NASCAR’s first-ever street race will come to Chicago during the first days of July, bringing with it questions and apprehension from community members and city leaders about a deal made by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.Concerns about traffic and public safety — and skepticism of the street race’s economic benefit to the city — were among the issues aldermen raised Wednesday at the City Council’s Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee, where they questioned Chicago street race course President Julie Giese, staff from the emergency management office and other city leaders.“The races that are coming up in the next few weeks in Chicago certainly have a lot of our constituents excited. “They also have a lot of our constituents confused, frustrated, angry,” 1st Ward Ald. Daniel La Spata and the committee chair said.Aldermen and the community members — including cyclists who protested the NASCAR race outside City Hall on Wednesday morning — have repeatedly raised questions about the event’s impact on traffic and lakefront accessibility, with a rolling schedule of major road closures, parking restrictions and inaccessible sidewalks up to, during and after the July 1 and 2 race and festival for setup and breakdown of the 2.2-mile course around Grant Park.Giese stressed that the Museum Campus will “continue to be accessible throughout the event.”Off-duty police officers will be called upon to assist with traffic control and other duties. Overtime will also be offered to officers as the city balances NASCAR with home Cubs games and other events taking place in the beginning of July as well.“We do anticipate canceling the days off for the majority of all of our officers,” Deputy Chief Dan O’Connor said.The street race is the first of its kind for NASCAR in its 75-year history. Unlike typical oval-shaped courses, the Chicago race will have 12 turns, both right and left, and a section where the road shifts from four lanes to two. Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. test-drove the course earlier this month and said some will find it “challenging and miserable.”Giese said 12-foot fences and large concrete barriers will be set up to protect attendees. She also boasted the race will feature “the best drivers in the world” who “have been training for this event, practicing on a virtual simulator.”Construction continues between Columbus Drive and Michigan Avenue at Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago on June 14, 2023 in preparation for the upcoming NASCAR street race. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)Ald. Derrick Curtis, 18th, also asked about the steep price tag to get into the event. The NASCAR website shows the cheapest ticket to be $269.“I actually have a lot of young people between the ages of 18 to 30 that really want to see this but they are saying they can’t afford it,” Curtis said.Giese noted there will be free access to Butler Field which will allow people to look into those NASCAR garages, which if you haven’t been to a NASCAR race before, the garages are essentially like our locker room.” She also said NASCAR is “working on right now … a number of programs to be able to bring youth and others to the event.” After School Matters and other groups are working with NASCAR on a variety of free viewing experiences.[ [Don’t miss] NASCAR Chicago Street Race: Timeline of road closures around the city for the July race ]Another concern for constituents and businesses is the noise level, which can be “96.5 to 104 decibels at 150 feet from the track” according to NASCARchronicle.com. According to the NASCAR Chicago Street Race website, special mufflers will be used on the cars “which successfully lowered sound levels by as much as 10 decibels earlier this year at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.”Wednesday morning before the committee meeting, La Spata spoke in front of about 50 bicyclists as part of a weekly “bike bus” put on by cycling advocacy groups.“In a city that doesn’t seem to take pedestrian and cycling safety seriously, to give our roads over to NASCAR, I know how that frustrates folks,” La Spata told the Tribune, leaning against his black Specialized road bike. “I know also that it’s not a decision Mayor (Brandon) Johnson made; it’s one that he as been handed.”Safe Streets Chicago wrote in a statement: “Holding a car racing competition on our streets sets a dangerous example at a time when too many drivers are going too fast, endangering the lives of everyone who uses our streets.” The group noted the course “charges through the intersection” where a bicyclist was killed last year.Several aldermen who represent the downtown area expressed frustration with the way the city’s deal with NASCAR was struck by Lightfoot, who lost her reelection bid to Johnson this year. Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said he and his colleagues found out about it just a few hours before it was announced to the public in a news conference — something Lightfoot has denied.“We were hastily assembled with NASCAR executives to tell us the news,” Reilly said. “It was really, I think, a meeting intended for PR purposes from the mayor’s office to say ‘Hey, look, NASCAR met with the aldermen.’”Another frustration aldermen expressed was whether the city will see a return on its investment.“Lollapalooza doesn’t cause nearly the amount of inconvenience and obstruction that the NASCAR race will certainly cause, and the economic benefits of Lollapalooza are really well documented and understood and we accept it,” Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, told the Tribune, comparing the race to another large-scale Grant Park summer event.Lollapalooza will shut down portions of the Grant Park area over the course of roughly 25 days, whereas NASCAR will close various downtown areas for about 35 days, according to Lollapalooza and the city. NASCAR is also on the weekend before the July Fourth holiday, bumping the popular Taste of Chicago event to September.Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, rides away from Daley Plaza, June 14, 2023, following a rally for safe streets. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)Rebeca Resman and son Max, 8, join dozens of bicyclist at the Daley Plaza rally on June 14, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)“Like anything, you have to do a cost-benefit analysis. And the benefits are showing off Chicago on the world’s stage,” newly elected 34th Ward Ald. Bill Conway told the Tribune. “Potential concerns are the inconvenience that it may cause from a traffic perspective, from a park access (perspective). I mean, not having access to the front lawn of the city in Grant Park on July Fourth weekend, that’s kind of something.”Lollapalooza generated $335 million dollars for their four-day weekend last year, according to a study commissioned by festival producers C3 Presents. NASCAR touts that its Chicago race is expected to generate $113 million in economic impact. Giese said tourist organizations such as the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association are already seeing “strong numbers” but did not provide further specifics about how much of that can be attributed to the race rather than the expected demand from July Fourth weekend.“Trying to compare Lolla and NASCAR doesn’t make sense,” Lightfoot said at a news conference while in office. A spokesperson for the former mayor declined to respond to questions.There are also concerns about the contract itself, which includes the Park District earning only a $2 commission for each admission ticket which are all above $200.“My first reaction was, ‘Let me look for the loophole to cancel this,’ ” Hopkins said. “It reveals the secrecy and the lack of transparency and I would even say the sneakiness that characterized (Lightfoot’s) approach to governing.”The deal between the city and NASCAR is a three-year deal with two option years beyond that and NASCAR says they remain committed to seeing this contract through until the end.A Johnson spokesperson, in an emailed response to questions from the Tribune, said the mayor “is impressed with how hardworking and collaborative Julie Giese and the entire NASCAR team have been” and that “events like the Chicago Street Race are critical to continuing positive tourism growth and the type of economic activity necessary to benefit Chicago residents and communities.”On whether Johnson would support extending the race for additional years, the spokesperson wrote that his administration “approaches the event through three lenses: operational success of the event being safe and organized, economic success of uplifting the hotel, restaurant and entertainment industries, and residential impact in terms of minimizing disruptions and maximizing access to surrounding areas.”[email protected]
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