NASCAR Cup Series Set for First Race at Chicagoland Speedway Since 2019
The return marks the first Cup race at the 1.5-mile Joliet oval since 2019, with Next Gen cars facing a rough, bumpy surface.
- On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, for the first time in seven years, marking a comeback to the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval.
- Seven years of Midwest heat, rain and snow have weathered the aging asphalt at the track. Drivers must navigate it with Next Gen cars, introduced after the venue's final race in 2019.
- Denny Hamlin, who holds the pole position for Sunday's race, noted "a test racetrack and a race weekend track are two vastly different things." Brad Keselowski added the combination could be "really good for the racing."
- Bubba Wallace is driving a Space Jam-themed Toyota Camry to honor the movie's 30th anniversary. Wallace attended a Navy Pier event and said the car lets him relive a film he watched "on repeat" as a kid.
- Despite the return to Joliet, the future of the downtown Chicago street course remains uncertain after three years of operation. NASCAR may consider returning to the city course on a different weekend in 2027.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Associated Press News
NASCAR Cup Series set for first race at Chicagoland Speedway since 2019
It has been seven years since NASCAR last raced at Chicagoland Speedway. Seven years of Midwest heat, rain and snow covering the aging asphalt at the 1.5-mile track.
Elliott finds NASCAR's Chicagoland return 'a bit of a challenge'
Chicagoland Speedway re-opening its gates for NASCAR Cup Series drivers on Friday was a much-anticipated moment after seven years of silence, but it was also a session that Chase Elliott believed would be almost a reintroduction to the facility.
Chase Elliott Says Seven Years Away Has Changed Everything at Chicagoland
Chase Elliott isn’t convinced anyone has a true advantage entering NASCAR’s long-awaited return For the first time since 2019, the NASCAR Cup Series is back at Chicagoland Speedway. That means drivers are returning to one of the sport’s most popular intermediate tracks, but according to Chase Elliott, nobody should assume previous success will automatically translate into speed this weekend. Even drivers with years of experience at the 1.5-mile …
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