This weekend’s NASCAR race will be the first street race in the 75-year history of the series, but it’s not the first time Chicago has made racing history.
In fact, over 100 years ago, the city hosted America’s very first auto race.
Held by the Chicago Times-Herald Newspaper, the race was brought to the United States after the newspaper’s owner H.H. Kohlsaat was inspired by an 1895 race from Paris to Bordeaux. NASCAR historian Ken Martin noted how the weather played a role in the layout of the Thanksgiving Day race.
“Chicago was greeted by about six or seven inches of snow that morning, so you can understand how primitive the road conditions might have been,” Martin said.
Although the race continued through the weather, the course was shortened from its original layout. Chicago History Museum Historian JoJo Galvan said the plan had been to race to Milwaukee and back.
“Back then, who knows how long it would have taken,” Galvan said. “Eventually it got cut down to Chicago, south side, to Waukegan. Day of the race, because of the blizzard, it got cut down from Chicago south side to Evanston and back.”
Even then, it was not a short race. Of the six vehicles that started at the finish line, only two reached the finish line – and it took winner J. Frank Duryea more than ten hours.
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“The average speed for the 54 miles was only seven miles per hour. So, if you’re a brisk walker, you can probably make seven miles in an hour,” Martin said.
Today, a maximum of 40 race cars will compete and are projected to exceed 100 mph on the streets of Chicago.
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“In any sporting competition or any civic competition, being first means something," Martin said. "It means a lot. So, if Chicago is the birthplace of auto racing, it deserves an important place in our history."
The city will make history again this weekend with NASCAR when they host the first street race in the 75-year history of the series.
An IMSA-sanctioned series race will run on July 1 ahead of the July 2 NASCAR Cup Series street course race.
