Report: NASCAR won’t return to Mexico City in 2026, Chicagoland expected to fill date

The NASCAR Cup Series won’t return to Mexico City in 2026. With a date open, they’ll instead race again at Chicagoland Speedway, according to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.

“NASCAR’s premier Cup Series will not return to Mexico City next year, leaving a spot on its 2026 schedule that is expected to be filled by the addition of a race at Chicagoland Speedway, multiple sources briefed on the league’s plans told The Athletic,” Bianchi reported.

“Not going back to Mexico City leaves NASCAR without an international Cup race in 2026, as the logistics of getting the series to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico’s capital, along with finding a date that works for NASCAR, the teams and the track, proved challenging.”

As Bianchi alluded to, the logistics of making the trip to Mexico City for the Cup Series proved to be a tad challenging. While the event was considered a success, the racing as a whole left a bit to be desired, but that might be more because Shane van Gisbergen opened up a can of whoopass on the field.

At least Chicagoland is a more than satisfactory replacement for Mexico City. With NASCAR choosing to take their street race to San Diego in 2026, returning to the area, although in a different setting, will allow fans new and old to continue taking in the sport’s best live and in person. 

The track previously hosted races for NASCAR’s three national series from 2001 to 2019 before the league decided to shift its date elsewhere, Bianchi noted. While drivers have clamored for it to return for racing reasons, keeping a date in the Chicago area also allows NASCAR to hold a race in the third-largest market in the United States, which Bianchi added is significant in a sponsor-driven sport.

“Chicagoland’s return would likely be well-received by the industry and fans,” Bianchi wrote. “The track pairs well with the Next Gen car NASCAR rolled out in 2022, which has raced well on intermediate-sized tracks similar to Chicagoland. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman, the most recent race winner there, recently expressed enthusiasm about the possibility when asked, as did several other drivers.”

All told, the Mexico City experiment was an interesting case, but NASCAR fans will be elated to hear the news about Chicagoland. We’ll see where the Cup Series’ next international race is, but it won’t be coming in 2026, it seems.