Worker dies during construction of NASCAR street course in Chicago
A 53-year-old man died Friday while working on the setup of the track used for NASCAR’s street races in downtown Chicago this weekend.
Per WGN, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Duane Tabinski. A NASCAR spokesperson confirmed to the station that a contractor suffered a “fatal medical emergency” while working.
The station cited initial police reports that said the man may have been electrocuted. From WGN:
A witness told WGN-TV the incident occurred near a small staging area near the starting line. According to the individual, the power went off, and not long after an ambulance arrived to help Tabinski.
Saturday’s second-tier Xfinity Series race and Sunday’s top-tier Cup Series race are the first street course races in NASCAR history. NASCAR is building a temporary 2.2-mile track in Grant Park for the race weekend, and the track includes portions of Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue. With city streets being closed to citizens for the race, track construction has been ongoing through the days leading into the weekend.
The race has been billed as NASCAR’s big summer event and greeted with skepticism from some elected officials in Chicago. NASCAR negotiated the agreement to run the race with former mayor Lori Lightfoot, and NASCAR’s base rental payment for the use of Grant Park is 25% of what the Lollapalooza music festival pays every year.
The deal between NASCAR and the city is a three-year agreement. Chicago is the fourth site for NASCAR's July 4 weekend race in less than a decade. NASCAR traditionally held its second Daytona race on July 4 weekend but moved that race weekend to Indianapolis. After a brief stint in Indianapolis, NASCAR raced on the holiday weekend at Road America in Wisconsin for two years before announcing the race in Chicago.
