NASCAR
NASCAR to Celebrate July 4th Weekend on Chicago Street Course for 2023
Made official Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR will return to Chicago in July 2023. For the first time ever though, racing will happen on a temporary street circuit through Grant Park. NASCAR and IMSA cars will be competing in the Windy City to ring in July 4th weekend. This track layout first debuted last year in the iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The city of Chicago is more than excited to welcome real life racecars to their streets.
“Chicago’s streets are as iconic as our skyline and our reputation as a world class sports city is indisputable,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “I am thrilled to welcome our partners at NASCAR to Chicago for an event that will attract thousands of people to our city. Chicago’s world class entertainment and hospitality industries, coupled with our city’s history as a conduit for sports talent, make us the perfect hosts for this unique event.”
“Like the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, we seized an incredible opportunity to add an unprecedented element to our schedule and take center stage in the heart of another major metropolitan market,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing development and strategy. “This is the ideal setting for the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race. The NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen cars and the IMSA machines will race along the shores of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago, marking a truly historic moment for our sport. We are very appreciative of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her team, along with the entire City of Chicago for working with us to make this concept a reality.”
The circuit is a 2.2-mile, 12-turn layout located between Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue. Other streets used on this course include: Congress Plaza Drive, Columbus Drive, Jackson Drive, Roosevelt Road, and Balbo Avenue. The IMSA race will happen on Saturday, July 1 and the NASCAR Cup Series will tackle this new challenge on Sunday, July 2nd. This event will take place on the coveted Independence Day weekend slot in the NASCR calendar, replacing Road America. Stay tuned for more updates about the NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend as they come out. One thing is certain, we will all witness something never seen before in NASCAR next summer; Cup cars will take to city streets for the first time in history. For more information, follow @NASCARChicago on Twitter and check out NASCARChicago.com.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to iRacing
