IN bad news for NASCAR drivers who aren’t named Shane van Gisbergen, the sport’s sanctioning body is looking to return to the streets of Chicago from 2027.

The Athletic today reports that discussions have advanced toward a return to the downtown street circuit, which, for this year, was replaced on the schedule by the 1.5-mile-long oval at Chicagoland Speedway, some 60km from the lakefront temporary layout.

The event was put on hiatus in July last year, with one sticking point noted as the timing of the July 4th Independence Day holiday timing of the race.

“Following the success of the first three years, the Chicago Street Race will hit pause in 2026 to afford us the time necessary to work collaboratively with the City of Chicago to explore a new potential date and to develop a plan that further optimises operational efficiencies, with a goal to return to the streets of Chicago in 2027,” noted a statement from the event at the time.

“Together, we have built and grown an expanded community of fans that consists of longtime NASCAR enthusiasts and first-time racegoers from around the globe, and for that, we are immensely grateful.”

At the time, the event’s financials were uncovered.

In contrast to Government-supported street races in Australia, for the 2024 event, Chicago’s local Park District is noted to have received over US$200,000 from NASCAR, as a percentage of profits from concessions and merchandise sales, in addition to US$2 per admission ticket sold.

The Park District was also paid a flat fee of US$550,000, which was expected to rise in 2025, while the City secured an additional US$2 million in direct payment from NASCAR for the 2024 year’s event.

To facilitate the build, the City is reported to have paid nearly US$2.5 million in overtime, for roadworks, plus payments to the local parking meter operator.

However, the 2024 event generated a US$128 million economic impact and nearly US$10 million in tax revenue.

To justify the expense for NASCAR, event promoters receive a significant portion of the sport’s broadcast rights, even though the teams have received a greater share in the most recent Charter agreement.

NASCAR currently controls 12 tracks on the schedule, including the Chicago street race, Daytona, Darlington, Homestead-Miami, Iowa, Kansas, Martinsville, Phoenix, Richmond, Talladega and Watkins Glen International.

The 2026 NASCAR calendar saw a significant shift away from road course racing.

The Chicago Street Race was replaced by the nearby oval, the Charlotte Roval switched back to the oval, and the Mexico City race effectively switched to the Coronado Naval Base street circuit, leaving the Circuit of the Americas, Watkins Glen and Sonoma on the schedule.

Van Gisbergen enjoyed a formidable track record in Chicago.

From the three events contested on the temporary street circuit, SVG claimed four wins from five race starts, namely two Cup and two Xfinity, and was eliminated from a strong position in the other race, the 2024 Cup encounter.

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