Race fans to take over downtown
ANNUAL RALLY KICKS OFF RACE WEEK
JOLIET -- The city's big pre-race party starts at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Officially, it's called the 8th Annual Race Fan Rally presented by Allstate.
(John Patsch/Staff Photographer)
• Race events: Chicagoland Speedway
• Special section: NASCAR Race Week
The event offers NASCAR fans a chance to mingle and meet members of the race teams in town for the Dollar General 300 and LifeLock.com 400. It also gives the public a festive glimpse into the world of NASCAR racing.
"We've heard from people who just come to this event," said Kevin Hegarty, special events coordinator for the city of Joliet. Some folks may not go to the NASCAR event at Chicagoland Speedway, Hegarty said, but "they want to be part of it somehow, and this is a great opportunity."
The word among national sponsors and vendors who go to NASCAR towns is that the Joliet fan rally has become the second largest such event in the country, ranking only behind Charlotte, N.C., Hegarty said.
More than 45,000 people attended the 2007 Race Fan Rally, according to estimates.
The event in downtown Joliet runs until 11 p.m. It includes food and music.
Racing teams and cars are there to mingle with the public. Driving simulators and other special race attractions will line Chicago Street.
A Kidz Zone includes a rock-climbing wall, remote-control racing and controlled water fights.
"It's really a family event," said Tom Mahalik, vice president of marketing for the Joliet City Center Partnership. "We've been surprised at how many people bring their kids. There are lots of strollers."
And a lot of race fans, too, of course.
Mahalik said calls have been coming in for weeks from Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana from NASCAR fans checking that the rally is on again this year.
The timing is a little bit different, since the event was moved up a day. Rallies of past years were held Thursdays, but everything is moved up a day because of night racing. Instead of Saturday and Sunday races, the Dollar General 300 is Friday night and the LifeLock.com 400 is on Saturday night.
Many aspects of the rally stay the same, however. The classic car show will take place again. The event evolved out of cruise nights that were held downtown.
Downtown fireworks made a debut last year. They will occur again at about 9:30 p.m., Mahalik said.
