Business & Tech

Romeoville NASCAR Car Wash Opens With Stars

This year's Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne and 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Rookie of the Year Ricky Stenhouse Jr. attend the opening of the first NASCAR Car Wash in the U.S.

Just in time for race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, the first-ever was unveiled right here in Romeoville.

NASCAR Car Wash Company CEO Dan Dyer said Thursday’s event, complete with appearances by two of NASCAR’s biggest stars, was the first grand opening ceremony for the officially licensed businesses.

Dyer estimated that each location, including Romeoville, will wash 10,000 to 12,000 cars every month — due in part to a boost by NASCAR fans.

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“NASCAR fans are the most loyal fans there are,” he said, citing polls that show race fans are 94 percent more likely to purchase a NASCAR-branded product than a non-NASCAR product.

“We think even if you aren’t a NASCAR fan, the name is ubiquitous,” Dyer said.

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Plenty of racing enthusiasts turned out for the Romeoville grand opening, lining up to get autographs from this year’s Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne and 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Rookie of the Year Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 

But before they mingled with fans, the two competed in a different kind of race, vying to see who could get a car the clean the fastest. The catch? Both vehicles were coated in a doughy mix of flour and water. In case you’re wondering, Stenhouse came out on top, getting most of the mess off the car in under two minutes.

Following the Romeoville opening ceremony, Dyer said, the party was scheduled to move to Joliet, where groundbreaking took place on another NASCAR Car Wash. Locations are also open Aurora and Matteson, and a planned Naperville car wash is in the works.

Dyer clarified that the owners, partners Steve Timmer and Roger Dorio are not franchisees.

“It’s not a franchise,” he said. “We didn't charge them anything. We made [the owners] full partners.”

Dyer said it was something of a coup to get Bayne and Stenhouse to come to Romeoville for the Sept. 15 event.

“That was no small deal for NASCAR to make that happen,” he said. “That’s like having Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal here.”

Eight-year-old Matt Johnson of Lockport seemed to agree. He was there with his mom, Mary, hoping to snag Bayne’s autograph.

The second priority? Getting the family car washed.

“[We’ll get it washed] if we have time when it’s done,” Mary said.


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