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Over the course of two days during the Fourth of July weekend, NASCAR's Chicago Street Race will take place, but it will have an impact on Grant Park traffic for over a month.
In anticipation of the July 1-2 races, which will take place on a 12-turn, 2.2-mile circuit that will block Michigan Avenue, Columbus Drive, and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, city officials on Monday provided information regarding rolling road closures and traffic patterns.
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The six days when southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive is closed from Monroe to McFetridge Drive, beginning at 10 p.m. local time on June 28, may be the most important closure. The DuSable Lake Shore Drive northbound lane will be closed from 4 a.m. local time on July 1 until after the race on July 2.
Officials from the city and NASCAR indicated most roadways will open as early as 7 a.m. local time on the Monday following the race, but they did not provide specific opening dates. NASCAR might put off taking down its grandstands and course barriers until July 15.
Over the past few months, NASCAR executives have given various timeframes for road closures while stating that race preparation was still in the early stages. NASCAR said in February that preparations for the event will start as late as June 29.
On Columbus Drive between Jackson and Balbo, parking restrictions commenced on June 2, marking the start of the earliest pre-race closures. Ida B. Wells Drive will thereafter be shut down on June 10 for the primary viewing areas' development east of Michigan.
According to NASCAR, the event will draw about 100,000 spectators over its two days. The first street races in the 75-year history of the organization were hosted downtown last year, according to Lightfoot, after the city and NASCAR agreed to a three-year agreement.
All you need to know about NASCAR's Chicago Street Race
The IMSA-sanctioned series event will take place on July 1 before the NASCAR Cup Series street circuit race, which will take place on July 2.
The proposed race track has a 12-turn, 2.2-mile route that will take drivers into busy downtown streets, including Columbus Drive, Michigan Avenue, and Lake Shore Drive as it winds through Grant Park and along Lake Michigan.
Directly in front of Buckingham Fountain along South Columbus Drive will be the start and finish lines as well as the pit road. The renowned Grant Park, the northern side of Soldier Field, and other locations will be traversed along the course.
The race will pass the renowned Buckingham Fountain as it runs down a two-block stretch of South Columbus Drive, which will house the front straightaway and pit road.
A few well-known performers have been added to NASCAR's program for the two-day celebration that will accompany the historic event. The NASCAR Cup Series' Chicago Street Race, which takes place from July 1-2, will feature performances by The Chainsmokers, Miranda Lambert, The Black Crowes, and Charley Crockett.
