In April, NASCAR cars will return to Chicagoland Speedway and hit the track for the first time in seven years.
JOLIET, Illinois — NASCAR Cup Series cars and NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series cars will return to Chicagoland Speedway later this month for the first time in seven years.
Three teams, three in Cup and three in NOAPS, will run hot laps around the 1.5-mile, D-shaped intermediate oval during a tire test. It's set for April 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The test is free and open to the public. The track is going to have "fun activities and getaways in between laps" with seating for the test in sections 107 and 108. They will also have a cash bar, snack stand and you can bring in bags and soft-sided coolers.
Gates will open at around 10:30 a.m. You can enter through Gate 1.
NASCAR hasn't raced at Chicagoland Speedway since 2019. The track was on the 2020 schedule for Cup, NOAPS and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. However, COVID restrictions prevented the track from being on the schedule.
The following year, in 2021, the track disappeared from the schedule and remained off since then.
While the track laid dormant to NASCAR, operations quietly maintained. They kept trucks there during a global semiconductor shortage in 2022 and then brought motorsports events back the following year with SuperMotocross.
In the second half of 2025, NASCAR announced Chicagoland's return to the schedule for 2026. The 2026 race weekend is set for July 3-5.
Coming into NASCAR's return to the track, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with wins (2 wins each). Busch won in one of the most iconic finishes in track history, in 2018 when he fended off Kyle Larson's "SLIDE JOB" move and last-lap duel to win. Busch also won in 2008.
Keselowski won at Chicagoland in 2012 and 2014.
Other active drivers with at least one Cup win at Chicagoland include Alex Bowman (one win) and Denny Hamlin (one win). Hamlin won in 2015 while Bowman won in 2019 for his first career Cup win.
Bowman remains out for at least the next couple of weeks due to symptoms of vertigo. Justin Allgaier is filling in.
Allgaier leads all active, full-time NOAPS drivers with two wins, in 2011 and 2017. Kyle Busch leads all drivers with four NOAPS wins at Chicagoland but it is unknown if he will race NOAPS in July.
Busch also leads the NCTS for wins at Chicagoland with five wins.