ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The 29th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix is racing into town Aug. 31 - Sept. 1. It's the world's largest karting street race. Admission is free to all 19 of this year's races.
Events will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. There will also be an opening ceremony and feature races on Sunday.
Food vendors will be on hand all weekend long in the city parking lot at 17th Street and 4th Avenue, coordinated by Bayside Grille in Rock Island. There will be beer stands in the infield, courtesy of Bent River Brewing Co.
Construction in downtown Rock Island means there will be a new race course this year.
It will run around the city's new downtown parking lot. Consequently, the parking lot will be closed to vehicles after 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30. Spectators will be allowed to watch the action from that lot.
Race fans are encouraged to park in the lot off of First Avenue, on the streets and neighborhoods south of the track at 17th and 18th streets, or to the east.
Fourth and Fifth Avenues will be closed from 15th Street to 19th Street; 16th and 17th Streets will be closed from Third to Fifth Avenue and in addition to construction closures, 18th Street will be closed south including Fifth Avenue. There will be several no-spectator areas attendees will have to watch out for.
The race brought in an estimated 17,000 spectators in 2023. Race teams arrived from California, Bermuda, Canada, Texas and everywhere in between.
This year's presenting sponsor, The Hemp Doctor, will be on site with a variety of legal hemp and CBD-based products. The Hemp Doctor will also sponsor a free concert at Schwiebert Riverfront Park from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
The race and its presenting sponsor will also be donating $1,000 in support of suicide education and prevention, as well as honoring the late local kart racer, Travis DeVriendt, through a memorial race and promotion of suicide prevention.
Event Lineup
Beyond the racing, you can kick the weekend off with a Thursday night concert at Schwiebert Riverfront Park. Fair Warning performs from 7 to 9 p.m. as part of the free Thursday Night Groove Concert Series.
Saturday night you can catch the free Rock The Blues concert at Schwiebert from 4 to 10 p.m. It kicks off with the Sean McKee Band from 4 to 7:30 p.m. After that, Kilborn Alley Blues Band will headline from 8 to 10 p.m. The parks department will also be on hand, grilling and selling food. Bent River Brewing Co. will sell beer.
Admission for Saturday night's festivities will also be free, although attendees are encouraged to make a donation to the local Blues Society. The group has had to cancel the last several years of the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest and is raising money for its 40th-year celebration in 2025.
The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, featuring bagpipes, welcoming remarks and a kids' autograph session with racers.
Then from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, the Grand Prix will host a Cruise-In Car Show on 16th Street, north of Third Avenue. Cruise-in cars should enter from 15th Street or Second Avenue and must feature cruise-in-type vehicles.
Race Schedule
Saturday, August 31
- 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Practice rounds, six-minute sessions
- 1-5:30 p.m. Heat races
- 5:30 p.m. Track closes at conclusion of racing
Sunday, September 1
- 8 a.m. Final practice rounds begin
- 10:45 a.m. Kid’s Autograph Session at the Start/Finish line
- 11:15 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Feature races
- 6 p.m. Track deconstruction begins
- 7 p.m. Awards Ceremony, Holiday Inn, Rock Island
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