After seven years on the sidelines, Chicagoland Speedway is being brought back into focus as NASCAR’s Big 3 lead a crucial tire test.

Teams owned by Joe Gibbs, Roger Penske, and Rick Hendrick will field six drivers from the Cup Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

The driver lineup includes Ryan Blaney (Team Penske), Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports), along with Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, and Nick Sanchez, all set to take part in the April 21 Goodyear tire test.

Having drivers of this caliber shows that this is not just a casual visit but preparation for more. This test will assess how the current cars handle the aged pavement after such a long break.

During a conversation with TNT, Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer, expressed that this is something fans have wanted for a long time.

“Our fans have been asking for a race in Joliet (Illinois) for the past several years,” he said. “If you look at the racing product on our mile-and-a-half tracks, they’ve been some of the most competitive and compelling events that we’ve had in our season, and we’re confident that Joliet is going to deliver exactly that.”

The Long Road Back From the 2019 Hiatus

Chicagoland hosted its last Cup win in 2019, when Alex Bowman drove the No. 88 Chevrolet to Victory Lane.

The track hosted 19 races before it stopped being used due to NASCAR's shifting strategy within the Midwest, along with declining attendance.

Despite the shift, NASCAR never lost respect for the Joliet oval.

Speaking when NASCAR announced the track’s return in 2025, Ben Kennedy said, “We’re going to be making improvements to Chicagoland before we go back next year."

He added, “The good news is, it’s relatively Cup-ready, so we won’t need to make significant improvements or changes to the facility, but the fans can expect it to feel like a Cup-ready facility when they come there in July of next year.”

That return is no longer uncertain, with Chicagoland officially set to host a full NASCAR race weekend from July 3 to 5, 2026.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Sanskriti Pastor

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav