* The Athletic…
NASCAR will return to Chicagoland Speedway in 2027 and will not race on a street circuit in downtown Chicago next year, sources familiar with the development have told The Athletic.
The league could make an announcement as soon as Tuesday.
The decision follows protracted negotiations between NASCAR, the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois, with all parties seeking to bring back a premier Cup Series race on a street course constructed along Grant Park, as NASCAR did from 2023-2025. When that three-year contract ended, the parties were unable to agree to an extension for the 2026 season, then turned their attention to bringing the race back in 2027. […]
With the Chicago Street Race not a viable option, NASCAR is turning again to Chicagoland, located in nearby Joliet, Ill. Throughout the negotiations, the 1.5-mile oval owned by NASCAR was viewed as the de facto backup plan should a return to the downtown circuit not materialize. Chicagoland hosted races for NASCAR’s three national series from 2001-2019, before the league shifted the race weekend elsewhere. The track then went largely dormant.
* Crain’s…
Despite broadening its fan appeal into a major metropolitan area, the Chicago Street Race has been a financial loser for NASCAR. The organization sought and at one point appeared poised to receive a $15 million state tourism grant to help defray costs of a 2027 Chicago race, knowledgeable sources tell Crain’s.
But instead, the Illinois General Assembly in its spring session appropriated only $5 million, the same amount NASCAR got for its 2025 race.
The revamped 2027 race would have been held not at mid-summer like the previous versions but shortly after Memorial Day. That would have allowed NASCAR to share some setup and teardown functions with the Sueños music festival, shortening the period in which Grant Park would have been off-limits to the public and limiting street closures.
Both sides spent several weeks trying to resolve the financial and related issues, but ran out of time, with NASCAR needing to finalize its 2027 national schedule, insiders said.
Thoughts?
- DS - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:21 pm:
Brandon should run ads about telling Nascar to take a hike. Doesn’t even matter if it’s true. Chicagoans hated that event from the moment it was announced.
- Remember the Alamo II - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:22 pm:
Its probably for the best.
- JoanP - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:24 pm:
Excellent news.
- Alton Sinkhole - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:26 pm:
Terrible event in a market that really doesn’t care too much about NASCAR in the busiest season of folks wanting to access downtown and lakefront. And not helped by bad weather so they never really got a “full weekend.”
I’m a fan of motorsports and not exactly broke but ticket prices were obscene, even by the standards of this Ticketmaster era.
Just a terrible idea from the start followed by bad execution, and cursed with awful weather luck as the cherry on top .
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:26 pm:
I was sort of a fan for NASCAR in Chicago because it showed the beauty and capabilities of Chicago to a demographic that has repeatedly been told the City is awful by certain opinion leaders, and that in turn was helpful for economic purposes.
- Matty - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:41 pm:
I will attend any NASCAR event in Illinois regardless of where it’s located. I absolutely LOVED the street race for countless reasons, but Joliet is also a great facility. It was nice being able to take the Red Line to a track in our beautiful city, while also showing the wonderful skylines to the world, but I’m kind of indifferent to this. I’ll be at the 2027 event regardless of where it’s held.
- Roadrager - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:41 pm:
Good riddance to that logistical nightmare, even if the racing was entertaining (and messy) in a way different from a standard NASCAR track. Joliet has the speedway and I’m glad they’re going back to utilizing it.
- Stones - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:42 pm:
I always thought it was a poor idea to hold a race downtown on a Friday. It’s hard enough to get out of town on a weekend under normal circumstances.
- Northsider - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:42 pm:
Good riddance.
- Johnny B - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:49 pm:
Just like Bears games at Soldier Field, it looked absolutely fantastic from the comforts of a Lazy Boy.
And also just like Bears games at Soldier Field it created traffic nightmares only for weeks instead of a day
- NotRIch - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:50 pm:
When was the last time a Speaker couldn’t get $15 mil written into a budget???
- Save Ferris - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 12:54 pm:
It’s moving to Hammond.
- Lurker - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 1:17 pm:
I’ll miss this more than I’ll miss the Bears
- Give us Barrabbas - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 1:27 pm:
I’m more of a formula one guy. Set up a course on Northerly Island. If I can’t have my airport…
.
I think it’s good for Joliet and it’s good for Illinois regardless.
- Think Again - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 1:35 pm:
Love NASCAR, and Joilet will be an improvement - go where you’re welcomed and where the facilities and parking are conducive to a race.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 1:49 pm:
Curious wonder how much Toronto paid for their race
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 1:54 pm:
Not going to lie, this was a major pain in the rear for those of us who work downtown.
- levivoted4judy - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 2:01 pm:
I thought it was great. I went twice and there were good crowds and it had a strong economic impact in addition to the publicity. A lot of people who don’t even go to Grant Park or even downtown, complained about lack of park access. There was also snobbishness among a lot of detractors who would have preferred Formula One racing. It even brought some political ideology biases. Too bad they couldn’t make it work.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 2:07 pm:
===There was also snobbishness among a lot of detractors===
Chicagoans love to complain about pretty much everything. Air and Water show? Too loud. DNC convention? Too many people! The list is endless.
Yes, there were very real problems with NASCAR, but if you want to live in a quiet leafy suburb, just move to one.
- Missed opportunity - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 2:24 pm:
This point from Just Me 2 is spot on: “it showed the beauty and capabilities of Chicago to a demographic that has repeatedly been told the City is awful.” I once ran in to relatives of a NASCAR driver who couldn’t believe how great Chicago was because they were honestly convinced they would be gunned down on the street the minute they got here. Had similar conversations with others. It’s a loss
- NIU Grad - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 2:28 pm:
“Yes, there were very real problems with NASCAR, but if you want to live in a quiet leafy suburb, just move to one.”
People who moved to the heart of downtown Chicago, next to a park that serves as a premier concert venue and mass tourist attraction…being upset about closed streets. Yea, I wasn’t buying it.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 2:37 pm:
Maybe Indiana will give them $15 million.
– MrJM
- Matty - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 2:45 pm:
-Curious wonder how much Toronto paid for their race-
Toronto did not have an Indycar race this year, due to construction logistics surrounding the World Cup sites. The replacement event was held last weekend in Markham, and the ordeal started off absolutely terribly…
- 32nd Ward Roscoe Village - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 2:46 pm:
===This point from Just Me 2 is spot on: “it showed the beauty and capabilities of Chicago to a demographic that has repeatedly been told the City is awful.” I once ran in to relatives of a NASCAR driver who couldn’t believe how great Chicago was because they were honestly convinced they would be gunned down on the street the minute they got here. ===
I hosted a convention in September 2024 at the Marriott by the Wintrust Arena, drawing 1,000 people from all over the US. People attending were pleasantly surprised how wonderful the experience was, even though they weren’t in a “safe” Michigan Ave. hotel. It changed a lot of opinions and they were able to enjoy other neighborhoods like Pilsen and Chinatown.
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 3:10 pm:
For the most minor of demographics - the NASCAR drivers and families loved the race. They got to stay in a major downtown, with five star hotels, great food and shopping.
- Hmmmm - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 3:15 pm:
Good riddance. Between Lolla, all the other paid festivals and then NASCAR, the number of days Chicagoans could spend in our parks and lakefront had dwindled to an unacceptable low.
- Google is Your Friend - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 3:37 pm:
==But instead, the Illinois General Assembly in its spring session appropriated only $5 million, the same amount NASCAR got for its 2025 race.==
Pretty common in international motorsport for governments to subsidize races. Not saying it’s right for them to do that, but it often takes that, even as a form of startup assistance. The list of abandoned F1 sites that left the calendar because a government wouldn’t keep subsidizing them is quite long.
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 5:42 pm:
Taking over the streets of Downtown always seemed like a really dumb (do you know that’s spelled with a “B” at the end?) idea.
- Trinity - Tuesday, Aug 18, 26 @ 6:42 pm:
I think this would have done MUCH better in more rural areas. Times like these I miss the Rockford Speedway. This did nothing for the city. Only people who won in this deal were the lobbyists.