Eight-Time GRAMMY Award Winner to Join Headliners Keith Urban, The Chainsmokers, The Black Keys, Lauren Alaina and Chicago House Music Icons
CHICAGO – Today, NASCAR announced that one of Chicago’s most beloved legends, Buddy Guy, will play a special set at the Chicago Street Race Weekend on Saturday, July 6. One of Rolling Stone’s “greatest guitarists of all time,” the hometown icon will bring his hallmark Chicago Blues sound to the main stage, following a special 40th Anniversary Chicago House Music showcase.
“Last year’s Chicago Street Race was a great opportunity to put Chicago center-stage and I’m excited to join the lineup,” said Guy. “The Blues is like gumbo. I can tell you how good it is, but you won’t know until you taste it for yourself. I’m looking forward to the chance to introduce more fans to that Chicago feel, Chicago flavor, and most importantly – that Chicago sound.”
Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received eight GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone ranked him #23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
“Whether it’s our food and beverage, corporate sponsors, community partners, and certainly our entertainment, we want to make sure we’re showcasing Chicago to a global audience of millions,” said Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President. “When you think about Chicago music, you think about Buddy Guy, so we know his set will add to the signature Chicago experience for our race attendees.”
Guy is set to perform on the main stage on Saturday, July 6 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT, following the conclusion of the House Music 40th Anniversary Celebration, which includes Chicago icons Bad Boy Bill, Byron Stingily (Ten City), Chip E., Curtis McClain, Dajae, The Good Girls (DJ Lady D, Lori Branch & Vitigrrl), Lidell Townsell, Marshall Jefferson, Maurice Joshua, The Outhere Brothers, Ralphi Rosario, Wayne Williams of the Chosen Few, and White Knight.
Guy’s set will lead directly into the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, The Loop 110, which will be broadcast nationally on NBC. The Black Keys, one of the most successful rock bands of the last two decades, will take to the main stage from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. CT, before global superstars The Chainsmokers close out the evening from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CT. A special NASCAR Cup Series driver reveal will lead into the Chainsmokers set, as part of the group’s triumphant return to the Chicago Street Race.
The next day, global country superstars Keith Urban and Lauren Alaina will headline Sunday’s events at the Chicago Street Race in Grant Park.
Chicago Street Race
The Chicago Street Race is a unique two-day sports and entertainment event with a festival-like atmosphere that exemplifies NASCAR’s characteristic fan experience that puts attendees closer to the action than any other sport. Coupled with top-tier musical performances from global headliners, the Chicago Street Race Weekend is a once-in-a-lifetime experiential opportunity for any sports, music, and entertainment fan.
This year NASCAR introduced single-day ticketing options starting at $150. Tickets went on sale to the public on December 6, 2023, and grant visitors access to all the racing and music action. NASCAR has also introduced Youth General Admission Pricing for the 2024 Chicago Street Race Weekend. Children 12 and under are free on Saturday, July 6, and Youth GA tickets for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race are $45.
Two-day reserved tickets starting at $465 offer an array of opportunities that include reserved seating and a wide variety of premium experiences. Two-day general admission tickets start at $269. For a complete listing of ticketing options or to purchase tickets, fans can visit NASCARChicago.com or call 888-629-7223.
Fans can also visit NASCARChicagoExperiences.com for multiple options for travel, tickets, and hospitality experiences, courtesy of Quint, the Travel and Experience Package Provider of the Chicago Street Race.
To stay up to date with the Chicago Street Race, fans can subscribe to receive exclusive Chicago Street Race emails, follow @NASCARChicago on Twitter and Facebook and download the NASCAR Tracks App for the latest real-time updates on all aspects of the event.
About Chicago Street Race
The Chicago Street Race is home to the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race in the 75-year history of NASCAR. Located in downtown Chicago, the 2024 event will once again take competitors past and through many of the city’s most renowned downtown landmarks on Michigan Avenue, South Columbus Drive, South DuSable Lake Shore Drive and the start-finish line near Buckingham Fountain. The Cup Series will be joined by the NASCAR Xfinity Series as part of a one-of-a-kind sports and entertainment festival with global music headliners Keith Urban, The Chainsmokers, The Black Keys, Lauren Alaina and a special House Music 40th Anniversary Showcase, July 6-7, 2024. For more information, visit NASCARChicago.com.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.
For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat.
About House Music 40
HouseMusic40 is an Illinois non-profit (expedited 501c3 application is in) whose mission is to elevate Chicago’s House Music culture while providing financial assistance to Chicago House Music DJs facing health issues. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the genre’s first recordings. House Music is Chicago’s truly indigenous Black Folk Music, more than deserving of preservation and celebration. As we commemorate four decades of this groundbreaking genre, it is crucial to recognize the contributions made by Chicagoans that resonate in clubs worldwide to this day. Your donations will ensure that our citizens are informed of the importance of these contribution and that its contributors are supported when facing health challenges so that House Music’s legacy continues to thrive.