doesn’t ensure a straightforward, smooth rollout for an inaugural event that is unlike anything NASCAR has attempted previously. The challenges facing the Chicago Street Race are daunting, sometimes giving the public impression the event could turn NASCAR’s $50 million investment to stage a race in the third‐largest city in the United States into an embarrassing black eye.
Beyond Giese having to hire over a dozen‐person staff, fine-tuning logistics, hosting meetings near-daily with the civic and business community, securing corporate sponsorship, and working to establish the race in a crowded sports market filled with major pro teams, she’s also faced continued concerns related to road closures, expenses incurred by the city, what revenue the city will make in return, potential neighborhood disruptions, the relocation of the popular annual summer event “Taste of Chicago,” and an array of other issues.
Advertisement
“The conversations that I continue to have are very positive,” Giese said. “I think a lot of this (resistance) is this is a new event, and anytime you bring a new event to any market, there is a learning process, for both sides, that’s from our perspective and from the community perspective. I think the more conversations we continue to have, the more excited people get.”
GO DEEPER
NASCAR's Chicago street race comes with big risks, but it's worth it: Bianchi
The elephant in the room regarding the Chicago Street Race is the sense that some Chicago politicians would prefer NASCAR not to visit at all. Since last summer, when NASCAR leadership and current Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the July 1‐2 race weekend, one city official after another has pushed back. During the recent mayoral race between Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas to unseat Lightfoot, both candidates expressed reservations.
A chief contention from critics is why NASCAR is paying the city so little for a permit fee as part of the three‐year contract signed between the parties — $500,000 in the first year, $550,000 in 2024 and $605,000 in 2025. The city will earn $2 per ticket sold, plus a percentage of net commissions on concessions and souvenir sales, and NASCAR must put up a $50,000 security deposit for any damages to Grant Park.
Earlier this month, Johnson won the election. He takes office in May and said he will review the contract between NASCAR and the city. Due to a 180-day termination notice in the contract, it is unlikely this year’s race will be canceled unless the city was willing to risk litigation.
Amid all the blowback, Giese has remained dogged in her efforts to win over skeptics. In meetings with different groups, she says she makes it a priority to demonstrate how NASCAR wants to be a good community partner, not seeing this as a short-term venture but something that over many years can benefit the city and the league.
Advertisement
“Anytime you bring a new event to a community, it’s change,” Giese said. “We’re making sure that we continue to over communicate and have any and all conversations that we need to have. The message that I’ve shared in every meeting, every conversation that I’ve had is that we are committed to putting on the most spectacular event for the city of Chicago and for our industry. And we are committed to making sure everyone knows what to expect. That’s a big reason why we’ve set up an office here, why we have a full-time staff here in Chicago that is dedicated to this event, that’s out and about talking to the community, being community partners, working on a lot of community giveback initiatives. Those are the things that the more we can do, it just puts us in a really good spot moving forward.”
Giese is adamant NASCAR will honor its contract by returning to Chicago in 2024.
“Absolutely,” she said. “Our agreement is a three‐year agreement, and we’re committed to that. Having multiple years is important to us to continue to build on it and to continue to deliver top-notch experience each and every year.”
NASCAR contends the event could make a $113 million impact on the local economy, according to a NASCAR study conducted by CSL International. About 100,000 people are expected to attend the two‐day event that NASCAR is touting not just as a race, but more of a summer festival that includes four major musical acts (The Chainsmokers, Miranda Lambert, The Black Crowes and Charley Crockett) and assorted food and beer options. NBC will televise the Cup race to a national viewing audience.
While NASCAR is reluctant to say so publicly, a lot is riding on the Chicago Street Race being successful.
GO DEEPER
NASCAR in downtown Chicago: What the drivers are saying about the new street race
As part of its ongoing efforts to transform itself into a more accessible sport, NASCAR has adopted a philosophy of bringing Cup Series races to the people instead of trying to entice them to travel to venues that are mostly located outside major metropolitan areas. That was the genesis behind holding a race in downtown Chicago and why the exhibition Clash is now on a track built inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum instead of its customary date at Daytona.
“It certainly opens that opportunity up, racing inside city limits like that — we’re not going to build any more tracks inside city limits, like an actual track facility,” Chase Elliott said. “So that’s really the only way you’re going to get that close to a city and get inside those markets. Is that necessary? One could probably argue either way, but at least (NASCAR is) trying. I feel like it’s never been done, so let’s give it a shot.”
Advertisement
NASCAR is actively exploring races at other stadiums. And should the Chicago race go well, it’s possible that a street course race could occur in another downtown market sometime in the near future. Markets that NASCAR could expand into include Denver, the Pacific Northwest, and internationally in Canada and Mexico.
“Certainly, it’s going to be a big event that’s super important to the sport,” said owner‐driver Denny Hamlin. “Not just because of Chicago and that particular location, but can we pull this off somewhere else? So it’s more than just about Chicago. It’s certainly about, can we build an event, a temporary event, get in, get out of there, not disturb too much and put on a great show.”
The task of ensuring that Chicago goes well falls on Giese’s shoulders, a responsibility that will likely shape NASCAR’s direction for years to come.
“How we’re looking at this weekend is that it’s an opportunity to kind of reinvent what the race experience is like,” Giese said. “This is a race weekend, but it’s a music festival experience. That’s how we’re approaching it. And I also think this is an opportunity for us to really learn and evolve and kind of rethink, reimagine what that event experience looks like. That’s something that our tracks have done a lot of over the last several years and this allows us to take that even further.”
(Photo of Bubba Wallace at a promotional event for the Chicago race in July: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)