NASCAR's Chicago street race might be making a comeback on the 2027 race schedule after a one-year hiatus. This development has taken the NASCAR world by surprise, drawing attention from several important entities, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi recently reported that NASCAR is looking back to bring back the Chicago street race for the 2027 season, possibly with a different date. He shared that there is a “growing optimism” to bring back the race, which was put on pause this year.

Dale Jr., who has been known to voice his opinion about NASCAR’s decisions relating to its schedule or otherwise, reacted to the X post shared by Bianchi. He summed up how he felt about the same with just one word, writing: "Chicagoland..."

The NASCAR Hall of Famer had been advocating to bring the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway back on the calendar instead of the street race in 2026 and then retaining it. The one-off event at the track this year is scheduled for the Independence Day weekend in July. 

During a conversation on his "Dale Jr. Download" podcast in 2025, he said, "I think that getting Chicagoland back is going to cost some money. It’s gonna take five to ten million dollars to get that track back together and get everything fixed up and cleaned up and ready to go. But I think it’ll put on a hell of a show, and it’s going to be slick and worn out."

What frustrated Dale Jr. was a track like Chicagoland sitting idle and collecting dust. Earlier in the year, NASCAR drivers and teams visited the 1.5-mile oval to carry out the Goodyear tire test as part of the preparation for the track's return.

Kyle Larson backs the decision to get Chicagoland back on the NASCAR calendar

Besides Dale Jr., defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson was also pretty vocal about getting Chicagoland Speedway back on the schedule.

Prior to the series moving away from the track, Larson had a spectacular run at the speedway. The last time NASCAR raced there in 2018, he had a fierce battle with Kyle Busch before finishing runner-up.

During the recent April Goodyear tire test, he shared that he was looking forward to returning to the track this year. "Seeing the crowd in the stands just for practice was awesome," said Larson."I would imagine the crowd will be big for (July’s race) this first time back. And hopefully we’ll continue to come back, and we can put on a good show."

It is unlikely that NASCAR will host two Chicago races in 2027. If the street race that changed SVG's life returns, the oval will have to bow out. For now, all eyes will be on the All-Star race this weekend at Dover.

Follow the RFK Racing Digest for more updates!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak