NASCAR contractor dies after being electrocuted in Chicago
ASSOCIATED PRESS / JULY 1
NASCAR Cup Series driver Cody Ware drives during qualifying for the Grant Park 220 NASCAR Cup Series Race in downtown Chicago.
CHICAGO >>A NASCAR contractor has died after being electrocuted while setting up for the Chicago Street Race.
The Cook County Medical Examiner identified the man who died Friday as 53-year-old Duane Tabinski, the founder of an events company hired to install audio equipment for the race, local station WLS-TV reported.
NASCAR said in a statement that a worker had “suffered a fatal medical emergency” on Friday.
“We are coordinating with local authorities on this tragic incident,” race organizers said. “We share our condolences to the family and their loved ones.”
Chicago police said first responders took Tabinski from the race course to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Friday morning, according to WLS-TV.
The Chicago Street Race is the first street race in NASCAR Cup Series history and will zip past the city’s downtown landmarks on Sunday evening.
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Heavy rains flooded Chicago streets Sunday, trapping cars and forcing NASCAR officials to cancel the last half of an Xfinity Series race set to run through the city’s downtown.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for multiple counties in the Chicago area, saying up to 6 inches of rain had already fallen in suburban Cicero and Berwyn by midday.
The Illinois State Police said portions of Interstate 55 and Interstate 290 have been closed due to flooding, with at least 10 cars trapped in water on Interstate 55 near Pulaski Road, a major north-south thoroughfare in the city, WLS-TV reported. Trains were stopped in some portions of the city as well.
NASCAR officials had planned to complete the last half of an Xfinity Series race through the city’s downtown on Sunday morning after suspending action on Saturday due to lightning. They announced around midday Sunday they had decided to cancel the race due to the rain and declared Cole Custer the winner.
NASCAR had scheduled a Cup Series race to run through downtown later Sunday afternoon. The race was still expected to take place.
The start of the Chicago Cubs’ afternoon game against the Cleveland Guardians at Wrigley Field was pushed back to 4:05 p.m., WMAQ-TV reported.
