NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen drives during the Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Race. Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Hall of Famer says NASCAR has 'overstayed its welcome' in Chicago

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 8:45 PM ET

You don't have to dig very deep to get Richard Petty's feelings on NASCAR's Chicago Street Race.

On the latest episode of the "Petty Race Recap", Petty, a seven-time Cup Series champion and winner of a record 200 races gave his thoughts on the event, which just took place for the third time.

"They need to go somewhere else or just forget about (street racing)," Petty said. "I think they've basically overstayed their welcome in Chicago. They still got the Chicago racetrack (Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL) up there, not running on it. So they can still go back to the Chicago area."

"Street racing is not road racing," Petty continued when asked if he likes street racing in NASCAR. "It's a completely different deal. When they had that big wreck (on Lap 3), there were three or four cars to go down through there. When they crashed, there just was room enough for the guys in the back to get through. It's like running in a tunnel. You feel like you're handicapped, you can't go anywhere. There's no escape."

Petty has made it clear recently that he doesn't particularly enjoy road course racing or street racing — but Shane van Gisbergen, who won the most recent road course race in Mexico City and Sunday's race in Chicago would probably disagree with The King.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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