NASCAR Abandons Chicago Street Race Return for 2027

NASCAR has officially confirmed that its street race in Chicago will not return to the 2027 calendar, following local reports that the Grant Park circuit will no longer host the event. The decision comes after negotiations between NASCAR and city officials failed to reach an agreement before the August deadline for the 2027 schedule.

Since its debut in 2023, NASCAR has staged a downtown Chicago race three times over the July 4 holiday weekend. However, the clash with police and city worker staffing needs during the holiday became a major hurdle, making the event difficult to sustain. As a result, NASCAR opted to return to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, about an hour away from Chicago's central business district.

Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins explained that there was a chance to continue the event, but limited time forced NASCAR to make a pragmatic decision. "Had they been able to resolve the scheduling and logistics issues with the city, they would have gone forward without the full level of state support that they thought was ideal, but they ran out of time," Hopkins said. "They had to announce their schedule, and the risk was losing the opportunity at Chicagoland Speedway."

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Hopkins added that the Joliet race would be "the Chicago Street Race that we know, just transported to Joliet," with the same field of drivers and the same position in the NASCAR hierarchy. He emphasized that the event remains unchanged except for the venue, showing NASCAR's commitment to the greater Chicago area despite the need to adapt.

If NASCAR hopes to return to Chicago streets in 2028, Hopkins stressed the importance of reducing the event's disruption to city residents. "They said they were gonna do that anyway," Hopkins said. "But I said, 'Now you've got more time. Get creative and make it a top priority so that you can come back eventually with a new proposal in 2028 that will feature a reduced footprint at both ends — set-up and take-down.'" This feedback is crucial for NASCAR to win over more downtown residents, who have been nearly evenly divided on the event.

In a statement, NASCAR expressed gratitude to all parties involved in the event's success. "While we will not be racing on the streets of Chicago in 2027 despite genuine joint efforts by both NASCAR and our partners at the city and state level, we remain committed to the Chicagoland region and would welcome the opportunity to bring the NASCAR Chicago Street Race back at some point in the future," the statement read. Chicago will still feature on the 2027 calendar with a return to Chicagoland slated for June 26-28.