Vendors left in the dust during NASCAR event

By MARISSA PERLMAN

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — From a slow DuSable Lake Shore Drive to a speedy downtown around Grant Park. the big NASCAR Chicago street race is now just weeks away.

Despite the expected big crowds, the race is leaving some vendors in the dust. CBS 2’s Marissa Perlman explains how NASCAR is making up for the losses.

CBS 2 spoke with vendors in Grant Park who said NASCAR will be a huge loss for their business. At least one is locked out of their Jackson and Monroe corner before, during, and after the race.

Some have been doing business there for more than a decade. NASCAR is expected to pay them for what they will lose, but they don’t know when they’ll see that money.

Buckingham Fountain is on. A sign that Grant Park is about to get busy: Pedicabs and street vendors now hope for big business as the high season here kicks off.

But some tenants said the NASCAR takeover could drive their business out.

“It’s hard now for some of us.”

Mireya Maceo, who works alongside vendors near Buckingham Fountain, said most of these small businesses will get kicked out during the NASCAR race.

“It’s going to shut down the street,” Maceo said.

CBS 2 obtained a list of six vendors from the Chicago Park District who usually do business along the course. They are now being asked to move. Some, for more than three weeks, with nowhere else to go. But they will be paid for some of their losses.

The park district said NASCAR will pay between $1,700 on the low end to a photographer and $76,000 on the high end to a food vendor.

NASCAR’s total payment to local vendors totals more than $133,000. But is it enough? One food vendor told CBS 2 they pay $81,000 in rent alone to operate in Grant Park for three months.

But some in the hotel industry feel positive about this first-of-its-kind race.

“I think it’s a great addition to our summer entertainment scene. And we are hearing hotels along the race route are approaching sell out or are already sold out for that weekend,” said Michael Jacobson, CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association.

Michael Jacobson said after a slow few years, they’re hopeful the city of Chicago will fulfill its three-year contract with NASCAR.

“We’re hopeful that it’s going to go off without a hitch this year and it will continue to grow in popularity in 2024,” Jacobson said.

In a statement, NASCAR said:

NASCAR has been working closely with the Chicago Park District and local vendors who may by impacted by the upcoming Chicago Street Race. We are one of the first major event hosts to compensate local businesses that are impacted by a festival or large event in Grant Park. NASCAR is working through the Parks District and Unison Consulting Group with business owners to ensure they receive proper payments in a timely fashion. We are also coordinating with the Park District to help identify alternative locations that may allow some street vendors to continue to operate during the July 1-2 event and take advantage of the influx of the expected 100,000 visitors for the weekend.

But other businesses said this disruption is nothing new.

Lollapalooza, the Taste of Chicago, and the Sueños Music Festival impact vendor sales every summer, and NASCAR is just the first company taking over Grant Park to compensate local businesses.

The two-day race will take cars on a 2.2-mile course on July 1st and 2nd, closing streets and restricting access to the lakefront over the holiday weekend.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.