Report: NASCAR won't race on streets of Chicago in 2027

Rather than returning to downtown Chicago in 2027, NASCAR will instead return to the Chicagoland Speedway next year, a venue that experienced a revival this year after not holding a NASCAR race since 2019. 

According to a report from Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, conversations about NASCAR returning to downtown Chicago, where it raced from 2023-25, "hit an impasse over the costs, including how much the state would contribute," according to Bianchi's sources. 

NASCAR won't race in downtown Chicago next year

NASCAR had a deal with the city of Chicago from 2023-25 but did not renew the deal to race downtown, as both parties hoped the street race would return next year. 

With that not happening, Chicagoland Speedway, which sits in Joliet, Ill. — roughly an hour from downtown Chicago — will return to the NASCAR schedule. NASCAR raced at the 1.5-mile oval from 2001-19, but the COVID-19 pandemic and NASCAR's forced schedule overhaul meant no race weekend at the facility in 2020. Only in July did NASCAR return to the track, with the Cup Series racing on July 5 in front of a sellout crowd.