NASCAR anticipates around 50k people each day during 2023 Chicago street race

A NASCAR street track race will be held in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend in 2023. According to the official website, "Chicago Street Race Weekend" will take place on the first weekend of July 2023. The Cup Series race will be held on July 2nd. The IMSA event will take place on Saturday, July 1.

The street course race is the Cup Series' first of its sort. Traditionally, stock car racing has taken place on oval courses with banked corners. In open-wheel racing, such as Formula 1, street tracks are more prevalent. NASCAR raced at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet from 2001 to 2019, but hasn't held a race there since.

NASCAR is ramping up publicity for its upcoming $50 million Chicago Street Race, beginning this weekend with a new admissions-focused campaign. The race is part of NASCAR's effort to redefine itself by beginning to race in city centers.

The stock car racing company is investing several times what it spent on Busch Light Clash to put on this event and does not anticipate making a profit in its first year. It has relocated and recruited numerous personnel to handle the event, led by President Julie Giese, who formerly worked at Phoenix Raceway.

The organization has also built an office in the Prudential Building, emphasizing the series' magnitude and scope of engagement. The event will include roughly 10-12 full-time personnel and staff from other tracks, as well as employees from the league and other tracks, who will chip in more as the event approaches. Giese and her team have been selling sponsorship slots, talking to community organizations and local institutions to attempt to establish partnerships or hear out complaints, putting out a timeline for building and deconstructing the circuit, and working on different ideas with NBC Sports and teams.

Giese anticipates 50,000 attendees every day, and she says ticket and hotel sales have been "really positive."

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NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson to race in the Coca-Cola 600

Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson said Tuesday that he will drive the No. 84 Chevrolet in the Circuit of the Americas race on March 26 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 28 as part of his limited racing schedule this season.

Johnson returned to NASCAR this season following a two-year absence when he purchased a small portion of Legacy Motor Club and joined on as a part-time driver. He led the speed chart in practice for the Daytona 500 last month and was on track for a top 10 finish until he was caught in a late incident and ended 31st. Johnson earlier stated that he will compete in the Chicago Street Course event in July.