In its first two years, NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race was a bold experiment. It wasn’t just a sporting event, it was a civic spectacle in our great City of Chicago. A once-in-a-century stunt that required the buy-in of skeptical residents, curious tourists, and a city with a complicated relationship to noise, disruption, and corporate promises.

To get that buy-in, NASCAR leaned hard on local media , and not just the big players. Independent outlets, small blogs, niche photojournalists, and street-level content creators were courted, credentialed, and encouraged to help tell the story. Many of us did just that.

We showed up. We told our readers what it felt like to watch cars scream past Buckingham Fountain. We captured the tension and spectacle when the skies opened up. We posted videos, shared live reels, and filed features that reached tens of thousands, many of them Chicagoans who might not have otherwise cared.

And now, in year three (the final year), we’ve been shut out.

No press pass received, just a generic and bland rejection instead. When pressed on the issue, NASCAR’s Jake DiGregorio says the Media Center is “smaller this year.” That might work as a blanket excuse, except: no workspace was ever requested by this publication. No desk, and no power outlet needed, just access to do what’s been done for the last two years: document this massive event with the same professionalism and grit it demands. Then, after already claiming the Media Center is “smaller,” as if space is somehow scarce in a full 3-block radius of downtown Chicago, DiGregorio then followed with a new excuse that last year’s coverage “only included one paragraph.” The piece in question was a clearly titled as a pictorial feature, featuring tons of original, professional images taken on foot, in extreme heat (and rain), across the entire course.

So which is it…limited space, or some vague editorial standard based on paragraph count? Because the excuses don’t hold up, and the message is loud and clear: independent, visual-first journalism isn’t just being overlooked, it’s being actively shut out.

And it’s not an isolated case. Multiple independent outlets and creators, the same ones who helped generate early buzz, have also been quietly pushed aside. It’s not about space. It’s about control. And the message is clear: if you’re not part of the polished, national media machine, you’re no longer welcome.

Turns out NASCAR was happy to use independent creators to build the story, they just never planned on letting us finish it.