CHICAGO — The Chicago Street Race announced the official race names and lengths for the 12-turn, 2.2-mile street races that will take the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series past and through many of Chicago’s most renowned downtown landmarks over Fourth of July Weekend, July 1-2.
To honor the historic city of Chicago, the Cup Series race will be named the Grant Park 220 and the Xfinity Series race will be The Loop 121.
The Grant Park 220 will be a 220-mile race with 100 laps and The Loop 121 will be 121 miles with 55 laps. To recognize the 220 miles in the Cup Series race, the Chicago Street Race will send 220 local youth (ages 6-12) to the Chicago Park District’s Summer Day Camp.
“As the home of the nation’s first automobile race in 1895, the inaugural Chicago Street Race will recognize the city of Chicago with the Grant Park 220 and The Loop 121,” said Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President. “For the first-ever Cup Series street race in NASCAR’s 75-year history, we are proud to continue to have a positive impact in the Chicago community by sending one local youth for each mile of the Grant Park 220 to the Chicago Park District’s Summer Day Camp.”
Grant Park, commonly referred to as “Chicago’s Front Yard,” is a public park located in Chicago’s central business district in The Loop neighborhood. Grant Park’s most notable features include Maggie Daley Park, Buckingham Fountain, Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum Campus.
The park plays host to some of the city’s largest food and music festivals, including The Taste of Chicago and The Grant Park Music Festival. Grant Park is also the site of the start and finish lines for the Chicago Marathon, Lollapalooza, and NASCAR’s first-ever Chicago Street Race.
Recognized as one of the largest business districts in North America, The Loop is a vibrant area in the heart of Chicago filled with iconic local attractions, including architecture, river cruises, Millennium Park, the Chicago Riverwalk, historic theatre district, eclectic eateries and shops, and more.
The name refers to the elevated L train that makes a loop around Lake Street, Wabash Avenue, Van Buren Street, and Wells Street to form the boundaries of The Loop neighborhood.