NASCAR nearing announcement of major race in San Diego

Nine race groups, including NASCAR autos, sped across the Navy runway at the Coronado Speed Festival in 2014. (FIle photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) NASCAR is pressing pause on its Chicago Street Race, answering at least one major question about its schedule for next season – and part of that answer lies in San Diego. The plan is to replace its Chicago stop with a street race in the region, perhaps in Coronado. According to Racer.com, NASCAR officials have reached terms for the race to take place in 2026, and an announcement could come in the next week. Though the Chicago race happened in early July, it’s unclear what time of year NASCAR would come to San Diego, Racer reported. NASCAR raced on a street course in downtown Chicago each of the last three years. But it had a three-year contract with the city, leaving the future of the event in question. Writing to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday, race president Julie Giese said the plan is to explore the potential of a new event weekend with his office and other community leaders while also working on a more efficient course build and breakdown. Giese said NASCAR is keeping its Chicago Street Race office and plans to continue its community partnerships with the goal of returning in 2027. NASCAR’s Chicago weekend featured Xfinity and Cup Series races on a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and Grant Park — to go along with a festival-like atmosphere with music and entertainment. The goal was an event that appealed to both a new audience in one of NASCAR’s most important regions and its most ardent racing fans. NASCAR used to race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, a 45-mile drive from downtown, but it pulled out after the 2019 season. Johnson’s predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, was in charge when the three-year contract for the downtown weekend was finalized. It wasn’t exactly a popular move in Chicago. Local businesses and residents were frustrated by the street closures in a heavily trafficked area for tourists in the summer. But organizers shrunk the construction schedule from 43 days in 2023 to 25 this year, winning over some of the race’s critics. Drivers and their teams had some concerns about the course ahead of the first weekend. But the setup was widely praised by the time the third year rolled around — both the course and the ability to walk to the circuit from their downtown hotel. Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson called Chicago “probably my favorite event in NASCAR each year.”