DOWNTOWN — NASCAR officials plan to modify race cars, limit track time and wrap up festivities by 10 p.m. in an effort to limit noise and crowding for the summer race slated to take over part of Grant Park for several weeks.
The new details about the preparation and daily schedule for the July 1-2 race were shared with residents at a Wednesday night community meeting, the first with neighbors hosted by NASCAR officials and city leaders.
Neighbors flooded officials with questions on noise reduction, park and lakefront access, along with race logistics, during the hour-long meeting.
To combat high noise levels, race cars will be retrofitted with special mufflers that are expected to decrease noise by 10 decibels, according to Julie Giese, president of the NASCAR Chicago Street Course.
Sounds at a NASCAR race can be around 100 to 130 decibels, depending on your distance from the track, according to various reports. A range of 100 to 120 decibels is roughly equivalent to a bulldozer or motorcycle, and festivals like Lollapallooza can reach around 115 decibels.
NASCAR has tested mufflers in other races to mitigate noise in big city races.
NASCAR also expects festivities to be completed by 10 p.m. each night, with the likeliness of things concluding before that on July 2. RVs and camping out will also be prohibited.
“We’ve been really diligent and trying to be as thoughtful as possible on the track schedule… keeping … less than 10 hours of track time,” Giese said.
Practice and qualifying round will begin 10 a.m. July 1.
The Loop 121 Xfinity Series Race will take place 4-6 p.m. followed by a Chainsmokers concert at 7 p.m.
On July 2, Charley Crokket and Miranda Lambert will kick off festivities 12-3 p.m. with the Grant Park 220 NASCAR Cup Series Race taking over from 4:30-8 p.m., officials said.
To ensure safety of guests and people walking by along the course, the entire 2.2-mile stretch will be fully enclosed by an eight-foot fence, similar to what’s used for other large events in and around Grant Park, officials said.
In areas where there are a lot of pedestrians, there will also be a 15-foot buffer and followed by another perimeter fence, officials said.
Planners are “specifically thinking about Michigan Avenue just to make sure that it doesn’t become an area where people are congregating and then detracting from the flow,” Giese said.
All businesses and residential buildings along the course will be open and accessible during the two-day event, with restrictions and pre-race street activity beginning June 2 and will last until July 15, officials said.
The race has been controversial among residents, park advocates and local businesses who have argued little has been revealed about the logistics surrounding the event.
In March, Block Club revealed the Park District agreed to give NASCAR 39 days for setup and teardown of the event in Grant Park after officials previously forecasted only a two-week takeover.
On Monday, the city revealed pre-race setup was extended an extra three days with parking restrictions along Columbus Drive starting June 2.
The most significant closures impacting Downtown traffic will begin June 27, when southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be closed between Balbo Drive and Roosevelt Road. The closure extends to include Monroe Drive and McFetridge Road on June 29.
Officials initially said Monday that Buckingham Fountain, Butler Field and Lower Hutchinson Field would largely remain open during event staging, with “minimal restrictions that equate to less than one-fifth of event operation days.”
On Wednesday, officials clarified that Buckingham Fountain will be closed from June 28-July 2. Giese said she anticipates it will reopen July 3, with group working to ensure it’s available to the public for July 4 festivities.
The lakefront trail, dog park, skate park as well as pedestrian access to the Museum Campus will remain open during the event, Giese said.
There will also be free, public NASCAR activities July 1-2 in Butler Field, Giese said.
NASCAR will mail “need to know” information on the upcoming race to over “42,000 addresses in and around the course footprint” in upcoming weeks, Giese said.
For more information on race logistics, course maps and tickets, visit NASCARChicago.com/Localinfo.
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