NASCAR announces 2025 Chicago Street Race dates
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The NASCAR Chicago Street Race will be back in Grant Park for its third year next summer, with drivers returning to the downtown race course on July 5 and 6, 2025.
The Loop 110 NASCAR Infinity Series and Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series races will use the same 12-turn, 2-2-mile street course as the first two years along parts of DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Columbus Drive, Michigan Avenue, Balbo Drive, Jackson Drive, and Roosevelt Road.
"The Chicago Street Race Weekend has quickly become one of the highlights of the Chicago summer calendar, so we are proud to bring NASCAR back to this great city for a third year in a row," NASCAR Chicago Street Race president Julie Giese said in a statement.
Ald. Bill Conway (34th), whose ward includes part of the downtown race course, said in a statement that "NASCAR has been a good community partner," but that in two surveys of his ward, constituents repeatedly asked that the race not be held on July 4th weekend, noting the race blocks off access to large parts of Grant Park during the holiday weekend.
"Once again, community feedback was not considered in this hasty decision that the Mayor's Office made before we have a clear picture of the race's financial impact on the city," Conway said. "As we head into budget deliberations and face a $1 billion shortfall, we need to be particularly thoughtful about how we are spending taxpayer dollars and responding to residents' concerns."
Rain put a bit of a damper on the first two years of the NASCAR Chicago Street race.
In its first year, heavy downpours delayed and ultimately cut short both of the races, and forced organizers to cancel concerts that were to be held during the race weekend in Grant Park. This year, the Cup Series race on July 7, was delayed and again cut short, but the Xfinity Series race on July 6 and the weekend's concerts went off without a hitch.
Tickets are not yet on sale for the 2025 race weekend, but fans can secure first access to tickets by putting down a deposit online, or sign up to be notified of pre-sale access.
Next year's race is the last year of a three-year deal with the city. Neither NASCAR nor city officials have announced if the race will return beyond 2025.