NASCAR Chicago Street Race Partners with Chicago Loop Alliance and Local Restauranteurs Victor Love and Mark Rand on Expanded Butler Field Programming
CHICAGO — Today, the NASCAR Chicago Street Race announced that it will partner with Chicago Loop Alliance and JoRand (founded by local restauranteurs Victor Love and Mark Rand) to expand this year‘s NASCAR Village, the free, public experience in Butler Field throughout race weekend. NASCAR Village — which is free with-or-without a Chicago Street Race ticket — will feature a wide array of Chicago restaurants, local retailers, official partners, and interactive NASCAR experiences from 8:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 6, and 9 a.m. to the Checked Flag on July 7.
“NASCAR Village at Butler Field is an opportunity for all Chicagoans to learn more about NASCAR, enjoy local vendors, and take part in the excitement of the Chicago Street Race Weekend, even without a ticket,” said Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President. “Our aim is to utilize the Chicago Street Race as a platform to showcase local restaurants, retailers, and partners, and in doing so — help expand their exposure to a broader market.”
As a part of the expanded Butler Field experience, the Chicago Street Race will feature dining options from across the city of Chicago, including Banato, Chef Maurice, Chicago‘s Dog House, Churro Factory, Cool and Smooth, Freddie’s, Harold‘s Chicken 88, Quang Noodles, Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs, Soul Veg City, Tacotlan, and Tandoor Char House.
“We take a tremendous amount of pride in our local food scene, and the Chicago Street Race is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase our culinary talents to tourists from all around the world,” said Victor Love, owner of Josephine‘s Southern Cooking, based in Chicago‘s Chatham neighborhood. “They may be racing around Grant Park, but the Chicago Street Race is going to feature flavors from across Chicago‘s distinct neighborhoods.”
“Since day one, NASCAR has been a part of the Chicago business community and has been here to support local businesses throughout the entire city,” said Mark Rand, a thirty-year Chicago hospitality veteran who oversees six restaurant concepts at Chicago‘s Midway Airport as an Officer at North American Concessions. “The fact that they‘ve expanded the NASCAR Village immensely shows their continued commitment to local business owners, and we are proud to help make year two even more successful.”
In an effort to further support the local business community, the NASCAR Chicago Street Race worked with Chicago Loop Alliance — creators of the award-winning event series, Sundays on State — to feature local retailers and artisans, including: BWYB Products, Dandykingzman, The Purple Unicorn Face Painting, The Stylish Bundt Bake Shop, Twenty Thou, VINTAGE FRILLS, Giveashirt, Brazilian Cultural Center of Chicago, Kingston James and Company, Fashion Mod, Henna By Dija, Poetry By Boots, Afro Funk Wear, Asia‘s Way Naturally LLC, Artzone, Maverick Leather LLC, iAmDad365, and Sherman “Dilla” Thomas‘ Chicago Mahogany.
“Chicago‘s vibrant business community showcases the diverse array of small businesses that facilitate a strong mix of commerce, culture and community, and our organization is proud to collaborate on a display of our city‘s diversity at this year‘s Chicago Street Race Weekend,” said Michael M. Edwards, President & CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance. “The Chicago Street Race drives global attention and recognition to our city, and our partnership with NASCAR allows Chicago to put our best foot forward.”
In addition to an expanded roster of local food and retail vendors, Butler Field will feature The NASCAR Experience for the first time in 2024, an immersive display that includes racing simulators, appearances from NASCAR drivers, a NASCAR Cup Show Car that does live car starts, and more. The NASCAR Experience is designed to provide interactive educational opportunities to introduce guests to the legacy of the sport and showcase NASCAR‘s vision for the future.
Located adjacent to the street course itself within the security checkpoints, NASCAR Village in Butler Field will also feature displays from Chicago Street Race partners, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, and The Field Museum. NASCAR‘s radio partners will also be conducting live broadcasts from Butler Field, and long-time Chicago Street Race community partners Paint the City will also be on hand for a live, racing-themed painting demonstration.
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 X 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, Buddy Guy, 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 Seriesu2122, NASCAR Xfinity Seriesu2122, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Seriesu2122), 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 Associationu2122 (IMSAu00ae) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championshipu2122, 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 Chicago Loop Alliance
Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA)‘s mission is to lead the community by creating and supporting inclusive programs that attract people and investment to the Loop. CLA is a membership organization as well as the sole service provider for Special Service Area #1-2015, and the Chicago Loop Alliance Foundation produces free public art projects and events. For more information, visit LoopChicago.com.
