A new report claims NASCAR won't return to Mexico City in 2026. However, a replacement location is already under serious consideration.
"NASCAR's premier Cup Series will not return to Mexico City next year," according to sources that spoke with Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic .
Last month, the top racing league in the United States headed south of the border for its first international points event since 1958. Despite mixed reviews for the event from drivers, teams, and fans, NASCAR was still very interested in returning to Mexico's capital next year. However, the 2026 World Cup has forced the city off the schedule for 2026.
Five matches in the FIFA Men's World Cup soccer tournament are scheduled from June 11 to July 5 in Mexico City. The racing insider claims the two sides looked at potentially doing a race in the spring, closer to Easter. And even contemplated the idea of a NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader that weekend. However, the league and city officials could not agree on dates.
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So what will NASCAR do to fill that race on next year's schedule? "Needing a replacement for Mexico City on its 38-race schedule (36 points races plus two exhibitions), NASCAR is now solidifying plans to return to Chicagoland," Bianchi wrote. "The 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Ill., about 50 miles from downtown Chicago, is owned by NASCAR."
There have been rumors for quite some time about the circuit returning to Chicagoland. The track was a stop on the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks series for close to two decades from 2001 to 2019. At the start of the 2020s, the league pivoted away from Chicagoland. And to races in Northern Wisconsin and then street races in Chicago and Grant Park.
NASCAR announced that despite three lucrative races in Illinois over the last three years, it won't return in 2026. However, they could be back in two years.
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