NASCAR “pauses” Chicago Street Race for ’26, but eyes return in ’27

Event saw ratings drop this year due to network shifts

It might be a while before you hear the roar of NASCAR engines downtown. 

NASCAR released a statement Friday stating it will not hold the Chicago Street Race in 2026, but hopes to return in 2027 on a later date: 

The Chicago Street Race debuted in 2023, but the NASCAR Cup portion was plagued by weather issues for the first two years. This year’s NASCAR race barely escaped incoming rain as Shane van Gisbergen won the contest just minutes before it started pouring. 

This year’s race took place over the 4th of July weekend, which created difficulties for downtown residents trying to navigate closed streets along the course. The setup and breakdown of the course took a lot of time, but was cut this year. The city’s three-year contract was up, but it had an option to extend it for two more years. The race generated significant revenue for the city, earning $128 million in 2024. 

However, the race’s visibility was reduced as the Xfinity and Cup series were moved to new networks this year due to NASCAR’s new TV rights deals, which shifted away from NBC and Fox to The CW, TNT, and streamer Amazon Prime. According to Nielsen, ratings for the Xfinity race on July 5 averaged just 1.14 million viewers for The CW, down 35 percent from NBC’s telecast last year. On the bright side, local ratings for the Xfinity race were better this year as WGN-TV showed a 51 percent increase in household ratings over WMAQ-TV’s tally. 

As expected, ratings for the Grant Park 165 race on July 6 were down from NBC last year due to the shift to TNT and an alternate telecast on TruTV, averaging 2.06 million viewers. and a 1.1 household rating, compared to 3.79 million viewers in 2024 and a 2.1 household rating. However, the race peaked at 2.8 million viewers from 4-4:15 p.m. Central Time at the race’s conclusion, and was up 90 percent from last year’s Cup races on cable in the adults 18-34 demo (local ratings for the NASCAR Cup were not available.) Nevertheless, the shift to cable TV impacted the viewership of the race, similar to what happened recently with the Stanley Cup Final, as it also drew lower numbers this year on TNT, compared to ABC’s ratings last year. 

The Cup’s move to cable TV from NBC hurt the event’s ability to promote Chicago to a wider audience as cord-cutting continues unabated- perhaps this was part of the reason why they wanted NASCAR to shift the event to later in the summer, as NBC resumes its NASCAR schedule in August. Moreover, the Chicago races were barely covered by the mainstream sports media the last two years, as ESPN’s SportsCenter recently flat out ignored the NASCAR event while giving preference to an F1 race in Germany – something Chicago officials were likely not pleased with.  Despite the declining numbers, both outdoor races outdrew the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on the Turner networks last December 31, which drew under a million viewers in a lackluster contest between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. 

Despite rave reviews from NASCAR’s fan base, Chicago media and sports critics never warmed to the event, viewing it as a mere inconvenience. And a few city leaders – especially aldermen who represent the Downtown and Near North Side areas, never wanted it here to begin with. Ratings were down from its 2023 debut both nationally and locally as the novelty quickly wore off. 

So will NASCAR return to Chicago? NASCAR is negotiating with San Diego for a street race to be held there next year, but left the door open for a 2027 return. However, given the ratings decline, the event’s increasing ineffectiveness in marketing Chicago, the nearly non-existent mainstream sports media coverage, and the continued hostile reception it receives from residents and media, don’t be surprised if The Great Chicago Race vanishes into the dustbin of history.