NASCAR is headed to friendly confines this weekend as it trades the monotony of the oval for the sun-scorched pavement of the Windy City.
For the first time in the organization’s history, NASCAR is taking to the streets; the Cup Series will race on a temporary street circuit built within the beating heart of Chicago’s business district.
The race, aptly named the Grant Park 220 after its location, represents a change of pace for stock car racing’s premier competition. And although there are concerns over how Next Gen cars will handle the Chi-Town pavement — and vice versa — there’s much to be excited about.
People are expected to flock to the metropolis, all hoping to catch a glimpse of what NASCAR hopes will be the start of something special. With more than $50 million invested in the construction of the course, the event is a calculated risk by NASCAR officials.
But the payoff — opening up the sport to a new, increasingly diverse generation of race fans — could make it all worthwhile.
MORE: Watch the Grant Park 220 live with Fubo (free trial)
With that, here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s race in Chicago, including broadcast information and start time.
What channel is the NASCAR race on today?
- TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
- Live stream: Peacock, Fubo
The Grant Park 220 will be broadcast on NBC in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN5.
Veteran broadcaster Rick Allen will lead NBC’s coverage, serving as the race’s lap-by-lap announcer. He’ll be joined in the booth by Steve Letarte and on the course by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Mike Bagley.
Fans can also stream the race via Peacock or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
MORE: Why NASCAR is on NBC instead of Fox
NASCAR start time today
- Date: Sunday, July 2
- Start time: 5:05 p.m. ET
NASCAR has moved up the start time for Sunday’s race by almost 50 minutes because of the threat of thunderstorms in Chicago. The green flag will now drop at 5:05 p.m. ET (4:05 p.m. local time); the race originally was scheduled to start at 5:54 p.m. ET (4:54 p.m. local time).
NASCAR schedule 2023: Regular-season races
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Race (winner) | Track | Time | TV | Radio |
| Feb. 19 | Daytona 500 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) | Daytona International Speedway | |||
| Feb. 26 | Pala Casino 400 (Kyle Busch) | Auto Club Speedway | |||
| March 5 |
Pennzoil 400 (William Byron) |
Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |||
| March 12 | United Rentals Work United 500 (William Byron) | Phoenix Raceway | |||
| March 19 | Ambetter Health 400 (Joey Logano) | Atlanta Motor Speedway | |||
| March 26 | EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (Tyler Reddick) | Circuit of the Americas | |||
| April 2 | Toyota Owners 400 (Kyle Larson) | Richmond Raceway | |||
| April 9 | Food City Dirt Race (Christopher Bell) | Bristol Motor Speedway | |||
| April 16 | NOCO 400 (Kyle Larson) | Martinsville Speedway | |||
| April 23 | GEICO 500 (Kyle Busch) | Talladega Superspeedway | |||
| May 1 | Wurth 400 (Martin Truex Jr.) | Dover Motor Speedway | |||
| May 7 | AdventHealth 400 (Denny Hamlin) | Kansas Speedway | |||
| May 14 | Goodyear 400 (William Byron) | Darlington Raceway | |||
| May 21 | NASCAR All-Star Open (Josh Berry) | North Wilkesboro Speedway | |||
| May 21 | NASCAR All-Star Race (Kyle Larson) | North Wilkesboro Speedway | |||
| May 28 | Coca-Cola 600 (Ryan Blaney) | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |||
| June 4 | Enjoy Illinois 300 (Kyle Busch) | World Wide Technology Raceway | |||
| June 11 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Martin Truex Jr.) | Sonoma Raceway | |||
| June 25 | Ally 400 (Ross Chastain) | Nashville Superspeedway | |||
| July 2 | Grant Park 220 | Chicago Street Course | 5:05 p.m. | NBC | MRN |
| July 9 | Quaker State 400 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | 7 p.m. | USA | PRN |
| July 16 | Crayon 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | USA | PRN |
| July 23 | M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 | Pocono Raceway | 2:30 p.m. | USA | MRN |
| July 30 | NASCAR Cup Series Race at Richmond | Richmond Raceway | 3 p.m. | USA | MRN |
| Aug. 6 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan International Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | USA | MRN |
| Aug. 13 | Verizon 200 at the Brickyard | Speedway Road Course | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | IMS |
| Aug. 20 | Go Bowling at the Glen | Watkins Glen International | 3 p.m. | USA | MRN |
| Aug. 26 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway | 7 p.m. | NBC | MRN |
NASCAR schedule 2023: Playoff races
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Race | Track | Time | TV | Radio |
| Sept. 3 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | 6 p.m. | USA | MRN |
| Sept. 10 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | 3 p.m. | USA | MRN |
| Sept. 16 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 p.m. | USA | PRN |
| Sept. 24 | AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 | Texas Motor Speedway | 3:30 p.m. | USA | PRN |
| Oct. 1 | YellaWood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. | NBC | MRN |
| Oct. 8 | Bank of America Roval 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval | 2 p.m. | NBC | PRN |
| Oct. 15 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | PRN |
| Oct. 22 | NASCAR Cup Series Race at Homestead-Miami | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | MRN |
| Oct. 30 | Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | 2 p.m. | NBC | MRN |
| Nov. 6 | NASCAR Cup Series Championship | Phoenix Raceway | 3 p.m. | NBC | MRN |
Fans in Canada can watch all NASCAR races on TSN.