NASCAR chief reveals 'long list' of improvements costing MILLIONS for shock racetrack return

NASCAR has revealed some of the items on the 'long list' of improvements they're planning for the Chicagoland Speedway before its return to the Cup Series.

The 2026 race schedules were released on Wednesday, with the Joliet track coming back to the schedule for the first time in seven years, getting a new role as the second round of the In-Season Challenge.

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Carson Hocevar showed off the current state of the track and facilities in a YouTube video earlier this year, with the Athletic's Jordan Bianchi reporting that the cost of getting the track back up to date is estimated at $4 million.

The track will host the Fourth of July weekend festivities, neatly slotting into the place that the Chicago street race has left vacant for 2026 – although NASCAR insists that it hopes to return to the Windy City in 2027.

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NASCAR: Chicagoland 'relatively' race ready

Speaking to the media after the schedule release on Wednesday, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer Ben Kennedy said: "So we have a facility development team that has made several site visits out to the racetrack and have taken a look at it.

"I think the good news is it’s relatively race ready, so we’ll probably have to replace some of the SAFER foam. We’ll probably have to put a fresh coat of paint on it, clean up some of the grandstands, renovate some of the suite areas. There’s some parking areas that need to be repaved.

"We’re going to have a long list of improvements that we’ll need to make to the facility, and we’ll make that well in advance of the time that we come there in July."

2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

Sunday, Feb. 1: Clash (Bowman Gray Stadium)
Sunday, Feb. 15: Daytona 500
Sunday, Feb. 22: EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Sunday, March 1: Circuit of The Americas (Austin)
Sunday, March 8: Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, March 15: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 22: Darlington Raceway
Sunday, March 29: Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, April 5: OFF WEEK
Sunday, April 12: Bristol Motor Speedway
Sunday, April 19: Kansas Speedway
Sunday, April 26: Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, May 3: Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 10: Watkins Glen International
Sunday, May 17: All‐Star Race (Dover Motor Speedway)
Sunday, May 24: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 31: Nashville Superspeedway
Sunday, June 7: Michigan International Speedway
Sunday, June 14: Pocono Raceway
Sunday, June 21: San Diego (Naval Base Coronado)
Sunday, June 28: Sonoma Raceway
Sunday, July 5: Chicagoland Speedway
Sunday, July 12: EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Sunday, July 19: North Wilkesboro Speedway
Sunday, July 26: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sunday, Aug. 2: OFF WEEK
Sunday, Aug. 9: Iowa Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 15: Richmond Raceway
Sunday, Aug. 23: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 29: Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, Sept. 6: Darlington Raceway*
Sunday, Sept. 13: World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway* (St. Louis)
Saturday, Sept. 19: Bristol Motor Speedway*
Sunday, Sept. 27: Kansas Speedway*
Sunday, Oct. 4: Las Vegas Motor Speedway*
Sunday, Oct. 11: Charlotte Roval*
Sunday, Oct. 18: Phoenix Raceway*
Sunday, Oct. 25: Talladega Superspeedway*
Sunday, Nov. 1: Martinsville Speedway*
Sunday, Nov. 8: NASCAR Championship (Homestead-Miami Speedway)*

*Playoff races

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