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'Driving Access' Across the Finish Line

July 11, 2023

The inaugural NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend came to a screeching finish in front of Buckingham Fountain after torrents of rain delayed the culminating Cup Series Race. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois was a founding partner of the event, building on the company’s long history of supporting the city of Chicago.

BCBSIL held and participated in several race-themed events ahead of the race weekend promoting access to care and opportunities, including a visit with NASCAR driver Harrison Burton to Mount Sinai Hospital and Lurie Children’s Hospital and Bubba’s Block Party at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.

BCBSIL also recognized some of the city’s hometown heroes with exclusive access to Saturday’s race and festival. Members of the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and the Department of Streets and Sanitation were selected by their leadership to walk the track before the event opened and were given passes to attend.

Here are some highlights from the NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend and the days leading up to it:

A red racecar’s tires lift off the ground as it rounds a bend.

A car rounds the bend from Balbo Drive to Lakeshore Drive, one of 12 turns on the 2.2 mile street course.

Event attendees walk by a pop-up Blue Door Neighborhood Center with Chicago’s skyline in the background.

A pop-up Blue Door Neighborhood Center offers supplies and activities — and a glimpse at the resources at three Chicago locations.

BCBSIL President Stephen Harris walks across a stage and waves.

BCBSIL President Stephen Harris is introduced before the start of the The Loop 121 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

BCBSIL’s theme for the race — Driving Access — adorns a pedestrian bridge across the Balbo Drive stretch of the course.

A NASCAR driver and BCBSIL mascot Blue Bear pose with a family in a hospital atrium.

NASCAR driver Harrison Burton (in hat) and Blue Bear pose with a family during a visit to Lurie Children’s Hospital.

A crowd gathers against a barrier at the street level to view the race.

Race attendees gather near the start and finish line.

A NASCAR driver wearing a fire suit and helmet stands on the roof of his car with his fist in the air.

NASCAR Cup Series race winner Shane van Gisbergen celebrates on top of his car at the finish line.

Racecars are lined up along a stretch of road in front of grandstands.

A stretch of Columbus Drive was transformed into the race’s pit road.

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace poses with BCBSIL’s community outreach team and the Care Van at Bubba’s Block Party.

The words Driving Access are spelled in lights on BCBSIL’s headquarters building and attendees are crowded along the racecourse at night.

BCBSIL’s “Driving Access” theme is spelled in lights on its headquarters building as thousands of fans celebrate at the end of the NASCAR Cup Series race.

Racecars are in a single file line behind a blue pace car.

Drivers line up behind the pace car before the start of The Loop 121 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

Two children and a man stand with a large yellow, red and blue sculpture with the number 75 in black and Buckingham Fountain in the background.

A family poses with a sculpture commemorating 75 years of NASCAR in front of Buckingham Fountain.

Water pools on the street and two racecars drive by.

Water pools on the racecourse after hours of rain that delayed the start of the NASCAR Cup Series race.

A group of people pose with BCBSIL mascot Blue Bear with the words Driving Access seen in the background in large letters on a bridge over the racecourse.

Hometown heroes from the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and the Department of Streets and Sanitation complete a track walk before the event opens.

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Newsroom | Company News

'Driving Access' Across the Finish Line

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