NASCAR Is Packing up Its Street Course, So When Do Chicagoans Get Their Roads Back? Here's the Schedule

Patty Wetli | July 8, 2024, 9:24 am

Crews inspect race cars on DuSable Lake Shore Drive following NASCAR’s Xfinity Series Loop 110 on July 6, 2024. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

After another shortened race weekend that was by turns thrilling and soggy, NASCAR is packing up its Chicago street course and heading out of town. So when do Chicagoans get their roads back?

Here's the schedule:

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— Northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive is already back in circulation.

— Michigan Avenue will reopen in both directions by noon Monday, between Roosevelt Road and Monroe Street.

— Southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will reopen by 11 p.m. Tuesday.

— All other closures will remain in place until the track wall, fence and viewing stands are dismantled, with normal traffic expected to resume by July 18.

Crews are prioritizing DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.

The set-up and teardown timelines have been condensed versus the 2023 race.

While the inaugural race was plagued by torrential downpours, the 2024 edition started out promising. Saturday's Xfinity Series race enjoyed sunny skies, and Shane van Gisbergen showed his dominance of the Chicago track with yet another victory after winning last year's Grant Park Cup Series race.

But rain moved in just as Sunday's Grant Park 165 Cup Series race got underway, causing a two-hour delay. The race was eventually restarted, with a timed finish.

Alex Bowman won the day after making the right call to stick with his car's "wet" tires, avoiding a pit stop that cost other drivers precious time.

NASCAR is set to return to Chicago in summer 2025 for the third street race in a three-year deal.