If you are a member of the car community like myself, you have probably seen videos pop up on your social media feed of people doing donuts in the middle of intersections. Anyone remotely involved in the car scene knows that these are not car enthusiasts by any means.

Takeovers or Sideshows are by definition an automotive flash mob where people drift and do donuts in cars illegally in intersections or parking lots.These have become an increasingly common issue within Chicago as well as across the country. These events usually happen at night and can turn a regular intersection into an out of control scene with tire smoke filling the air in minutes. Anything can happen at Takeovers but it’s best to not be associated with this reckless behavior. The most notable trend within takeovers is “get back or get smacked”. This saying represents the danger of these uncontrolled events and it’s very common to see people getting smacked by a car going 25 mph.

 To the average car enthusiast, these are a far cry from the days of street racing with modified muscle cars between street lights depicted in movies like American Graffiti (1973) starring Harrison Ford. 

On the other hand, regular organized car events are the exact opposite of a sideshow. They are a sight to behold with hundreds of cars old and new and from modestly priced, to some of the most expensive cars in the world. They are not spectacles of reckless criminal behavior and stupidity, but rather opportunities for enthusiasts to engage with like-minded people that have a passion for cars. 

Car shows like the yearly Market Square Carshow in Lake Forest stand as examples of what the car scene is actually like. Regardless if you have a passion for cars or not, people show up to shows to appreciate and respect people in the car scene especially in our community. 

In response to these illegal “takeovers”, the city of Chicago created a new city ordinance which states that any vehicle caught participating in a takeover will get towed and impounded on top of routine arrests. This is a step in the right direction in keeping this behavior out of Chicago and the surrounding areas. 

With all of the negativity around these “takeover” events, there is now a positive change toward the car community becoming increasingly intolerant and distanced from this reckless behavior and it’s not accepted or welcomed at any legitimate car enthusiast event.