NASCAR will not race in downtown Chicago in 2026
CHICAGO — NASCAR confirmed they will not return to the streets of downtown Chicago in 2026 after a three-year run.
According to NASCAR, the pause will result in at least one year without a race in downtown Chicago. However, NASCAR stated they are working with city officials to return to the streets of Chicago in 2027.
Rumors have swirled about Chicagoland Speedway returning to the schedule in 2026. The pause on the Chicago Street Race only further fuels those rumors with Chicago being a major market for NASCAR to be in.
Shane van Gisbergen leads all drivers with two NASCAR Cup Series wins and two NASCAR Xfinity Series wins on the street course.
Cole Custer won the inaugural Xfinity Series race there in 2023. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman won the second Cup Series race there in 2024.
Bowman is also a former winner at Chicagoland.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com