NASCAR Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese, left; NASCAR Foundation Executive Director Nichole Krieger; and YWCA Metropolitan Chicago CEO Nicole Robinson receive check from the NASCAR Foundation at "Gear Up For Good" dinner at RPM Steak July, 2024. (Photo by Floyd McCraney)
The NASCAR Street Race is leaving Chicago, but NASCAR isn't. While stock cars won't be roaring through Grant Park in 2027, NASCAR plans to maintain its Chicago office and continue its community partnerships, including its work with Chicago Public Schools and local charitable organizations.
That may be an important distinction for Chicago, where NASCAR has spent the past three years building a presence that extended beyond the race itself.
NASCAR will not return its Chicago Street Race to downtown in 2027, ending months of speculation about whether the event would come back after taking a one-year pause. Instead, NASCAR will keep its Chicago-area race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, with the 2027 event scheduled for June 25-27.
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The decision follows months of discussions between NASCAR and Chicago officials about finding a new date for the downtown race. The previous three races were held over the Fourth of July weekend, creating logistical challenges for the city during one of its busiest summer periods.
Downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins told the Chicago Sun-Times the decision was roughly “75% scheduling and 25% money,” with the city and NASCAR unable to settle on an alternative date before NASCAR needed to finalize its 2027 schedule.
NASCAR had received $5 million in state funding for each of the three Chicago races and had sought a $15 million state tourism grant for a possible 2027 return. The state budget approved last spring renewed the $5 million grant, but funding was only part of the decision.
Rather than risk losing its opportunity to race at Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR chose to keep its 2027 weekend in Joliet.
The decision marks a change from the spectacle that took over downtown beginning in 2023, when portions of Grant Park and surrounding streets were transformed into a 2.2-mile course for NASCAR's first street race.
New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen won the inaugural race in his NASCAR Cup Series debut. He returned to win again in 2025, while Alex Bowman won the 2024 race.
The three-year run brought racing fans downtown, along with national television exposure and business for area hotels, restaurants and other businesses. It also brought its share of challenges, including rain delays and the extensive work required to construct and dismantle the temporary course.
NASCAR says the decision does not mean Chicago is permanently off the schedule. The organization said it remains committed to the Chicagoland region and would welcome the opportunity to bring the Chicago Street Race back in the future.
In the meantime, NASCAR's local work will continue.
NASCAR and CPS held their fourth annual STEAM Fest in 2026 at the Field Museum, bringing together more than 550 students from 45 CPS STEM and STEAM schools. More than 22,000 CPS students participated in an in-classroom NASCAR-themed design competition leading up to the event.
The relationship with CPS dates back to NASCAR's first year in Chicago. In 2023, students from 43 CPS schools participated in a NASCAR-themed STEM design challenge, with nearly 500 finalists attending STEAM Fest and working with NASCAR drivers, engineers and other STEM professionals.
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NASCAR's charitable work has also included several Chicago nonprofits.
During the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023, NASCAR and The NASCAR Foundation partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository for a “Fueling the Fight to End Hunger” fundraising dinner, with proceeds benefiting the Food Depository.
In 2024, The NASCAR Foundation hosted its Gear Up for Good charity dinner in Chicago to benefit the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. NASCAR also partnered on a celebrity golf tournament benefiting Special Olympics Illinois and The NASCAR Foundation.
The organization's community work continued in 2025, when NASCAR partnered with Working in the Schools, a Chicago children's literacy nonprofit, to bring a NASCAR driver to John B. Drake Elementary School in Bronzeville.
Those relationships are expected to continue even without the downtown race, giving NASCAR a Chicago presence that extends beyond the race course.
Chicagoland Speedway gets another year in the spotlight. The Joliet track returned to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2026 after a seven-year absence, giving Chicago-area fans a traditional speedway experience instead of the temporary downtown course.
A future return to Grant Park has not been ruled out. Hopkins has suggested using the additional time to address the logistical issues surrounding the race, including the setup and teardown of the course and its impact on other downtown summer events.
For now, the engines are headed to Joliet. But NASCAR isn't leaving Chicago.
Sources
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