As thousands of NASCAR fans prepare to converge on Chicago’s lakefront, and hundreds of thousands of others anticipate watching on television, extensive work has continued preparing dozens of streets and numerous areas around Grant Park for this weekend’s races.

The Grant Park 165 and the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, aka “The Loop 110,” will both travel over 2.2 miles of Downtown streets – The Grant Park 165 for 75 laps, and The Loop 110 for 50 laps. The entire route is enclosed by a barrier and fence system consisting of concrete blocks with sections of fencing attached to the top.

Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Between 9:30 and 10:20 a.m. Saturday, fans will see practice runs for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. From 10:30-11:30 a.m., there’ll be Xfinity Series qualifying runs.

Between noon and 12:50 p.m. Saturday, fans can watch NASCAR Cup practice runs, followed by qualifying runs between 1 and 2 p.m. At 3:30 p.m., the main attraction, The Loop 110 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race, kicks off. One hour after the race concludes, Grammy Award-winning southern rockers The Zac Brown Band perform in the park.

At 1 p.m. Sunday, the weekend’s finale kicks off with the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series Race.

Officials started closing streets and initiating barrier setup two weeks ago. Most of the barriers, they say, were installed on curbs and areas of Grant Park “without impeding residents’ use/access to the vast majority of the Park.”

“The City of Chicago has been working with NASCAR in the planning and execution of this year’s race to further minimize the impact to residents and visitors,” said Frank Velez, acting executive director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. “Safety is our top priority, and OEMC will help monitor all race activity leading up to the event, throughout race weekend and post-race to coordinate city resources.”

Safety isn’t the only concern; minimizing disruption to normal neighborhood life and Downtown activities has also been a focus. The first two NASCAR events in 2023 and 2024 were learning opportunities, and Chicago officials are expressing pride in a nearly two-week reduction in setup time, and the resulting lessening of inconvenience. Planners reduced total setup and breakdown time in Grant Park to just 25 days this year, representing “a 42 percent reduction in total build time … down from 43 days in 2023.”

The length of time streets are closed to build the course has also been reduced significantly, to 18 days this year, seven less than in 2023. The first NASCAR-related disruptions in Grant Park occurred 16 days before the event, compared to 26 days last year. Officials say that all NASCAR-related “demobilization activity,” including loading and taking away all the barriers and temporary structures, will be finished by July 14.

Officials say they were forced to close Columbus Drive from Jackson Drive to Roosevelt Road and Balbo Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus earlier than scheduled due to pavement-buckling caused by temperatures as high as 96 degrees.

In fact, it is heat, not speeding race cars, that will potentially cause damage to Downtown streets during the two days of racing. A maximum of 41 cars will traverse the race route at any given time, as compared to the tens of thousands of vehicles on the pavement on a normal day.

The races will wind through Grant Park, starting and ending on Columbus Drive in front of Buckingham

Fountain, covering parts of Columbus Drive, Balbo Drive, DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Roosevelt Road, Michigan Avenue, Congress Plaza Drive, and Jackson Drive.

The sidewalks along the west side of Michigan Avenue will remain open for pedestrians throughout the event. The Lakefront Path will also remain open throughout the entirety of the event.

Buckingham Fountain, Butler Field and Lower Hutchinson Field will remain accessible for most, though not all, of the time. Maggie Daley Park, Cancer Survivor’s Garden, and the Museum Campus, which are not in the event footprint, will remain accessible throughout the weekend. The Grant Park tennis courts and pickleball courts have been closed since Monday and will reopen Tuesday.

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications is urging attendees and neighborhood residents who expect to be impacted by the races to download an app available through the Apple App and Google Play stores. They can also log onto Chicago.gov/OEMC.

Folks looking to stay in the know throughout the event can also follow NASCAR on social media, including @nascarchicago on Instagram and @nascarchicago on X. The NASCAR Chicago Facebook site features A Fan Guide and a Local Resident Information Guide.

Officials have even planned for the dog owners who will see their routine disrupted by the Grant Park Dog Park being closed over the weekend. The Grant Skate Park off of Roosevelt Road between Michigan Avenue and the railway has been designated as a temporary dog park.

Front Porch Lounge will feature local performers, including Michelle Billingsley, Hawk and the Talons, Lawrence Peters Outfit, Rust Riders and Wild Earp, presented by the Chicago Loop Alliance.