NASCAR Is Replacing Mexico City With Chicagoland Speedway In 2026, Report Says
NASCAR is saying adiós to Mexico City, at least for one year. The Athletic reports that NASCAR has been unable to find a suitable date on the calendar at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2026.
The main hitch is the soccer World Cup, which is scheduled to start in June when the race was held this year and would make it too difficult for Mexico City to accommodate a major racing event at the same time.
Instead, NASCAR is shoring up plans to return to Chicagoland Speedway, which is one of the tracks that it owns, The Athletic said. NASCAR has not commented on the report.
NASCAR has already confirmed that the Chicago Street Race will not be held in 2026 as it looks to reformat the event for a possible return in 2027. It last held a race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019 and the track will require some renovations and updates before the Cup Series can return.
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With the loss of the Mexico race, NASCAR is not expected to have any international events on the 2026 schedule, as recent talks with Canadian tracks do not appear to have progressed.
The full schedule is still being finalized and will be released in a few weeks, Ben Kennedy, EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer said last week while announcing the first San Diego race weekend, which will be held on a temporary track built on the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Station North Island.
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The San Diego event is scheduled for Father’s Day weekend, with the Cup Series race on Sunday, June 21 and the Truck Series and Xfinity Series racing on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
The only other 2026 points races that have been confirmed so far are the Daytona 500 and season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The season-opening Clash exhibition race will also be held at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem for the second consecutive year.