The NASCAR Cup Series won’t be running the Chicago Street Race in 2026, NASCAR announced Friday (July 18). The event will go on hiatus, with alleged hopes for a return in 2027.
“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 and to develop a plan that further optimizes operational efficiencies, with a goal to return to the streets of Chicago in 2027,” event organizers said in a Friday statement.
“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.”
— NASCAR Chicago Street Race (@NASCARChicago) July 18, 2025
NASCAR made its debut on the Chicago streets in 2023, following a trial run of the track on iRacing. It has ventured to the street circuit for the Fourth of July weekend in each of the past three years, competing on a 2.2-mile course in the heart of the city.
Shane van Gisbergen was the course’s star attraction, earning a shock win on debut as part of Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 entry in 2023 to kick off what eventually became a full-time move from Australia’s Supercars Championship to NASCAR. The New Zealand native claimed took two of three races in both the Cup and Xfinity Series, with Alex Bowman (Cup, 2024) and Cole Custer (Xfinity, 2023) earning the other two wins on offer.
Plans for the future of the Chicago Street Course are currently undetermined. Reports have indicated that NASCAR could shift to a street circuit in San Diego and potentially bring back nearby Chicagoland Speedway in the Illinois market, but no official announcements have been made. NASCAR last competed at Chicagoland in 2019.
