NASCAR announced on Friday that the Chicago Street Race is off the calendar for 2026, with the goal of returning in 2027, though not on a weekend near the Fourth of July holiday.
Given the scuttlebutt I heard and the quotes I read from city officials, this news is not surprising. While the event overcame initial skepticism — and bad luck in regards to rain — to grow in popularity with both the public and NASCAR drivers, it seemed that city politicians had concerns about the use of law-enforcement resources during a major holiday weekend. Not to mention the shuttering of Grant Park during the holiday and the shutdown of major roads.
The city wants to event to find a new date and to continue to reduce setup and takedown times — which I interpret to mean minimizing road closures, especially DuSable Lake Shore Drive, which is the main north-south thoroughfare in the downtown area. It’s worth noting that while Grant Park is closed to the public for the Lollapalooza Music Festival and Chicago Marathon, LSD remains open during these events.
There are also larger NASCAR scheduling factors at play. It appears the series is close to having a San Diego street race, and two street races in a season could be too many for a series that is so heavy on oval racing, and has been historically. Street races and road courses are an easier sell in IndyCar and F1, though I personally commend NASCAR for trying to have more events on the schedule that involve turning right — it makes for better racing in my opinion.
The future of Mexico City is still unclear, too — the road-course race held there this year seemed well-received but nothing is set for next year. That race also may have to shift to 2027, both because of other events scheduled in the city in 2026 and because the logistics of getting cars there is difficult.
Back to Chicago — I reached out to NASCAR to see if the series will at least stick around the Chicago area in 2026. Chicagoland Speedway, which previously hosted NASCAR races and is owned by NASCAR, sits ready. It’s located about an hour from downtown Chicago in Joliet, Illinois.
A NASCAR spokesperson told us “the 2026 schedule is still in development at this time”.
Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin hosted the Cup Series in 2021 and 2022, so NASCAR could stop there, but that means another road course on the schedule. Road America is also 150 miles from Chicago, so the series would be serving the Milwaukee market as much as Chicago.
If the Chicago area isn’t represented in 2026, Chicago-area NASCAR fans can always journey to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400, which is likely not going anywhere. The other NASCAR track within reasonable driving distance is Michigan International Speedway. Iowa Speedway is on the edge of what I’d consider an easy drive, and World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois is in the St. Louis area.
If I were a betting man, I’d imagine that Chicago and Mexico City skip 2026 and return in 2027 and San Diego gets at least one race, likely in 2026. I’d also guess that the usual suspects get to keep traditional races, so expect two at Daytona and at least one at the “name” tracks like Dover, Bristol, Atlanta, et cetera. Oh, and NASCAR has announced that the Bowman Gray Clash will return.
As for Chicago, well, the third-largest city and TV market in the nation will have to wait to see if NASCAR Cup will be swinging by next year.
[Images © 2025 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]
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