JOLIET, Ill. — Bubba Wallace sees NASCAR’s return to the Chicago market as an important opportunity for the sport, whether the racing takes place on the streets of downtown Chicago or at Chicagoland Speedway.
Wallace, whose No. 23 Toyota carries a Space Jam 30th Anniversary scheme this weekend, spent part of the race weekend connecting with fans at Navy Pier and said attracting new audiences remains a priority.
“It was a great event at Navy Pier,” Wallace said. “Met a lot of new fans and hopefully get them interested in this sport.”
The 23XI Racing driver acknowledged one of the challenges facing the weekend is the distance between the speedway and downtown Chicago. Still, he believes the region remains a valuable market for NASCAR.
“I was a big proponent of being in the area,” Wallace said. “I think it’s great for the sport. We have a lot of fans in this area that want to see more growth and more opportunity to be a part of our sport.”
Wallace said NASCAR must offer more than just on-track competition to draw new fans, pointing to interactive midway activities, educational events and greater driver engagement as ways to make race weekends more appealing.
“You need to sit down with key stakeholders and find ways to make it interactive and people wanting to come out and enjoy the fun,” Wallace said.
As NASCAR continues its push into major markets, Wallace believes strong racing remains the foundation for growth.
“These last handful of weeks have been really, really fun,” Wallace said. “We’re hitting really big markets and providing really great racing.”