NASCAR is gearing up for its third Chicago Street Race this summer with a smaller concert lineup, downsized hospitality build-out, reduced ticket prices and an accelerated setup/breakdown schedule.

The Cup Series race is also moving from broadcast to cable TV.

Southern rockers the Zac Brown Band will perform after the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, July 5, NASCAR announced Monday. Unlike the first two years, in which a full weekend of scheduled concerts were disrupted by rain, the band is the only musical act on the bill so far for year three.

In addition, NASCAR also plans to start the Cup Series run through Grant Park earlier Sunday in hopes of finally getting the full race, which has been shortened by rain and darkness during the first two years, to the finish line.

The Chicago Street Race on July Fourth weekend will once again feature a 12-turn, 2.2-mile pop-up course through Grant Park, down DuSable Lake Shore Drive and up Michigan Avenue, which will be closed off and lined with temporary fences, grandstands and hospitality suites.

One major change in the streetscape, however, will be a concert stage replacing the Skyline, a mammoth temporary structure along Columbus Drive that last year housed the most expensive suites overlooking the start/finish line at Buckingham Fountain.

The concert stage is being moved from Hutchinson Field on the southern end of the race grounds.

The move is aimed at shortening the buildout time and minimizing disruption, a NASCAR spokesperson said.

In 2023, the inaugural Fourth of July weekend event navigated record rainfall that curtailed races, canceled concerts and left fans soaked. Last year, while sunny skies prevailed for the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, the Cup Series race was once again shortened when rain delays forced officials to call the race after 58 laps as darkness fell on the unlit street course.

Despite the rain, NASCAR was able to pull off a full slate of concerts throughout the weekend last year, including shows by Keith Urban, The Black Keys, Lauren Alaina and The Chainsmokers.

This year, the Grant Park 165 main event on Sunday is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., 2½ hours earlier than last year. The nationally televised broadcast is moving from NBC to cable channel TNT.

Tickets, which went on sale in January, are also less expensive this year. Single-day general admission passes start at $99 — a third less than last year — while premium grandstand reserved seats are priced at a nearly 50% reduction.