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Unpacking the NASCAR 2026 schedule rumors

NASCAR raced on the streets of Chicago for the third and potentially final time over the weekend.

The initial three-year deal between NASCAR and the city of Chicago ended with Sunday’s race. However, there is a two-year option in the contract that could be exercised, allowing the event to continue. 

Regardless, it should be viewed as a successful event for NASCAR. The industry saw it as an opportunity to put the sport in front of new fans and bring racing to those who are unwilling to travel to Joliet, Illinois, for Chicagoland Speedway. That track is about an hour away from Grant Park.

As for the city of Chicago, it cashed in. The economic impact of the inaugural 2023 event was $109 million. The 2024 race generated a total economic impact of $128 million for the city.

NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps revealed in December during Race Industry Week that it costs the industry $50 million to put on the Chicago event. The event was the first time the Cup Series had raced on a street course.

However, if Chicago were to disappear, that doesn’t necessarily mean street racing would. San Diego, a rumored destination for NASCAR for over a year now, is picking up steam.

 

RACER is unaware of any finalized deal in place for NASCAR to race in San Diego in 2026. The city has also said there is no documentation available related to any conversations or plans with NASCAR. However, that could simply be because the deal being worked on is also being handled in a way to prevent it from leaking. Earlier this month however,

The Athletic reported NASCAR is working on finalizing such a deal. 

A date change could be on the cards for Mexico City. Jaime Lopez/Getty Images

The most intriguing aspect of the San Diego idea is its location. A natural assumption is that it’s someplace downtown, in a similar manner to Chicago. But talk of an interesting alternative started floating around the garage over the weekend: Coronado. It’s the peninsula, or island, depending on your view, that’s connected to the mainland in San Diego, which also has a naval base on it.

NASCAR has long stated its desire for a presence in California, which it lost after the 2023 race at Auto Club Speedway. And then the Busch Light Clash, a pre-season exhibition event, was moved from Los Angeles to North Carolina. L.A., though, was a purpose-built short track that served its purpose of introducing NASCAR to new fans while using celebrities, music, and athletes to help hype the event ahead of a new season.

San Diego would keep a street course on the NASCAR map. It would put the sport back in Southern California. 

But there are so many questions to be answered about the 2026 schedule. And quite frankly, there isn’t enough space for all the puzzle pieces to fit.

Chicago, does it stay or does it go? San Diego: Yes? No?

And then some are pushing hard for a return to Chicagoland Speedway. NASCAR has kept any potential plans for the track close to the vest. Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval, has not hosted the three NASCAR national series since 2019. The good news is that it is still in good enough shape to be made presentable to welcome guests again in short order.

Carson Hocevar stirred the pot by making a recent visit to the facility and post ing about it on social media and his YouTube page. Hocevar claims he went there on his own because he had the time, and he had never seen the track before. In other words, chalk it up to curiosity.

But it goes without saying that when someone wants something, there is no better way to manifest it than to start talking about it. Chicagoland has been mentioned far more this season than ever before.

Then there is the international approach. 

Mexico City’s status beyond this year is unknown, although NASCAR has a multi-year contract in place for racing there. Some of the discussions since the inaugural event last month have been that if it does stay on the schedule, perhaps it will be moved to a different date on the calendar. 

On the other hand, Mexico City seemed to win out over Canada – an either-or situation. NASCAR is still interested in making a return north of the border, but it’s unclear when or how it is going to get there. Montreal has previously hosted Xfinity Series events. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park did the same with the Craftsman Truck Series.

It would be a shame if NASCAR limits itself to only new venues that are road or street courses. Denny Hamlin threw out the idea, which could be considered wild depending on who you ask, about a street oval somewhere. Brad Keselowski, who has previously raced in Canada and praised its racing fan base, is a proponent of hosting an oval race in Canada to show what NASCAR is capable of.

It will likely be another few months before NASCAR rolls out its 2026 schedule. What is known is that there is a lot to figure out, and a lot of chatter about what could be on there, for the months in between the Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026, and championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8.