NASCAR Chicago Street Race returns to Grant Park in 2024

CHICAGO (CBS) -- NASCAR will race back into town next year.

After heavy rains put a bit of a damper on the first-ever NASCAR street race in Chicago this summer, the big race will return next year in Grant Park.

NASCAR officials announced Thursday afternoon that the Chicago Street Race will be back on July 6 and 7, 2024. The race weekend will include a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 6 and a NASCAR Cup Series race on July 7.

Choose Chicago said the race weekend had nearly $109 million economic impact, and although it caused a lot of street closures, the numbers show how popular the sport is in Chicago.

CBS 2's Shardaa Gray breaks down the numbers.

New numbers show the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race is the second most impactful Chicago Sports Commission event ever.

The 2020 NBA All-Star Game ranks number one.

Because of those figures, NASCAR will be back in Chicago next year.

The popular NASCAR sport that closed major downtown streets in July brought in a lot of money for the city.

Choose Chicago, the tourism website and the Chicago Sports Commission say the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race had an economic impact of $108.9 million.

Kenna Tunis with Loop Alliance said the race brought together first-time Chicago visitors and Chicagoans who've never seen a race in person.

"Being able to combine those two components to create this event where so many different people were experiencing things, whether it be NASCAR itself or Chicago, having those skyline views while this street race was happening was so iconic to see," Tunis said.

The event created 750 jobs and there were more than 47,000 people who attended.

Half of those were people who traveled from out of state just for the event.

They spent more than $680 each day, 200 dollars more than the typical traveler to Chicago did last year.

"Our members, they saw a lot of an influx of people in their restaurants or their stores. So, we're really thrilled to see that."

Following the success of the first-ever Chicago race, NASCAR announced that Chicago will welcome NASCAR back to Grant Park on July 6th and 7th next year.

It'll mark the second of a minimum three-year commitment between NASCAR and the City of Chicago.

"Which is very exciting. What it also means is, it allows us to continue our mission to further promote what we're doing already," Tunis said.

The city said that because of their conversations with NASCAR, the sport has agreed to shorten the event's setup and tear down windows, helping with travel disruption.

The announcement came as Choose Chicago - the city's tourism agency - and the Chicago Sports Commission released a report which found the inaugural race created $108.9 million in economic impact for the city.

"From the very beginning, our objective was to drive global attention and tourism to Chicago while introducing motorsports to an entirely new fan base, and by both measures, 2023 was a resounding success," Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President., said in a statement. "NASCAR is honored to be a part of the Chicago community 365 days a year, and we look forward to building upon the incredible foundation we established this year."

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who inherited the event from his predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, previously had been noncommittal about bringing the race back in 2024, saying he wanted to evaluate the race's impact and address concerns raised by alderpersons and local residents about street closures, noise, and other issues related to the race weekend.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the mayor's office said NASCAR has agreed to shorten the amount of time it will take to set up and take down the event, reducing the amount of time needed for street closures.

"NASCAR has also committed to addressing costs incurred by City departments and agencies in facilitating and securing the event as consistent with other large-scale events. This is a win for Chicago taxpayers, as the original agreement did not include provisions for such costs.

"Finally, NASCAR has committed to growing its impressive investments in Chicago communities and expanding opportunities for small-, minority- and women-owned businesses to participate as vendors in 2024. The City looks forward to working with NASCAR and other stakeholders to deliver a successful Chicago Street Race weekend in 2024 that works for residents, fans, and Chicago's economy."  

The first NASCAR Chicago Street Race on July 1 and 2 was a daring adventure with a thrilling finish, but nothing really went as planned. 

Rain delayed the race and canceled the concerts. While the roar of those cars was the big draw for some over the weekend, the noise also garnered plenty of complaints.

It was a first in NASCAR's 75-year history: racing through the streets of a city.

"I thought this was a pretty big gamble by NASCAR because this is something completely novel for them," said Matt Weaver, a motorsports journalist.

Off the course, the rain washed out much of the fanfare, including concerts headlined by The Chainsmokers and Miranda Lambert.

But in the end, fans still got the racing action they came for.

"I do think even with the historic rain, that people saw what NASCAR is trying to accomplish. They see the value of the concept," Weaver said.

The event angered many people, with some parts of Grant Park and several downtown streets closed for weeks to allow NASCAR to set up and take down the race course and grandstands, with parts of DuSable Lake Shore Drive closed for several days.

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) also objected to how Lightfoot handled planning for the event, saying he and other aldermen whose wards were directly impacted by the race were not consulted before the former mayor agreed to bring NASCAR to Grant Park.

Despite his frustrations with Lightfoot's handling of the event, he ultimately praised NASCAR for working with him and other alderpeople in getting the race done.

In:
• Chicago
• Grant Park
• NASCAR