Museum Curators In Chicago Are Worried Next Summer's NASCAR Race Will Disturb The Art

Museum Curators in downtown Chicago are worried next summer's NASCAR Cup Series street race will ruin their art and cost them millions in revenue.

How about that for a sentence in 2022?!

Juanita Irizarry, the head of Friends of the Parks - a Chicago advocacy group - told Chicago Business that the weekend of racing and normal museum operations wouldn't "be compatible."

"This race will detract from the museums and the ability of people to get there," she said.

Well, she does have a point, I reckon.

It's gonna be awful tough to cross the street to see some art when 40 cars are coming at you at 180 MPH. For those unfamiliar with NASCAR, there are no red lights or pedestrian crosswalks - although fans have occasionally tried over the years.

NASCAR race has Chicago businesses on edge

NASCAR announced the Chicago street race earlier this summer, with race officials and everyone's favorite mayor - Lori Lightfoot - in attendance.

The July 1 race weekend will shut down Grant Park for weeks, according to Business, along with several portions of DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Michigan and Columbus avenues, and other streets on race days.

"Maybe the city needs to compensate them for their losses," added Irizarry.

Yeah, I'm sure Chicago officials will get right on that. I hear they're always on top of things up there.

Officials from the Art Institute of Chicago are reportedly SWEATING the most - and not over the city's constant crime and shootings. 

Nope. According to a map of the course, cars will race along East Jackson Drive, which is immediately south of the museum.

The NASCAR Cup Series is going to Chicago next summer. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Katie Rahn, a spokesperson for the institute, said they are currently researching any potential issues with the noise and vibration.

I don't know exactly how they're testing that, but I'd suggest having a couple extra nails ready on race day for those paintings.

Vroom, Vroom!

The track's course will also reportedly impact several other businesses, restricting traffic on what is apparently one of the busiest weekends of the year.

The good news, though, is that I'd imagine the clientele has plenty of crossover, right? NASCAR fans are usually avid art lovers. I can't tell you how many times I've seen an Earnhardt shirt in a museum!

Hope these places allow Busch Lights and Copenhagen.