Will NASCAR ever have another street race in Chicago?
It’s an open question after NASCAR announced Friday that it would not hold the race in 2026. The 2025 edition of the race was the third after it debuted in 2023, but there was no contract with the sanctioning body and the city for 2026 and beyond despite NASCAR touting the event as a “success” over the past three years.
“Following the success of the first three years, the Chicago Street Race will hit pause in 2026 to afford us the time necessary to work collaboratively with the city of Chicago to explore a new potential date and to develop a plan that further optimizes operational efficiencies, with a goal to return to the streets of Chicago in 2027,” a statement announcing that the race won’t happen in 2026 said.
“Together we have built and grown an expanded community of fans that consists of longtime NASCAR enthusiasts and first-time racegoers from around the globe, and for that, we are immensely grateful.”
The race was the first street race in modern NASCAR history and was won by Shane van Gisbergen in his first NASCAR Cup Series start. van Gisbergen also won this year’s race on July 6.
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The event has been held in downtown Chicago and has caused logistical issues for local residents via street closures to set up the event. Those problems aren’t unique to Chicago, however. IndyCar has been hosting street races for years and one of Formula 1’s most famous races, the Monaco Grand Prix, is held on city streets.
The demise of the street race — even if it’s just for one season — will continue to fuel rumors that NASCAR could return to Chicagoland Speedway. The track in Joliet, Illinois, is owned by NASCAR and hosted its final Cup Series race in 2019. Unlike Auto Club Speedway, which has been torn down, the track still exists and could feasibly host NASCAR races with some upgrades.
Chicagoland’s return to the NASCAR calendar would also come at a time where intermediate track racing is the best product NASCAR produces. The current generation of Cup Series car has struggled to provide compelling racing at road courses and superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega but has shined on intermediate tracks like the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway.
Without the Chicago street race on the schedule in 2026, the number of road and street course races could decrease next season. NASCAR is reportedly set to host a street race in San Diego, but the short-term future of the Mexico City race is also up in the air after van Gisbergen won the inaugural race in June.
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