NASCAR

The Enjoy Illinois 300 will be a 240-lap, 300-mile race.

Last year’s event drew around 102,000 people to the venue over the course of the weekend, and nearly 60,000 for Sunday's main event. That’s comparable to a major playoff game in any other major sport.

The first NASCAR Cup Series race in the St. Louis area packed hotels and restaurants. A study from Maryville University estimated that the regional economic impact of the three-day event could be as much as $60 million.

“This one race, if done well, can lead to many more years of economic change for the Metro East,” said the owner of World Wide Technology Raceway.