For the first time ever, the sights, sounds and speed of NASCAR are coming to downtown Chicago on July 1-2, 2023! This exciting event, the first street race in NASCAR’s 75-year history, will add another marquee chapter to Chicago’s illustrious sports legacy while bringing thousands of visitors and millions in positive economic impact to downtown Chicago and its businesses.
More information will be shared as the date of the event approaches. Over the coming months, NASCAR will be working closely with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, and the Chicago Sports Commission to deliver this unprecedented, world-class event while minimizing the impact on downtown residents, businesses, and organizations.
- On July 1-2, 2023, Chicago will host the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race in NASCAR’s 75-year history.
- This historic event will transform certain portions of the streets in and around Grant Park into a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course for a weekend of NASCAR racing.
- Chicagoans and visitors will have the opportunity to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime racing experience against the backdrop of Chicago’s majestic skyline and beautiful Lake Michigan.
- A festival atmosphere will include entertainment, live A-list concert performances, culinary experiences, family-friendly activities and more.
- The NASCAR Chicago Street Race will take place on sections of streets that surround and are adjacent to Grant Park, specifically Columbus Drive, Jackson Blvd., Michigan Ave., Roosevelt Road, Balbo Drive, and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
- The course will be completely secured by a specialized, protective barrier system.
- NASCAR is fully committed to the Chicago community beyond the race itself and is working hard to ensure that their new presence in Chicago will deliver benefits to our residents, youth, and local business community.
- Led by NASCAR veteran Julie Giese, President of the Chicago Street Race, NASCAR opened its first-ever office in Chicago and built a full-time in-market team, demonstrating its long-term commitment to Chicago and to engaging on a community level year-round.
- NASCAR has partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Park District to engage youth around STEM and career development. There are additional community engagements that will be announced in the near future.
- NASCAR is committed to establishing and strengthening business relationships with diverse suppliers, both with the Chicago Street Race event and more broadly across the entire NASCAR business.
- Maintaining as much public access as possible to Grant Park during set-up and teardown for the race is a priority, and areas such as Buckingham Fountain, Butler Field and Lower Hutchinson Field will remain accessible for much of this time.
- Most of the course build will take place on curbs and areas of the Park without impeding residents’ use/access to the vast majority of the Park.
- The Chicago Park District will prioritize public access during the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, keeping more than half of the park open during the event, including set-up and tear down.
- Access to popular park features like Buckingham Fountain, Butler Field, and Lower Hutchinson Field will remain accessible to the public with minimal restrictions that equate to less than one-fifth of event operation days.
- In addition, free festival activities associated with the Chicago Street Race will be held on Butler Field, inviting the public to learn more about NASCAR without the price of admission. Maggie Daley Park, Cancer Survivor’s Garden, and the Museum Campus will remain open and accessible throughout the event.
- NASCAR has worked closely with the City of Chicago to develop a traffic plan that minimizes street closures while allowing this event to take place with the highest safety measures.
- The most significant of the temporary closures and detours will start on Sunday, June 25 and the roads will reopen as early as the morning of Monday, July 3.
- All businesses and residences will remain accessible throughout the race weekend.
- For a more detail outline of which streets will be impacted on which days, visit www.nascarchicago.com/localinfo.
- Race cars are projected to exceed 100 mph along several sections of the course’s straightaways, while other sections, such as turns and pit stops, will require significantly reduced speed.
- NASCAR and the City of Chicago together bring decades of extensive experience in safety planning, organizing and executing hundreds of events annually. Collectively, and working closely with local and federal law enforcement, a comprehensive security plan will be developed.
- Additionally, the course is completely secured during racing by a specialized barrier and fence system.
- NASCAR has worked hard to ensure that the weekend schedule reflects less than 10 hours total of “on-track” time over the two-day event. Race cars will not be on-track until 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 1 and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 2.
- In addition, the NASCAR Cup Series cars will utilize mufflers for the Chicago Street Race, which successfully lowered sound levels by as much as 10 decibels earlier this year at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.
- While the race cars will be going faster than normal vehicular traffic, the race cars slow considerably in the turns (of which there are 12 across the 2.2-mile course), thus minimizing wear and tear.
- A maximum of 40 race cars will compete during windows of on-track activity, compared to tens of thousands of cars that may pass through these areas during the same timeframe under normal circumstances.
- NASCAR specializes in maintaining racing surfaces, including asphalt and other types of racing surfaces, for professional competition. As a sanctioned points race on the 2023 schedule, this event will be no different.
- NASCAR will work with the City of Chicago to make the necessary improvements and repairs to ensure the streets are suitable for racing and pedestrian use before the event weekend.
- NASCAR will be responsible for any necessary repairs required as a result of the race weekend following the event in order to return the Park space back to its pre-event condition.
Will NASCAR race cars negatively impact the environment while racing through the streets of Chicago?
- Since 2011, NASCAR race cars have run on a renewable fuel blended with 15% American made bioethanol, Sunoco Green E15.
- In partnership with Growth Energy, the world’s largest trade association representing U.S. bioethanol producers and supporters, NASCAR has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20% across its three national series.
- In early summer of 2022, NASCAR eclipsed 20 million competition miles on the bioethanol blend—helping NASCAR minimize its impact on the environment and furthering its goal to operate more sustainably.
- Follow @NASCARChicago on social media for the latest real-time updates on the event.
- For more information on the event and for ticket information, please visit www.nascarchicago.com.
