Chicago’s Nascar Offers Headache, Little Economic Gain

  • A first-of-its-kind car race disrupts Windy City institutions
  • Lollapalooza provides greater windfall as city seeks a rebound

Workers place roadblocks on Michigan Ave in downtown Chicago to deter traffic from the newly built Nascar street course on June 29.

Photographer: Jim Vondruska/Bloomberg

Nascar is about to hit the road in Chicago for the first-ever street race in its marquee series.

For the city, the spectacle means plenty of hassle — and it’s likely to produce only limited payoff.