Last year, the NASCAR Chicago Street Race was plagued with flash flooding and hours of rain delays as heavy thunderstorms descended on the area over the Fourth of July holiday.
This year, the forecast for the race, set to take place Saturday and Sunday, is looking much brighter, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
According to NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes, Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 80 degrees. Along the lakefront, temperatures will be slightly cooler, Jeanes added.
Sunday could see some isolated storms and showers, Jeanes said, particularly in the late morning and early afternoon. In a tweet posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the National Weather Service noted widely scattered storms Sunday afternoon were possible, especially northwest of I-55.
Temperatures Sunday were expected to be slightly warmer, with highs in the mid 80s, Jeanes added.
The races Saturday and Sunday are set to take place in and around Grant Park, on a 2.2-mile, 12-turn course downtown.
Both races will use the same course.
The Cup Series race, named the Grant Park 165, is a 165-mile race with 75 laps. Before that will be the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, or The Loop 110, which is 50 laps with 110 miles.
The Loop 110 will take place at 2:30 p.m. Saturday while the Grant Park 165 takes place at 3:30 pm. Sunday.
According to race organizers, “cars will once again exceed 100 mph along several sections of the course’s straightaways, while other sections, such as turns and pit road, require significantly reduced speed. ”
More information about the race, and how to watch it in person or live, can be found here.