How FanSaves Helped NASCAR Take on Chicago Street Race
In 2023, NASCAR made history in Chicago.
The inaugural edition of the Chicago Street Race was the first Cup Series race to take place on a street circuit. The 2.14-mile track makes use of city streets like Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive and features breathtaking sights of Grant Park, the shores of Lake Michigan, and the city’s iconic skyline.
When NASCAR announced the race in 2021, the idea was merely a computer rendering. This unprecedented move would require a transformation of city streets into a thrilling racetrack for drivers and the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the sport’s legions of devoted fans.
So one of the big challenges became: How would NASCAR connect race fans – both locals and those from far away – with the businesses and community that surrounded this landmark event?
The answer was discovered through FanSaves (SportsTech Class of 2023), a digital platform that connects fans with local deals and discounts from the sponsors of their favorite sports teams.
FanSaves was the perfect partner to help NASCAR craft a local economic impact that matched the high-octane thrill of the race.
The Challenge: Fusing Fan Engagement with Local Business Support
An event of this magnitude requires a lot of moving parts and potential displacement. Fresh off the thrilling Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, NASCAR had the crew and willpower to move millions of pounds of dirt and equipment into a stadium. But, all of the work was inside the venue.
Chicago would be an entirely different story. Sure, the track existed on paper. But, there was no precedent for how to work with the local businesses in order to keep them connected to the influx of race fanatics.
As NASCAR’s VP of Digital Media, Wyatt Hicks, explained, the Chicago Street Race displaced regular foot traffic and brought an entirely new crowd to the city’s streets. “We needed a way to promote local businesses and drive as much business to them through our event as possible,” he noted.
The challenge was clear: NASCAR wanted to maximize the benefits for local businesses and offer race attendees an immersive, city-connected experience.
Beyond promoting local businesses, NASCAR needed valuable data on fan engagement—a level of insight into spending and visitation patterns that’s difficult to collect in a bustling urban setting. This is where FanSaves, led by Shannon Ferguson (Co-founder, CEO) and Kris McCarthy (Co-founder, COO), stepped in to bring NASCAR’s vision to life.
The Solution: FanSaves Drives New Connections
Emerging from the Comcast SportsTech program with a successful pilot under their belt, FanSaves signed on to support the Chicago Street Race, providing an innovative approach that merges fan experience with community engagement.
Shannon says FanSaves didn’t just want fans to feel the rush of the race—they wanted them to feel the pulse of Chicago’s local businesses. The opportunity to bring a racetrack into a city was a unique feat, and as much as the fans were there for the race, they also were helping inject money into the local businesses that made the city special.
“We know how excited NASCAR fans get about their sport,” said Shannon. “With FanSaves, we want to get them excited about the local businesses and community organizations as well, saving money and getting as pumped up about the city as they are about the cars they’re seeing.”
FanSaves offered race attendees discounts and deals for local businesses sponsored by NASCAR partners. Fans could simply redeem deals from their mobile devices, connecting them instantly to Chicago’s dining, shopping, and entertainment scene.
The Impact: Accelerating Results Across Borders
The results were very promising.
“We had redemptions from users in 44 states and provinces, 320 American cities, and 12 different countries,” Kris shared. “Our platform really did what it was meant to do: Engage people from out of state with local businesses and sponsors.”
In the second year of their partnership with the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, the Resource Guide Powered by FanSaves generated an estimated $28,500 in economic impact for local Chicago businesses.
The pilot not only succeeded in engaging NASCAR’s fans but also demonstrated how a well-executed digital engagement strategy could amplify the economic impact on local communities. The proof was in the customer engagement. FanSaves saw a 411% YOY increase in new followers and a 393% YOY increase in deal redemptions from their POC in 2023 with the NASCAR Chicago Street Race.
The initiative was so successful that NASCAR and FanSaves continued their partnership into a second year in 2024, expanding their work to drive even more fan engagement and local impact in Chicago.
Wyatt appreciated FanSaves’ entrepreneurial agility, saying, “It was a unique challenge, but having a company that came directly to us from SportsTech and could immediately solve it was huge.”
Expanding the Reach: FanSaves’ Vision for Future Collaborations
FanSaves’ success with NASCAR has opened doors for similar partnerships with other major sporting leagues and events. Shannon and Kris are now in talks with the PGA TOUR, another Comcast SportsTech partner, to replicate the winning formula of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. They see this approach as an adaptable model for any major sports event aiming to leave a positive footprint on the local economy.
Shannon sums it up: “Proving what we did with NASCAR and speaking to the PGA TOUR about these resource guides allows us to say, ‘Hey, this works. Let’s bring it to golf and other arenas.’”
Conclusion: A New Chapter in Fan Engagement
In the end, the FanSaves and NASCAR collaboration is more than just a successful pilot; it’s a blueprint for sports organizations that want to leave a lasting impact on the communities that host them. By merging the thrill of NASCAR with the flavor of Chicago’s local businesses, FanSaves helped NASCAR shift gears from spectator sport to community driver.
As the Chicago Street Race rolls into its third year, NASCAR and FanSaves are leading the charge on fan engagement and local economic support, proving that the power of sports extends well beyond the track.
You can see FanSaves in action during the 2025 installment of the Chicago Street Race, July 5-6.
Let us know if you’ll be there!