On an overcast day with the threat of rain again for the signature race in NASCAR weekend, fans made their rounds through everything the designated fan areas had to offer, ahead of what may be the last NASCAR Chicago Street Race.
The weekend’s race festivities in downtown Chicago are set to end Sunday, July 6, with the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race.
Though Sunday’s race is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., thunderstorms are expected to start at 2 p.m. and persist through the early evening.
Meanwhile, the thousands of fans made their way to the ticketed Fan Plaza at Buckingham Fountain and the free-admission NASCAR Village at Butler Field before the race cars took to the city streets.
It is still up in the air whether or not the Street Race series will return to the city next year, as the three-year contract signed under then Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2022 is up to expire this year.
The last two Cup Series races in Chicago were plagued with rainy weather conditions that delayed the races for a number of hours.
Shane van Gisbergen claimed victory in The Loop 110 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, July 5. This marked van Gisbergen’s fourth career Xfinity win and his second in Chicago.
On Sunday, 40 racers will compete in the marquee Grant Park 165, a 75-lap course that winds through 2.2 miles of the city.
Mia Jeremiah, a Texas native pursuing mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, was taking donations in the Fan Plaza for the NASCAR Foundation’s 50/50 raffle, which helps raise money for Chicago-based community organizations.
To date, the foundation has invested more than $5 million in these organizations and has a dedicated office in Chicago with more than a dozen full-time workers who are involved with the Boys & Girls Club, Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, After School Matters and others.
Jeremiah, who volunteered at the Street Race last year, helping VIP fans find their seating, said that the event has been a great experience for her and that she enjoys walking around and meeting families while doing the 50/50 raffle.
Though the future of NASCAR being held in Chicago remains uncertain, she was hopeful that it would be hosted somewhere in the region.
Tyler Bullard, who is a part of the pit crew for racer Cole Custer, was at his third Chicago Street Race.
Custer, who is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and has been in the NASCAR business for 12 years, said that the possibility of rain would make “everything more difficult,” as the fire suits that the crew must wear aren’t waterproof and changing tires during a pit stop is not ideal.
Bullard still prefers the race to continue rather than have to wait another day.
Patrick Masterson from Avondale said the street race creates “a mess downtown.” For a couple of weeks prior to the race, NASCAR closes some public spaces in preparation for the race, in addition to street closures throughout the Loop.
Although he is still attending the weekend’s festivities, he said “it shouldn’t be here,” and “there’s no reason for this here.”
During Sunday’s race last year, the event was shortened and had to start late due to torrential downpours. Originally scheduled for 3:30 p.m., the second stage was delayed until 7 p.m., amid rain and a pro-Palestine protest.
Brian Flahie watched the previous street races from his home in Michigan and said bad weather made the race more interesting for him, a sentiment likely not shared by the drivers.
“It’ll be nice in terms of the on-track action,” said Flahie. However, he is now less excited about the weather since he will be experiencing it in person.
Brandon Kendall, a chef and caterer at Josephine’s Southern Cooking in Chatham on the city’s south side, was working at the restaurant’s food stand, Chi-Orleans Boil, inside the Fan Plaza.
The booth served Southern traditions like Louisiana seafood boils, shrimp, potatoes, corn and sausage. Kendall, a Southside native, said he was having a phenomenal time at his first NASCAR.
“It’s like Woodstock, you know what I mean,” he said as he stood next to the white catering tent with a couple of large silver cooking pots next to his feet. “Understanding the whole experience, racing, the people, the atmosphere, you got to be here.”
With the possibility of NASCAR moving cross-country next summer, Kendall seemed hopeful and optimistic amid the uncertainty.
“I tell people, ‘America is like a gumbo pot; you never know what you’re gonna get,’ and I understand that’s what makes us so freakin’ beautiful,” he said. “When you look at the people out here: white, Black, Hispanic, male, female, young, old. This is a beautiful spectacle; that’s the only way we get better, man.”
Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco
