1,000 volunteers step up to execute 2nd NASCAR Chicago Street Course race

Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team at pre-race for the Grant Park 165

During Sunday’s pre-race ceremonies for the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course, Alex Bowman, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, did not know that two rain delays and a couple hours later, he’d get to race and pass sports car ace Joey Hand for his eighth career win and first win of the 2024 Cup Series season.
 
The win snapped Bowman’s 80-race winless streak. Ironically, he earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019. But that’s not where the history-making statistics end.
 
Sunday’s race marked the first time NASCAR implemented the recently added Section 8.5.7.6.C of the NASCAR Rule Book, which allows NASCAR to establish a pre-determined race end time if the advertised race distance can’t happen because of weather or darkness. NASCAR made that call after Stage One and communicated to the teams that they would race until 8:20 p.m. local time.  
 
As if building a 2.2-mile street course track through the downtown of the country’s third largest metropolitan area and providing two days of exciting racing and performances in Grant Park by Buddy Guy, The Black Keys, The Chainsmokers, Lauren Alaina, and Keith Urban, weren’t impressive enough, NASCAR recruited 1,000 volunteers to be fan-facing representatives throughout the weekend.
 
“Volunteers are our first line of contact, so they serve as NASCAR ambassadors for fans arriving and provide resources for anything that may come up throughout the weekend. They played such a critical role in executing the weekend,” said Julie Giese, President of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. 

 
NASCAR brought more of the volunteer recruitment and management functions in-house this year compared to last year. “Since we are in a big city where volunteers are used to doing major events in Grant Park, we initially connected with groups to engage those volunteers. In year two, we felt returning volunteers could provide veteran guidance to the new volunteers, plus we engaged NASCAR guest services from our tracks across the country,” Giese added.
 
With the support of All In Events, LLC, under the direction of Holly Maniatty, Accessibility and Guest Services Director, and Owner, NASCAR’s volunteer recruitment plan was a huge success. “We had so many more inquiries from people who wanted to volunteer this year. We filled every position needed, and had to close our volunteer portal a full week before race weekend,” Giese said.

The volunteer experience got equally high marks from both returning volunteers and new ones, regardless of whether they were an existing diehard NASCAR fan or a casual fan.

 

Volunteers from left, are Kevin Barker, Joshy Thomas, and Tony Cruz

For returning volunteer and NASCAR fan Joshy Thomas, volunteering provided a great way to share his love of the sport with new fans. “I saw a post about volunteering on a neighborhood Facebook page,” said Thomas, 27, an auditor from the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. “It sounded like a great way to enjoy the race and help new fans learn about a sport I love so much,” he added.
 
Tony Cruz, 53, a senior project manager from Lockport IL, a suburb of Chicago, also volunteered last year. Cruz wanted to volunteer not only because it was a new event for Chicago but also wanted to see what a street race was all about.
 
“Street racing is so different from regular track racing (at a permanent facility). It's especially cool when you have other volunteers who are diehard fans around you. I’ve gained a greater appreciation for what goes into preparing a large group of people to support an event. The atmosphere was electric and everyone was so willing to help,” Cruz said.
 
Recent retirees Debi and Doug Scroggins who travel between their condo in Chicago and their home in Ten Mile, TN, had festival experience with their recently sold coffee business. “We took part in large music festivals up and down the East Coast,” said Debi. “I’m not a huge NASCAR fan, but I thought it would be fun to volunteer, and I'd rate it a 10 out of 10. It was a great experience. We not only got to see the races, but we also got to meet a lot of nice people,” she added.
 
While racing and fan engagement was top of mind for volunteers and NASCAR organizers alike, the weekend provided a platform to not only showcase NASCAR but also the City of Chicago.

“The Chicago Street Race has been very intentional about wrapping the Chicago community and its residents into everything we do, and our volunteers are certainly a reflection of that," said Gale Powers, Senior Director of Event Operations for Phoenix Raceway and NASCAR Guest Service Lead for the Chicago Street Course. "The entire weekend was about celebrating the best of Chicago on a global scale, so we were thrilled to partner with these local volunteers to make year two such a resounding success," she added.

Buckingham Fountain in Chicago’s Grant Park was transformed into Fan Plaza