NASCAR insider expects Chicago Street Race to end after 2025, names intriguing replacement options

This coming July, the NASCAR Cup Series heads back to downtown Chicago for the third annual Chicago Street Race. NASCAR’s contract with the Chicago Park District is for three years and has not been extended.

That means this could be the final Chicago Street Race. Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic wrote Thursday “there is a growing sense in the garage” to move on from the event. NASCAR held The Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2022-24 before Bowman Gray Stadium hosted the preseason exhibition this year. It freshened up the event, and a move away from Chicago could do the same for the street-course race concept.

NASCAR may request to extend the deal for 2026 and ’27 by providing written notice to the Chicago Park District within 90 days following the prior event. But if NASCAR opts to head in a different direction, Bianchi said that San Diego could be a candidate to host a street-course race.

“NASCAR has made it clear they want to race in Southern California, with sources involved in the discussions indicating San Diego has been explored as a host for a street-course race,” Bianchi wrote. “It’s unclear if a deal could come together in time for 2026, and there are other markets NASCAR is exploring, including the long-untapped Pacific Northwest.”

NASCAR wants to tap into the Southern California market. It also has its eyes on expanding outside the United States. On Sunday, June 15, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City will host a Cup race. NASCAR last held a points race outside the U.S. in 1958 at the Canadian Exposition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.

NASCAR insider gives possible alternative to Chicago Street Race

But what if NASCAR decides to add another oval to the 2026 schedule instead of a street-course race in a different location? Chicagoland Speedway would make sense, Bianchi said.

“Looking at oval options, a return to the Chicagoland Speedway certainly makes sense for multiple reasons,” Bianchi wrote. “Although the track is located in Joliet, Illinois, it is still close enough to Chicago for NASCAR to maintain a presence in the United States’ third-largest market. That’s key. And Chicagoland, at a mile-and-a-half and with a worn surface, is an ideal fit for the Next Gen car, so the likelihood of a stellar race is high.

“Yes, Chicagoland needs some upgrades, as can be expected for a facility that last hosted a Cup Series race in 2019. But those improvements aren’t deemed cost-prohibitive, according to league sources, and would be significantly less than what it costs to build and host a race in downtown Chicago.”

Opened in 2001, Chicagoland hosted NASCAR races up until the 2019 season. Races for the 2020 season were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then NASCAR decided to move on from both Chicagoland and Kentucky Speedway for 2021 and beyond.