Fans descend on Grant Park for third NASCAR Chicago Street Race

Grant Park buzzed with energy Saturday morning as tens of thousands of attendees descended on the park grounds for the third NASCAR Chicago Street Race amid rising temperatures and a blazing sun.

The third and final race weekend of NASCAR’s three-year deal with the city brought fans from throughout the country, with first-time race attendees and seasoned fans flooding through the gates. The city and NASCAR could extend the contract for two more years of races if both parties agree to do so, but the race in Chicago faces a murky future.

When asked if the event would return in 2026, Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese said, “We'll have those conversations after the race, but right now our focus is on this weekend.”

Katie Wylie, 35, visited her hometown of Chicago this weekend to give her twin sons, 7-year-olds Jack and Ben Wylie, their first in-person NASCAR experience. Her partner, Ben Trueblood, joined them for the trip from Nashville, where the family now lives.

“They’re big race fans, so we're excited for them to experience their first in-person race,” Katie Wylie said, adding that she was most excited for the opportunity to be in the city and experience the energy of race weekend.

The family made the most of their visit, catching the Cardinals-Cubs game at Wrigley Field on Friday and planning to wrap up their Saturday night with fireworks at Navy Pier before heading home Sunday.

As for the NASCAR festivities, Wylie said she was impressed with the atmosphere. “It’s really great. I honestly didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “They did a great job with curating the environment of the grounds and this village here.”

Aaron Moy, 54, originally from Chicago, traveled from his new home in Minnesota to attend this weekend's NASCAR Street Race. A longtime fan, Moy said he has previously attended NASCAR races in Joliet from 2006 until 2015, when his favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, retired.

Since the Chicago street races began, Moy made it a point to attend. This year, he's attending both days of racing and hopes to catch a glimpse of some of his favorite drivers. “We’re trying to see our favorite drivers: Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott,” he said. “Secondly, we want to see our drivers win the race.”

Like many fans, Moy is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast after rain put a damper on the event the last two years. “The last two races were rain-impacted. And the forecast isn’t great tomorrow,” he said of Sunday's races.

Sunday’s high is expected to be in the low- to mid-80s with chances of storms, according to the National Weather Service.

When asked what he did during last year’s weather delays, Moy explained that although it's tempting to seek shelter at a nearby business, he's previously chosen to stay near the track area.

"You never know when they’ll say, 'OK, drivers to your cars’ and then we gotta rush back in," Moy said.

Moy came prepared for another round of possible showers this year. He said he packed a poncho to wear because umbrellas are not permitted on the race grounds, and he was also sporting what he called an “Anti-Rain Vortex” hat in hopes of keeping the rain away.

For some attendees, it's hard to ignore a street race in their backyard.

Loop residents were among the tens of thousands venturing to Grant Park on Saturday.

“It’s right down the street from me,” said 73-year-old Clarissa Hinton, who lives in a condo less than 10 minutes away.

It’s probably safe to assume Hinton would have traveled farther; the 10-year NASCAR fan was decked out in a black checkered racing suit accentuated with a necklace made of toy race cars and a purse to match.

Besides rooting for Shane van Gisbergen, the winner of the inaugural Chicago race two years ago, Hinton was enjoying the atmosphere of the two-day event, which also features local food vendors, a kids’ zone and live entertainment. Van Gisbergen of New. Zealand won Saturday's Loop 110 race.

“It’s a lot of fun!” she said.

Sam Eddy, 24, of Mundelein, has been a NASCAR fan for years, attending races in Joliet and Phoenix and spending childhood summers at Illinois' now-closed Rockford Speedway. This weekend marks his family's first time at the NASCAR Chicago Street Race.

Eddy attended Saturday’s event with relatives including his mother, Angela Eddy, 55, who noted the family's longstanding ties to the sport. “We’re a NASCAR family. My uncle was a famous NASCAR driver back in the day: ‘Tiger’ Tom Pistone,” she said. “He was a very famous racecar driver when they used to race at Soldier Field in the ’50s.”

Both mother and son said they were excited to finally experience the Chicago street race for the first time after missing the last two years.

The Eddys said they planned to attend both days of the event, with VIP passes in hand, while also keeping an eye on Sunday’s forecast. “We’re going to see how it plays out,” Angela Eddy said.

Cooper Lawrence, 26, of the Loop is a NASCAR newcomer who wanted to see what the event had to offer.

“It's pretty nice,” he said. "I’ve got a good viewing area over here. Everything's pretty reasonably priced. It’s not like other sporting events.”

He said it was worth the nearly 90-degree heat, especially for the opportunity to see a street race format, rather than cars running on “a boring oval."

He planned to stick around for the Zac Brown Band show Saturday evening, but Lawrence said he primarily came for the street race, but said the Zac Brown show was a "bonus." Lawrence said he’d welcome another year of NASCAR in Chicago.

“I’d be back,” he said.

Also in attendance Saturday was Ray McElroy, 52, a West Chicago resident and former NFL player for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts. The event was McElroy’s first NASCAR race, which he said came about as part of an effort to bring more young people of color into the sport.

McElroy was there on behalf of his nonprofit, A Ray of Hope on Earth, which works to provide youth mentoring opportunities. “We got introduced to an official with NASCAR that's looking to expand NASCAR's diversity with young people of color,” McElroy said. “And since we have a nonprofit that we work with a lot of young people, we wanted to expose some of our young men to this opportunity.

“We’re really excited about an opportunity to expose some of our young men to the opportunities that NASCAR has to provide,” he added.

Beyond the community work, McElroy said he was looking forward to the thrill of the live racing experience. “To see how fast these friggin’ things roll down Lake Shore Drive. It’s got to be incredible,” he said. “You see it on television, but it’s totally different than seeing it live.”

McElroy said he and his organization also had special access to certain areas “Just to kind of see the guys put the cars together and all of the ins and outs of racing, behind the scenes, is also very exciting,” he said.

Other attendees traveled well over an hour from Illinois' suburbs.

For the last three years, 61-year-old McHenry resident Georgene Sergeant has made it her mission to bring others along with her to experience the “excitement, speed, loudness and fun” of the event.

This time, she recruited Amber Rausch, a friend she met at a St. Patrick’s Day event.

“I think it draws in people that might not be NASCAR fans and then they become fans,” said Sergeant, who works for Sunoco, which is NASCAR’s official fuel.

“We just don't have NASCAR up here. So, I think it's an experience for people who don't normally have that option.”

Sergeant said she was most looking forward to the Zac Brown Band concert and wished event organizers hadn’t pared down the number of musical acts this year. “I’m disappointed,” she said.

Still, her new pal, Rausch, was content to take in the general atmosphere.“Everybody's fun and friendly and ready to party,” said Rausch, 36, of Woodstock, after snapping a selfie in front of Buckingham Fountain. “It’s just a happy day.”