I hope you like deep-dish.
After months of speculation, at 2:30 local time on Tuesday July 19th, NASCAR Senior Vice President of race development and strategy Ben Kennedy, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, Illinois governor JB Pritzker and 23XI Racing Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace officially announced from Cityfront Plaza in downtown Chicago that the NASCAR Chicago Street Race will be held the weekend of July 1-2 in 2023.
The Independence Day weekend event will be the third temporary circuit visited by the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023 and the third added since 2021, joining the dirt race at Bristol and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum short track.
Available on iRacing since last summer, the proposed 12-turn, 2.2-mile layout features Lake Michigan as a backdrop and will see cars travel along a stretch of Chicago’s famous Lake Shore Drive before circling back through Grant Park and past Buckingham Fountain. The route is just blocks away from Soldier Field, the Field Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
“Chicago’s streets are as iconic as our skyline, and our reputation as a world class sports city is indisputable, said Lightfoot in a press statement released on NASCAR.com. “I am thrilled to welcome our partners at NASCAR to Chicago for an event that will attract thousands of people to our city.”
Instead of the Truck or Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Cup Series will be joined on the streets of Chicago by the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Series, which will run on Saturday, July 1st in support of the Cup Series.
The Chicago Street Race is on a three-year deal, and it will replace Road America on the 2023 schedule. The rest of the Cup schedule will be revealed at a later date.
Featured image courtesy of NASCAR media.
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