Chicago Mayor Open to Keeping NASCAR in the City

What’s Happening?

There’s a huge question mark as to whether or not NASCAR will return to the streets of the Windy City in 2026. The deal between NASCAR and the City was through the 2025 season, leaving ’26 open for speculation. However, current Chicago Mayor, Brandon Johnson, is reported to be open to having NASCAR return for next season. That said, he was adamant about a date change to lessen the burden of safety workers on July 4th weekend.

• NASCAR in Chicago has been somewhat of a success in its three-year existence. The deal was signed prior to the 2023 season with then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot. However, in 2024 Lightfoot lost her re-election bid to Johnson, putting the future of the Chicago Street race in question.
• NASCAR has been open about wanting to keep a street course race on the schedule for future seasons. With Chicago in its last year, other markets, such as San Diego and New York, have been floated. It’s not currently clear what market will host the 2026 street race, if one remains on the schedule.
• While City officials seem mildly interested in having NASCAR return, some of the citizens in Chicago have made it clear that they want this deal to be over, at least for the foreseeable future. One passionate citizen, in fact, wrote and open Dear John letter, “breaking up” with NASCAR.

You can read this full report, published in the Chicago Sun Times here.

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