Ryan Blaney lauds NASCAR's approach to scheduling, says he'd like to see Chicagoland return

Ryan Blaney has long been an advocate and supporter of NASCAR's modern scheduling approach. 

During a news conference at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, the 2023 Cup Series champion said recent scheduling decisions — such as the additions of the Chicago Street Race and next week's race in Mexico City — prove NASCAR can race anywhere. 

"They've proven they can kind of do it anywhere if you put the resources and the time in it," Blaney said. "You can make a street course, you can go to different road courses that (already exist), maybe even (go to) some tracks that we don't go to anymore like Chicago(land), the Joliet (IL) race track."

Blaney says his hat is in the ring for a return to the 1.5-mile oval located an hour from the Windy City. 

"I'd like to see it come back, because I think it'd be a great racetrack. It always was. If we're naming places, I'd love to see (Chicagoland) come back." 

Chicagoland last hosted a Cup Series race in 2019. It was slated to return in 2020, but did not host a race weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has not held a NASCAR-sanctioned event since.

"They (NASCAR) can choose where they go," Blaney continued. "They set the schedule, they can work with these cities to figure out where we can bring our show to a city near you."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.