DOWNTOWN —NASCAR fans can buy tickets to Chicago’s 2024 street race series starting Wednesday.
Next summer’s races run July 6-7, and they will be done with a shortened course, according to a NASCAR news release.
Children younger than 12 can get in free July 6, and general admission tickets will be $45 July 7. Otherwise, single-day tickets start at $150, two-day tickets start at $269, GA+ tickets are $398 and two-day reserved tickets start at $465, according to NASCAR.
Go to NASCAR’s website to buy tickets starting Wednesday.
Changes this year: The NASCAR Xfinity Series race, called The Loop 110, is now 110 miles — equaling 50 laps — instead of 121 miles. The Grant Park 165 is now 165 miles and 75 laps, down from 220 miles. A NASCAR spokesperson said the reason for the change was to maximize daylight hours and optimize the race for television.
The series, which started this summer, has faced controversy.
The first NASCAR event took place over July 4 weekend, closing Grant Park and nearby streets for weeks before and after the races. NASCAR and nearby mega-events forced theTaste of Chicago to be held in September, while museum leaders worried they would lose millions over a holiday weekend andsome Downtown businessesclosed for the races.
There was also frustration from some over the 39 days reserved by the event for setup and teardown, as revealed by Block Club — though race officials plan to shave six days off that timeframe for this year’s event.
This year’s races saw heavy downpours, which caused the first race of the weekend to be shortened and canceled performances by Miranda Lambert and the Chainsmokers.
Many fans said they enjoyed the race despite the weather but would have appreciated more information for first-time fans and less expensive tickets, food and drinks.
The city announced in October NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race series would return, to the dismay of the local alderman — who said he wasn’t consulted about the event’s return — and many neighbors.
The 2.2-mile course remains the same for 2024 with 12 narrow turns. The course starts and ends along Columbus Drive near Buckingham Fountain. Drivers take two turns down Balbo Drive and onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Racers then zoom down DuSable, curl around Roosevelt Road, wind back up Columbus and Balbo, weave up Michigan Avenue and Congress Plaza Drive and speed down Jackson Drive before starting the loop again.
The 2023 street race generated $119,899 for the Park District, in addition to a $500,000 permit fee. The $119,899 includes 15 percent of net commissions on concession and merchandise, plus $2 per admission ticket, according to NASCAR’s contract with the Park District.
Attracting just over 79,000 attendees, short of the 100,000 attendance prediction, the 2023 series generated $109 million in economic activity and $8.3 million in local and state taxes, according to an economic impact report. That’s $4 million less than what was predicted earlier this year, according to a February report from the Sun-Times.
The city spent at least $3.5 million in preparation and staffing costs. That includes $2.6 million in road construction and $1.4 million in police overtime, according to South Side Weekly.
Under the contract with the city, NASCAR can come back for a third year, and it has an option to renew for two additional years. The contract allows for a 180-day termination clause either side can activate.
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