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 and 2, 2023, Chicago will host the first-ever 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.
- Please reference the proposed course layout at the end of this document for more details.
- 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 Course, NASCAR is opening its first-ever office in Chicago and building a full-time in-market team, demonstrating its long-term commitment to Chicago and to engaging on a community level year-round.
- NASCAR is partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Park District to engage youth around STEM and career development. NASCAR will have more to announce on these initiatives very soon.
- NASCAR is committed to establishing and strengthening business relationships with diverse suppliers, both with the Chicago Street Course event and more broadly across the entire NASCAR business.
- Maintaining as much public access as possible to Grant Park during set-up and tear-down 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.
- Most areas of the Park won’t be temporarily closed to residents until Wednesday, June 28 and will re-open as early as the morning of Tuesday, July 4.
- It’s important to note that Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park, and the Museum Campus, which are not part of the race/festival footprint, will remain open and accessible throughout.
- NASCAR is working with the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District to develop a specific plan to limit closures as much as possible before, during and after the race. More details will be shared as this plan is developed.
- The majority of the streets used for the race will remain open and accessible until June 28, and will re-open as early as the morning of July 3.
- NASCAR is working 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.
- A detailed communication regarding street closures (days and times) will be shared with residents in advance of the race weekend.
- 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.
- The weekend schedule is not yet finalized; however, residents can expect approximately 10 hours total of “on-track” time over the two-day event.
- NASCAR will continue to work with the city to limit any disruptions to its residents and to clearly communicate windows of time during which race engines will be on and cars will be active on the course.
- 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% America-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.
