NASCAR facing potential Chicago street race weekend conflict?

For just the second time in the 76-year history of the NASCAR Cup Series, the sport is set for a race weekend on city streets.

Chicago hosted last year's inaugural street race weekend, hosting both an Xfinity Series race and a Cup Series race, and the Windy City is back on the 2024 calendar, again during Independence Day weekend.

Saturday's 50-lap Xfinity Series race and Sunday's 75-lap Cup Series race around the 12-turn, 2.2-mile (3.541-kilometer) temporary street course in Chicago, Illinois are both scheduled to take place during Chicago Cubs games at nearby Wrigley Field.

Last year's Chicago race weekend saw nearly 50,000 spectators, even with the rain, from all 50 states and 14 different countries. Wrigley Field seats 41,649 fans and has averaged 36,139 per game so far in 2024, good for seventh in Major League Baseball (MLB).

The Xfinity Series race, The Loop 110, is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Cubs are scheduled to take on the Los Angeles Angels beginning at 2:20 p.m. ET. Then on Sunday, the Cup Series race, the Grant Park 165 is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Cubs are set to play the Angels again at 2:20 p.m. ET.

NASCAR-Chicago Cubs weekend conflict?

Though the events may conflict, Wrigley Field is located roughly seven months north of the street circuit, so there shouldn't be any major issues.

There weren't any noticeable issues pertaining to the game and the race being on the same day, though whether or not that changes this year due to the timing remains to be seen. Last year's Cup Series race was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET and ended up being pushed back slightly due to rain. The Cubs game also started at its traditional 2:20 p.m. ET time slot.

Guaranteed Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, is actually closer to the track than Wrigley Field. It is located four and a half miles south.

However, the White Sox are set to be in Miami, Florida this weekend to take on the Marlins, and quite frankly, even if they were at home, it probably wouldn't matter, given their ongoing struggles to draw a crowd amid a terrible season. They rank 27th in MLB average home attendance. They were also on the road for last year's Chicago race weekend.

The Loop 110 is set to be broadcast live on NBC from the Chicago Street Course beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, July 6, and the Grant Park 165 is set to be broadcast live on the same channel beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, July 7. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss either event!