It’s Wednesday. Say it isn’t so! After 19 years of NASCAR racing at the Chicagoland Speedway, it was announced Tuesday that the Speedway will not be hosting a NASCAR race in 2021. A friend of mine received a letter from the Speedway (below) as the official announcement. In addition to the bad news for the Speedway, the Route 66 Dragstrip which sits adjacent to the Speedway, will also not be hosting any drag racing events in 2021. Without NASCAR and the NHRA, the future of this entire facility is not looking good.

NASCAR is supposed to reveal their 2021 season schedule today and even more major changes are expected.

-keep

Tomorrow the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be unveiled, and Chicagoland Speedway will not be part of that lineup. In addition, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Gander Trucks and ARCA will also not be returning to Chicagoland Speedway in 2021.

The move away from NASCAR racing at Chicagoland Speedway is one of many changes reflected in the 2021 schedule, and by no means a reflection of the support our fans have demonstrated. Rather, it is a desire and an important step for the industry to incorporate new markets and new courses into the schedule, and expand the variety of competition.

All of our fans have exhibited a tremendous amount of allegiance and patience over the past year, during which time we all have experienced significant challenges. While we share your disappointment around this news, we truly appreciate and value your commitment to the sport and to the track.

Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway has been a central member of the Joliet / Greater Chicagoland area for 20 years, and we will continue to operate as an integral part of our community.

As far as NASCAR racing at the Chicagoland Speedway, it’s difficult at this time to speculate on what 2022 might bring. We will continue to work with NASCAR on potential future opportunities beyond 2021 and will keep you updated.

Finally, due to the corresponding impact on the shared resources between Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, and the future uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Route 66 Raceway will unfortunately not be hosting drag racing events in 2021.

Our team will be reaching out to you in the very near future to talk through any questions you might have, as well as the options for our customers.

We hope you and your family continue to stay safe and healthy. Thank you for your continued support.

It’s Tuesday. One of my readers recently took his Honda CRV in for service at Johnson City Honda and saw a rather strange vehicle in the showroom—a beautiful Mille Miglia Red 1973 Corvette coupe! The ’73 was unique because it was the only C3 that had the new covered front bumper and the chrome split bumper in the rear. The covered bumpers would replace the chrome ones entirely by the following year.

A closer look reveals that this Vette was ordered with the LS4 454 big block engine and 4-speed manual. It has 41,376 miles and appears to be in very good shape. If you’re interested in getting more info, you can check out its listing or stop by Johnson City Honda in Johnson City, Tennessee. Thanks for taking the time to send it in!

-keep

Keep, not exactly what you expect to see on the showroom floor of a Honda dealership – 73 vette sporting the big block 454. They declined my offer to swap even up for my 2013 Honda CRV that was in for service. Go figure. Here are some pics and a link with more info for those with disposable income. I particularly like the inclusion of the assembly manual just in case you want to do a tear down and forget where the pieces go… Thanks for all the great work, we need it now more than ever. – Anonymous

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It’s Monday. Holy crap, did you see that Bears game? The Bears were getting their asses handed to them in every way by the Falcons for the first three-quarters of the game. The Bears trailed 26-10 going into the 4th quarter when they pulled quarterback Trubisky and put in backup Nick Foles. Nick threw three touchdown passes in a 4:27 span of the fourth quarter, taking the Bears to a stunning comeback victory 30-26. Unbelievable!

What was supposed to be a warm summer-like weekend ended up being mild and gloomy. I was hoping to get a day out in the Corvette but the weather just didn’t cooperate. The girlfriend and I are heading down to Panama City Beach at the end of the week, so hopefully we’ll get some warm weather down there.

Just finished watching the NASCAR race in Vegas where Kurt Busch picked up the checkers and automatically advances to the next round in the playoffs. Harvick is still first in points but next weekend they’re in Talladega where anything can happen. Anyway, it was a good race—love seeing the cars under the lights. Oh, too bad about the #32 car, though!

-keep