CTA

Ditch the Car and Take CTA to the NASCAR Chicago Street Race and Festivities

June 21, 2023

CTA service is the most convenient and affordable way for fans to get to/from Grant Park and Museum Campus for the weekend’s racing and music festival

CTA will provide service to the highly anticipated NASCAR Chicago Street Race and events, July 1 and 2. In preparation for the busy weekend, there will be multiple street closures and bus route changes in the downtown area.

Changes begin Monday, June 26 and run through duration of the NASCAR Street Race and music festival.

Pre- and Post-Event Bus Service Impacts

Before and after the event, due to closures on Balbo, Michigan and Roosevelt, several bus routes around Grant Park will be rerouted. The routes include #1, #2, #3, #4, #X4, #6, #7, #10, #J14, #26, #28, #126, #143, #147, and some #148 in the evening.

Due to road closures on Roosevelt, which start June 29, and continuing through July 5 while race-related structures are removed, visitors stopping at the Roosevelt Red/Orange/Green Line station can transfer to a shuttle bus to the Museum Campus, replacing the regular #146 bus. Passengers can also walk a half-mile from the Roosevelt Red/Orange/Green Line station under the Roosevelt Du Sable Lake Shore Drive underpass. These shuttles will run every 15 minutes.

CTA Service on NASCAR Street Race and Music Festival weekend

Rail Service

All CTA rail lines serving downtown can get race attendees access to the track area:

  • Loop Elevated (Brown/Green/Orange/Pink lines): Exit at either Washington/Wabash or Adams/Wabash.
  • Red or Blue lines: Exit at Jackson and walk a couple of blocks east.

Special Note Regarding Accessibility at Roosevelt: The pedway-to-street elevator at the Roosevelt (Red/Green/Orange) station is temporarily out of service. Customers will only be able to use the stairs and escalator to access/transfer to Red Line subway service. Alternative service options for customers who require use of an elevator, include:

  • Red Line: Exit at the at accessible Jackson station (use the Jackson-Van Buren exit) and transfer to the #130 or #146 located at northwest corner of State/Van Buren.
  • Brown Line: Exit at Harold Washington Library, then transfer to #130 or #146 located at northwest corner of State/Van Buren.

Bus Service

Visitors taking Metra into the city can use CTA's #130 bus operating between Union and Ogilvie stations to Roosevelt Station and transfer to #146 shuttle bus to connect to the Museum Campus.

On the weekend of the event, the #3, #4, #6, #10, #12, #J14, #18, #20, #22, #36, #56, #60, #62, #126, #130, #146, #147, and #151 bus routes will detour around downtown. See below for general details regarding impacts to service in each area of the Loop/downtown area:

Area of Bus Service  

Bus Routes Impacted

North end of the Loop: In general, buses serving north of the Loop will take passengers near the Lake/State Red Line station. #22, #36, #146, and #147
West end of the Loop: In general, service from west of the Loop will take passengers near the LaSalle Blue Line and Loop Elevated stations. #20, #56, #60, and #126
South end of the Loop:  In general, bus service on the south end of the loop will take passengers near the Roosevelt Red/Orange/Green Line station. #3, #4, #6, #10, #J14, #18, #62, #130, and #146

 

Also, the #151 route will still travel through downtown, but will be detoured to adjacent streets to avoid congestion and closures on Michigan Avenue. Southbound #151 buses will travel via Michigan Avenue to Wacker Drive, then travel via Clark to Adams to continue south/west over the regular route. Northbound #151 buses will travel via Jackson to Dearborn then will take Wacker Drive to Michigan Avenue over the regular route.

CTA’s popular, unlimited ride passes are a great option for race weekend– the 1-day pass costs just $5 and the 3-day pass is only $15.

More info

For additional route information and alerts, riders should check our website: https://www.transitchicago.com/schedules/

The CTA strongly recommends customers allow extra travel time and plan ahead by purchasing fare passes in advance by downloading the Ventra app, which allows you to manage your Ventra account.  Stay in the Loop on CTA service changes and alerts by subscribing to CTA Updates. For details about all CTA service, call 312-836-7000 or visit the CTA website at transitchicago.com.

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