Back on track: Chicagoland Speedway welcomes NASCAR’s return (to Joliet)

NASCAR announced that it will make its long-awaited return to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. on July 4-5, 2026. As a part of today’s 2026 NASCAR national series schedule announcement, NASCAR will bring NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and ARCA Menards Series racing back to the fan-favorite 1.5-mile oval track for an Independence Day Weekend celebration for the first time in seven years.

While this wasn’t the announcement Chicago NASCAR fans were hoping to hear, it’s still nice to know that we can at least attend a race nearby.

The NASCAR announcement continues: In keeping with NASCAR’s commitment to the hundreds of thousands of race fans in the greater Chicagoland region, NASCAR will feature the Cup Series race on Sunday, July 5, 2026, preceded by the ARCA Menards Series Race on Friday, July 3, 2026 and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event on Saturday, July 4, 2026. In 2022,

NASCAR introduced the Next Gen Cup Series car, which quickly raised the intensity of competition at 1.5-mile oval tracks. Since then, fan demand for intermediate tracks like Chicagoland Speedway have continued to grow. With the return to the Speedway in Joliet and World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, NASCAR will maintain a strong presence in Illinois in 2026.

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Ticket information and additional event details will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can visit NASCAR.com and ChicagolandSpeedway.com for updates. To view the entire 2026 NASCAR schedule, visit www.nascar.com/schedule.

In regards to a return of the Chicago Street Race to the city proper, NASCAR officials responded to this reporter with, “We continue to have good conversations with the city, with a goal to return in 2027.”