A 53-year-old has died while working on set-up for the inaugural NASCAR Chicago Street Race at Grant Park.
WGN 9 in Chicago first reported the news on Friday, June 30. According to the news station, initial police reports said that the man may have been electrocuted, though an autopsy on Saturday will ultimately determine the cause of death.
The incident occurred around 11:30 local time/02:30 AEST on the 500 block of South Columbus Drive, where NASCAR has staged the start-finish line of the street course. This section also includes pit road where the drivers will make stops for fresh tyres and fuel.
Per WGN 9, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 53-year-old Duane Tabinski, an employee of a staging and lighting company.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Tabinski suffered a medical emergency and was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“On Friday afternoon a contractor suffered a fatal medical emergency,” a NASCAR spokesperson said on Friday afternoon.
“We are coordinating with local authorities on this tragic incident. We share our condolences to the family and their loved ones.”
The Chicago Street Race weekend includes both the second-tier Xfinity Series and top-tier Cup Series and will take place on July 1-2. Drivers from the two series will compete on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile (3.54km) street course.
NASCAR expects around 100,000 attendees from four continents for the two-day event. An estimated 80 percent of these fans will experience their first NASCAR race.
The weekend also includes multiple full-length concerts as NASCAR tries to introduce the sport to a larger potential fanbase.
Miranda Lambert, The Chainsmokers, and The Black Crowes will be the headliners for the event while Charley Crockett and the JC Brooks Band will also perform.
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