Report: Chances of NASCAR return to Chicagoland Speedway ‘increasing’

NASCAR is evaluating a possible return to Chicagoland Speedway for the 2026 Cup Series season, according to Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal. Stern said the chances of the move happening are said to be “increasing.”

Chicagoland was removed from the NASCAR schedule in 2021, and fans have been asking for the track to be back on the schedule ever since. For the last three seasons, NASCAR has had a street race in the Chicago area.

Stern mentioned that NASCAR remains in talks with Chicago about keeping the street race. However, the City of Chicago has indicated it wants to explore moving the street race to a new date and could ask for better terms from NASCAR. Chicagoland will likely be the top option if the two sides can’t agree to a new deal.

NASCAR has reportedly been internally preparing for a return to Chicagoland over the last year or longer, with the staff visiting the track to get a close look at potential renovations. Chicagoland Speedway is an hour from downtown Chicago and began hosting NASCAR and IndyCar races in 2001.

Chicagoland had a run in NASCAR from 2001 to 2019

Chicagoland hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 400 from 2001 to 2019. Tony Stewart won the race three times (2004, 2007 and 2011), and four drivers won the race twice. Those four drivers are Kevin Harvick (2001, 2002), Brad Keselowski (2012, 2014), Martin Truex Jr. (2016, 2017) and Kyle Busch (2008, 2018). Alex Bowman won the race in 2019, and the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, Harvick talked about wanting NASCAR to return to Chicagoland. Anything that’s old is new again. Chicagoland was really worn out. Has the enthusiasm for the Chicago Street Race created some re-energized enthusiasm for Chicagoland Speedway? Because with the NextGen, I believe that mile-and-a-half race, on that worn-out surface, with all those bumps, would be really good in Joliet,” Harvick said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.

“… I think that the Chicagoland Speedway, with the way that it’s shaped, with the bumps and the way that — the fact that the asphalt has just been sitting there. I just believe that taking these NextGen cars back to Chicagoland Speedway would be a great race.”

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this story.