• Hoot in the Oval
  • Posts
  • Chicago’s NASCAR Future Up in the Air, A Peek Into Dale Jr.’s Past Like Never Before, and More

Chicago’s NASCAR Future Up in the Air, A Peek Into Dale Jr.’s Past Like Never Before, and More

Welcome to Hoot in the Oval — your all-access pass to everything NASCAR. From Denny’s clutch finishes to Ross’s wild moves, Chase Elliott fandom to Bubba’s bold takes — we’ve got the stories that fuel the track and the timeline. Fast, loud, unfiltered. Buckle up, y’all. 🏁

The latest edition of our newsletter covers :

  • Will Chicago host the street race again?

  • Junior believes Logano will retaliate against Chastain

  • Hamlin on Bowman taking out Bubba at Chicago.

  • An interesting peak into Junior’s life from back in the day.

🏁Inside the Oval

Is Chicago Ready to Host the Street Race Again?

The countdown has begun: Will NASCAR return to Chicago for a fourth consecutive street race next year?

NASCAR's 90-day window to exercise its option to return to the Windy City and its temporary street course in downtown began immediately after last Sunday’s race ended.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson would like to see NASCAR return, even with all the inherent problems that come with the race. That includes shutting down parts of two main thoroughfares — the picturesque Lake Shore Drive and one of the city’s primary streets, Michigan Avenue. The massive downtown centerpiece, Grant Park, also has to be shut for up to two weeks before the race weekend to accommodate the track layout.

But if NASCAR does come back next year, it’s likely there could be one major change: the date of the race weekend.

The first three editions of the street race were staged around the Independence Day holiday. While it’s great to have hundreds of city and suburban residents and tourists come into town for the massive 4th of July fireworks display and other shows, many of those same folks aren’t NASCAR fans, and they can be somewhat put off by the street race layout.

“Certainly, there is interest in seeing if it can work on another date, just because of some of the challenges that the 4th of July weekend presents,” senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee told the Chicago Sun-Times.

“It’s a holiday weekend. A lot of people want to be out enjoying some of the public space that NASCAR uses. There are also just logistical concerns relative to our emergency management personnel, including law enforcement. That’s a weekend where we want to have a lot of people out, a lot of our officers out across the city. If there’s a large-scale event happening downtown, that’s going to put pressure on our resources and overtime costs,” he elaborated.

However, Lee threw in a subtle jab that NASCAR is a take it or leave it proposition for the city.

“Tourist numbers have been growing over the last several months,” Lee said. “We’re really excited about the direction we’re heading. I’m never going to say that we don’t need events to bring more energy and lure more people to the city. But obviously, there’s a good volume of folks who come in for [the] 4th of July to enjoy the city. So, we do OK [without NASCAR].”

🏁Insider Take

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Expects Joey Logano to Retaliate Against Ross Chastain

The Chicago Street Race might have dodged rain for the first time, but it couldn’t escape the storm between Ross Chastain and Joey Logano. A late-race clash between the two drivers has reignited one of NASCAR’s spiciest rivalries, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes Logano won’t let it slide.

It all unraveled during a restart on the 63rd lap of the race when Austin Cindric locked up into Turn 1, triggering chaos that sent Kyle Larson into Chastain. Believing Logano had crowded him, Chastain retaliated a corner later, bumping Logano into Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Both drivers spun and slid down the order. Chastain clawed back to 10th; Logano trailed in 11th.

After the race, a visibly heated Logano confronted Chastain on pit road. “He admitted he wrecked me on purpose. He admitted it, which means he should get fined if he admittedly wrecked someone on purpose. That’s not okay,” Logano fumed. “Typical Ross. He just sees red and does dumb stuff. That’s all.”

Dale Jr., on his Actions Detrimental podcast, didn’t mince words about what comes next. “Joey will probably get Ross back at some point. It might be a year from now. It might be somewhere we don’t even notice,” he said. “But Joey will do something. Maybe air-block him on a restart or cost him spots. Something will happen.”

Former crew chief Steve Letarte suggested Chastain should pick up the phone and apologize, but that olive branch may arrive too late. The tension between Chastain and Logano has simmered all season, dating back to clashes at COTA and Martinsville.

As the playoffs loom and tempers run high, fans might want to keep their eyes peeled. Logano is known for his long memory and according to Dale Jr., payback isn’t a matter of “if,” but “when.”

🏁 Trackside Trivia
(One stat. One year. Every edition.)

1985: Million Dollar Bill

In 1985, Bill Elliott became the first driver to win the Winston Million bonus, a $1 million prize for winning three of NASCAR’s four biggest races in a single season.

He clinched it by winning the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, and the Southern 500 at Darlington. Bill was the first driver to achieve the feat, and it earned him the nickname 'Million Dollar Bill'.

🗣️ Pit Politics

Denny Hamlin Does Not Blame Alex Bowman for Taking Out Bubba Wallace at Chicago

Denny Hamlin isn’t blaming Alex Bowman for Bubba Wallace’s Chicago heartbreak. In a late-race clash echoing last year’s street race drama, Bowman tagged Wallace exiting Turn 2, sending the No. 23 spinning down DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

While Bowman salvaged an eighth-place finish, Wallace limped home in 28th place after breaking a toe link. The scuffle cost Wallace dearly in the in-season tournament. But 23XI Racing team co-owner Hamlin stood by Bowman’s actions instead of his own driver.

Breaking it down on Actions Detrimental, Hamlin said, “I just don’t understand really kind of what he did wrong there. He got pinched into the wall off of 12. His bump into Bubba wasn’t like egregious or anything.”

Hamlin even texted Wallace after the race, “I just heard Bubba and Bowman got into it. I was like, ‘Oh, great. What now?’ I just don’t know how many options the #48 really had. He just got pinched in the wall like a lot.”

From Hamlin’s perspective, the clash was inevitable given Bowman’s fresher tires and Wallace’s fading grip. “I think Bubba understands it. I think that’s why he had the reaction he did,” Hamlin explained, noting Wallace seemed to acknowledge his own role in the chaos.

With seven races left before the playoffs, Wallace sits 13th in points and faces a steep climb. But Hamlin believes his driver knows exactly what went wrong and what’s at stake.

🎙️ Hoot’s Radio Chatter

How Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appreciated Life in the NASCAR Limelight & Learnt to Embrace Fame Back in the Day

At 50 years old, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has matured, aging gracefully, so to speak. But it wasn’t always like that: In his 20s and into his 30s, he wasn’t exactly a great role model. He smoked, drank, and chased women.

“When I go out to clubs, I like to get trashed,” Dale Jr. admitted when his first house was featured on the MTV show, 'Cribs'.

Junior’s rock-and-roll lifestyle and celebrity status – he was voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver a record 15 years in a row – made him Mr. desirable. Women wanted to be with him (or wanted their own men to be more like Jr.), while men wanted to be like him.

But the Dale Jr. of back then is a far cry from the Dale Jr. of today. He’s a devoted husband and father, dedicated to the three women in his life: Wife Amy and their two daughters, Isla and Nicole.

Back in the day, though, Junior was not only a rebel, he was a rabble rouser... A good old Southern boy, always ready to party, drink beer, and break women’s hearts.

But he had his comeuppance one day, that was the beginning of the end of the R-rated party boy and the start of the evolution of the modern-day G-rated Junior. It was like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon.

A close friend of his had been pranked by Junior and his friends, so he wanted to extract revenge. And boy, did he get it, courtesy of a pregnant friend. With the help of that prego friend, Junior’s friend planted a positive pregnancy test in his bathroom.

When Junior saw the positive test, he just about had a heart attack.

“So the ultimate end of the pranking was a single prank pulled by Topher [close friend Christopher ‘Topher’ Allen],” Dale Jr. recalled. “God, this was good. This ended all the pranks… I come out of the bathroom and I see something on the counter. It’s a damn pregnancy test. And I read it, and it’s positive. And I was like ‘Holy s*! … I was like, ‘Oh my God, that was diabolical'.”

🏁 Lap Back in Time: NASCAR Stat of the Year
(One stat. One year. Every edition.)

1982: Mark Martin’s Rocky Cup Debut

In 1982, future Hall of Famer Mark Martin made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at age 23, but it wasn’t the fairytale start many imagine.

Driving his family-owned #02 Pontiac, Martin ran just five Cup races that season. Despite showing flashes of speed, he posted three DNFs and only one top-10 finish (a 3rd at Richmond). He ended the year 44th in points and lost his ride the following season.

It took Martin seven more years to claim his first Cup win, but he ultimately became one of NASCAR’s most beloved and respected drivers without ever capturing a championship.