Sports
NASCAR Won’t Return to Chicago in 2027, With Events Staying at Suburban Chicagoland Speedway
A still from a promotional video for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. (Courtesy of NASCAR)
NASCAR won’t be returning to the streets of downtown Chicago next summer, as it announced plans to once again run three days of races at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet.
Following what it called a “sellout return” to the suburban track in July, NASCAR on Tuesday announced it will be keeping the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway on the schedule for 2027, with races planned for the June 25-27 weekend.
“The fan response this year was overwhelming, so we’re thrilled to be able to honor that turnout with another milestone weekend of racing in Joliet,” Jacque Herrera, the general manager of Chicagoland Speedway, said in a statement. “I grew up coming to this track with my family, so to see it roar back to life this year and return to the NASCAR competition schedule in 2027 is an incredible thrill.”
That weekend will include races from the ARCA Menards Series on Friday, June 25; the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday, June 26; and the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, June 27.
The announcement comes weeks after NASCAR returned to the suburban track for the first time in seven years with races over the Fourth of July weekend. Those events replaced the Chicago Street Race — which took over downtown streets over the holiday weekend from 2023-2025.
NASCAR announced Tuesday that although the Chicago Street Race will not be returning next year, the Chicagoland Speedway races represent its “ongoing commitment to the greater Chicagoland region, which remains a top market with over one million NASCAR fans.”
According to NASCAR, this year’s Speedway event drew fans from 31 countries and all 50 states, with nearly 60% of ticketholders reporting this was their first NASCAR event.
