Bubba Wallace drives in Chicago

Chicago Museum Fears to Lose Millions Due to NASCAR Street Race

Many in the city of Chicago are very excited for the NASCAR Street Race. However, one museum is saying they might lose millions. While it is still a few months until the big race, preparations will begin sooner than that. The race is also happening during July 4th weekend. A busy time for the museum.

Shedd Aquarium leaders are claiming that they could lose out on “$2-$3 million” in revenue. July 4th weekend is the busiest time of year for Shedd. They claim that street closures and preparations will damage their revenue. Not to mention the race being held in the city, to begin with.

“We’re on the peninsula and the access is constrained,” Meghan Curran, chief marketing and experience officer at the museum, via WGN 9 Chicago. “I know that on a busy weekend, it’s already tough and adding an event like this, with this many road closures, is going to have an impact.”

According to officials at Shedd, they see about 10,000 guests a day during the Independence Day weekend. They also say that a local summer camp has been canceled due to the NASCAR event.

“We have not heard anything at this moment that leads us to expect us to be made whole but anything that we aren’t able to bring in the door certainly impacts our ability to deliver our programs, to deliver our exhibits and conservation mission,” Curran said.

So, do NASCAR fans not go to museums?

NASCAR Working With Chicago Officials on Traffic Plan

There probably is some truth to what Curran and the Shedd Aquarium are saying. A new event coming into the city like this is going to have a ripple effect. You never know who is going to win and lose when a new thing like this comes to a city.

This isn’t just a race, it’s a music festival as well. There will be a lot of people from a lot of backgrounds there for many reasons. As the carnival that is NASCAR comes to the Windy City, maybe business owners and executives should try to embrace the new opportunities.

The mayor’s office of Chicago put out a statement regarding traffic.

“The city is working with NASCAR to develop a traffic plan that minimizes street closures and maintains access to the downtown while allowing this event to take place with the highest safety measures.”

Hopefully, Shedd Aquarium and NASCAR can coexist and all of this is just worry about nothing.