Despite uncertainty and delays caused by heavy downpours and flooding, NASCAR fans finally got experience the moments they had been waiting for on Sunday. NBC 5’s Evrod Cassimy reports.
Despite uncertainty and delays caused by heavy downpours and flooding, NASCAR fans finally got to experience the moments they had been waiting for on Sunday.
While the NASCAR Chicago Street Race was impacted by several delays, fans didn't let that dampen their spirits. Aware of the forecast and the possibility of rain, some spectators made sure to prepare for any type of weather.
“I’ll come out just to see the cars," said Henning Peterson, a NASCAR fan. "The rain’s definitely going to make it a little harder, but I think I’m going to enjoy it nevertheless.”
It was quite the opposite for one family from suburban Batavia. They came to the city, hoping the rain would eventually let up. But in the end, they made the call to head home before the race started.
"I'm disappointed, but like I said we’ve been through this before," one relative said. "So…it can happen but this is a lot of rain!”
At the Millennium Hall restaurant, the staff was banking on extra foot traffic from NASCAR fans who didn’t have tickets but wanted to watch the races on their floor-to-ceiling TVs. However, the rain seemingly kept people away.
"It’s flooding out here in front of the restaurant," executive chef Michael "Wally" Wallach told NBC Chicago. "We had [a] minimal amount of people. We were ready to open outside on the patio, and it’s just raining like crazy.”
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Further up Michigan Avenue, things appeared to be a bit different.
"It’s been really busy especially in between the races," said Anthony Guida with Fontano's subs.
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The sandwich shop attributes the extra business to people walking by and stopping in for a slice of pizza or sub.
Meanwhile, one new NASCAR fan, Carly Underkoffler, she likely planned her first race experience the right way.
“My husband got here a little bit early," Underkoffler said, adding she waited out the rain and home. "I was just sort of waiting it out to see if they were still going to race today.”
Multiple people who spoke to NBC Chicago said it was incredible to see the the city transformed for the race and broadcast across the country. Overall, they’re glad the rain didn't stop everything.