NASCAR to revive racing tradition at Joliet's Chicagoland Speedway in July 2026
NASCAR will return to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, within the next couple of weeks during Independence Day weekend. The NASCAR Cup Series will race at the 1.5-mile oval on Sunday, July 5, 2026, after a seven-year absence from the track, followed by the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday, July 4.
Things are now getting underway with the ARCA Menards Series on Friday, July 3.
From a broad perspective, the revival signals a significant strategic shift, with NASCAR swapping out its downtown Chicago street race that it tried a year ago for a Joliet return that's meant to revive mid-season excitement and serve as a nod to the sport's historic footprint in suburbs outside Chicago.
Why NASCAR is returning to Chicagoland Speedway
Having sat dormant during the pandemic and well beyond due to new priorities towards urban street racing in Chicago, Chicagoland Speedway last morphed into a NASCAR Cup event in 2019.
NASCAR, however, is welcoming a return to its more oval-centric traditions in 2026: a model that aligns better with an efficient business operation, consumer demand, and logistical convenience.
An anticipated weekend of racing will find Chicagoland at the center of the action: the ARCA on July 3, the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series on July 4, and the Cup Series headlining on July 5, a perfect marquee weekend for race fans celebrating the birth of their Nation.
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While NASCAR executives assert that intermediate-length oval tracks. The 1.5-mile Joliet facility is a prime example, still providing some of the best racing on the schedule, the Cup Series still has the potential to get racing fans throughout the greater Chicagoland area juiced up all over again.
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What this means for the future of NASCAR events in Chicago
The 2026 shift to Chicagoland is part of a larger realignment of NASCAR's schedule. Organizers cited logistical as well as resident feedback factors and other needs for operational flexibility behind the decision to pause the Chicago Street Race, which was scheduled to run from 2023 through 2025.
After renegotiations with city officials, the street event will return to downtown Chicago in 2027.
At the same time, NASCAR makes another nod toward its evolving footprint and willingness to experiment with new, non-traditional racing venues with a new street-course event in San Diego at Naval Base Coronado joining the 2026 schedule.
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