A still from a promotional video for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. (Courtesy of NASCAR)

The NASCAR Chicago Street Race will return to the city next summer for a third year, the racing company announced Thursday.

The Chicago Street Race Weekend will take place July 5-6, 2025.

Next year’s race will be the same 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course from previous years, according to NASCAR. The course will take drivers through Michigan Avenue, South Columbus Drive, South DuSable Lake Shore Drive and near Buckingham Fountain.

“The Chicago Street Race Weekend has quickly become one of the highlights of the Chicago summer calendar, so we are proud to bring NASCAR back to this great city for a third year in a row,” Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese said in a news release.

The city and NASCAR orginally agreed to a three-year contract to host the racing event. A spokesperson with NASCAR did not immediately respond to a request on whether the company plans on extending its contract with the city.

The Chicago Street Race has experienced pushback in the years since it began, with some environmental advocates saying they don’t believe the money generated by the race is worth the damage it causes to streets and the environment.

In an interview on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” in July, Grant Park Advisory Council president Leslie Recht said the permit fees NASCAR pays are much smaller compared to fees paid by the music festivals Lollapalooza and Sueños.

“We don’t feel (NASCAR is) paying their fair share,” Recht said. “They do fix a lot of the damage that they do, but they don’t fix it all.”

Ald. Bill Conway, whose 34th Ward includes parts of the Loop, issued a statement Thursday saying that while NASCAR has been “a good community partner,” ward residents in two surveys said they didn’t want the race held on 4th of July weekend because the race blocks park access.

“I have been vocal in sharing their concerns with NASCAR and other City officials,” the statement reads. “Once again, community feedback was not considered in this hasty decision that the Mayor’s Office made before we have a clear picture of the race’s financial impact on the city.”

The first NASCAR race in 2023 generated $108.9 million in economic impact on Chicago’s economy, according to a statement from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office. The economic analysis for this year’s race is in process.

For the 2024 race, NASCAR was required to pay the city a $550,000 permit fee, which was up from $500,000 in 2023. Additionally, NASCAR was required to pay the Chicago Park District a $2 fee per admission ticket and a 15% commission on food, beverage and merchandise sold at the event.

This year, setting up and tearing down for the race took 19 days compared to the 25 days it took the year prior, according to city officials. Race officials had agreed to reduce the time from when the racing event was first held in 2023 following concerns of the event cutting off public access to much of Grant Park for weeks during the height of summer.

The mayor’s office and Park District did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding contract agreement details for next year’s race.

Deposits for general admission and reserved seating for next year’s race are available on NASCAR’s website. People can also join a waitlist to be notified for pre-sale access to tickets.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]