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CBS News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CBS News
Third annual NASCAR Chicago Street Race takes over Grant Park
Engines were revving all day long in the Loop on Saturday, as the NASCAR Chicago Street Race returned to Grant Park for the third year in a row. Drivers hit the street course for the Loop 110 Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon. Fans will be enjoying the action all weekend-long. The sound of roaring engines could be heard anywhere near Grant Park on Saturday. The sound of NASCAR is one Chicago has gotten used to over the past few years. Many of the fans watching on Saturday have been to the NASCAR Chicago Street Race before, and this event is what made them NASCAR fans. "Right now, it's quiet, just real quiet. When you get up there, it's loud, loud, loud, loud," Samantha Anderson said. As NASCAR made it's third lap through Chicago, John Janssen and his wife, Mae, parked themselves in the shade by Buckingham Fountain. "We got ourselves a sandwich and a drink, and we're just enjoying the crowd," John said. One of them loves NASCAR, and the other tolerates it. "I like it since my husband likes it," Mae said. "I used to put my sunglasses on and go to sleep, but I don't do that anymore." "It's a sport, if you really get into, it just drives your soul, and that's what I love," John said. Tent chairs had them covered for the sun, and they weren't bothered by the noise. "I wear a hearing aid. I just take the battery out," John said. Lori Vanderplow is relatively new to NASCAR but the Chicago Street Race has made her a fan for life. "We're hooked. So, once you hear the cars rumbling, you become a fan," she said. On Saturday, drivers hit the hot slick track for the first of the event's two street races.. The Xfinity Series race took over city streets in Grant Park – a 2.2 mile course with 12 turns. "To see the city skyline with the Cup cars rumbling, it's amazing," Vanderplow said. As drivers and fans deal with the Saturday heat – they hope the rain holds off for Sunday's Cup Series race, the Grant Park 220. "I told him, if it rains tomorrow, I'm staying home," Mae Janssen said. Mae might not make it if it rains on Sunday, but John will. "There is nothing that can stop me," he said. John is one fan of many who hopes the Chicago Street Race will be back for another lap in 2026. This is the last year of the race's contract with the city. The deal includes mutual options to come back in 2026 and 2027, but NASCAR and city officials have yet to announce the future of the race. "They've got my vote," John said. The sun was out on Saturday, but drivers and fans are preparing for potential showers on Sunday. The Cup Series race on Sunday starts at 1 p.m., wrapping up NASCAR's third and potentially final year in Chicago.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Hot, and possibly stormy, holiday weekend ahead for the Fourth of July, NASCAR Chicago Street Race
With the Fourth of July and the annual NASCAR Chicago Street Race making for a jam-packed few days ahead, Chicagoans can expect a hot — and potentially stormy — holiday weekend. Should weather predictions hold, forecasts called for temperatures hovering in the mid-90s Friday and Saturday, with a 50% chance of thunderstorms by Sunday afternoon, said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. 'The main thing that's going to be consistent through the weekend is just that overall hot summer weather here,' Birk said. Sunday is looking to be slightly cooler, with temperatures possibly dipping into the 80s, but Birk said to expect 'still very humid highs.' Before noon Friday, there was a 30-40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, but conditions were expected to dry out later in the day, Birk said. 'So fireworks time (Friday) evening looks dry,' he said. Forecasts also indicated that Saturday would be mostly dry, Birk said. As for Sunday, Birk said there's a 50% chance of scattered storms anytime from noon to 7 p.m., adding 'that could go up as we get closer here.' Should thunderstorms hit the city this weekend, it would mark the third rainy NASCAR race weekend in a row. Last year, the race weekend's main event — the Grant Park 165 — faced lengthy delays sparked by intermittent downpours. The year before, racers faced lightning and flash flood warnings. Still, this year's event is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees. The city is set to host the street race on a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course through Grant Park, down DuSable Lake Shore Drive and up Michigan Avenue. The Xfinity Series' Loop 110, which features mostly younger, up-and-coming NASCAR drivers, will be broadcast on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the CW Network and local affiliate WGN-TV. The Grant Park 165 Cup Series race will air Sunday at 1 p.m. on the cable network TNT. The race comes as NASCAR is reportedly in negotiations to hold a street race in San Diego next year, which may be in addition to Chicago, or perhaps will replace the Chicago one. Mayor Brandon Johnson didn't answer directly when asked Tuesday if he wants the NASCAR race to continue beyond this weekend, saying, 'It's about having conversations to make sure we're getting the most out of this experience.' Johnson also nodded to the rain that has plagued recent editions of the Chicago Street Race. 'First of all, we're just hoping this year there's good weather,' he said at a City Hall news conference. 'It looks like Saturday we're going to be OK. Sunday is a little iffy, a little cloudy.'
