Editorial: NASCAR, start your engines in Chicago. But the amateurs are a drag.
In 1979, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd raced across Chicago’s nocturnal streets while filming “The Blues Brothers.” Dozens of stunt drivers helped “Jake and Elwood” create some of the most thrilling (and most copied) auto-racing footage in cinematic history. For the rest of us, the experience of driving down Lower Wacker Drive would never be the same.
That subterranean hellscape is not part of the 12-turn, 2.2-mile NASCAR course planned for Chicago, once the giant stock-car racing body stages its first race in Chicago. Probably just as well.
We welcome NASCAR and its fans. The first-ever race here, slated for next July, will bring in fans with money to spend, including those who don’t typically put downtown Chicago on their list of destinations. That race may even go some way toward dispelling the pernicious Chicago stereotype common in certain far-right circles.
But while we are all for the fun of watching professional drivers zooming along Michigan Avenue at 130 miles per hour, it’s worth noting that there’s another kind of racing going on in Chicago that’s far more dangerous and a lot less enjoyable for anyone who lives in close proximity.
Viral videos have shown drivers at the intersection of South Clinton and West Monroe streets in the West Loop spinning and pancaking. Worse, these illegal events sometimes also include spectators setting off fireworks and igniting gasoline, just for fun. Their fun.
Revving engines, “Blues Brothers” style, is one thing. These drag races, which can terrify those who live nearby, are another. So we’re glad that the City Council is passing legislation that would allow Chicago police to impound vehicles they believe were involved with drag-racing, regardless of the driver at the time. Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, is right when he says that people could easily be killed if the practice is not stopped.
Let’s leave the flashy driving on Chicago’s public streets to the pros, who get paid to take risks they fully understand.
Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
