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Report: NASCAR's Chicago street race could return for 2027 season

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh05/13/26griffin_mcveigh

According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, the NASCAR street race in Chicago could return for the 2027 season. This comes after skipping the event in 2026. But the Windy City might officially be back on the schedule.

“NEWS: NASCAR is moving closing to again racing in downtown Chicago, with growing optimism that the Chicago Street Course will be part of NASCAR’s 2027 schedule, sources tell @TheAthletic,” Bianchi said via X.

Prior to 2026, we had seen three straight years of Chicago hosting the street race. Both the Cup and Xfinity Series raced there. However, some details need to be worked out to make sure the event is as good as possible. Mainly, the two sides wanted to ensure the course was built correctly and more efficiently.

Additionally, exactly when the race took place needed to be looked at. Fourth of July turned out to not work great. Bianchi’s report does not reveal exactly when the rebirth of the Chicago Street Race will take place.

NASCAR explains decision to go away from Chicago street race in 2026

Moving away from the Chicago street race did not come without any explanation. NASCAR released a statement back in July 2025, laying out the reasons.

“Thank you for all that you have done to make the NASCAR Chicago Street Race one of the most iconic events in global sports,” it said. “Following the success of the first three years, the Chicago Street Race will hit pause in 2026 to afford us the time necessary to work collaboratively with the City of Chicago to explore a new potential date to develop a plan that further optimizes operational efficiencies, with a goal to return to the streets of Chicago in 2027.

“Together, we have built and grown an expanded community of fans that consists of longtime NASCAR enthusiasts and first-time racegoers from around the globe, and for that, we are immensely grateful. Thank you for the continued support – and we look forward to seeing you at the races.”

Brandon Johnson, who is the Mayor of Chicago, also gave this thoughts on the matter just under two years ago.

“We appreciate NASCAR’s dedication to the City of Chicago and their commitment to continuing their community engagement efforts, particularly their support of STEM education for our city’s young people,” a mayor’s office spokesperson said in a statement, via the Chicago Tribune. “We look forward to resuming discussions around a potential return of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race in 2027.”