Chicago-area town will sponsor Brad Keselowski's No. 6 Ford at Chicago street race

The town of Elk Grove Village, Ill. is a pleasant hamlet about 20 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Like many communities of its size, it bills itself as business-friendly. Unlike any other community in America, though, it's sponsored a college football bowl game, multiple Olympians and, now, a car in a NASCAR race.

Elk Grove Village, under its "Makers Wanted" banner, will sponsor former NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski's No. 6 Ford at next summer's Chicago street race. The town's hallmark is its proximity to transportation hubs and its emphasis on manufacturing, making it a good fit for Keselowski's own interest in manufacturing and machining technologies.

"It makes sense," Elk Grove Village mayor Craig Johnson said in making the announcement in Monday. "Who's Elk Grove's favorite suburb? Chicago!"

The Chicago street race, set for July 4 weekend in 2023, is set to become one of the more distinctive races in the sport's history. The course will run through downtown Chicago, over 2.2 miles with 12 turns that incorporate many of the city's highlights.

Elk Grove Village has taken unconventional approaches to publicity, sponsoring the 2018 and 2019 Bahamas Bowls as well as three Team USA entries in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: Track and Field, Wrestling and Triathlon. The agreement with Keselowski and RFK is a multi-year one.