Nascar will not race in Chicago, but rather in San Diego next year. The announcement is a sign that Nascar is getting more creative and is willing to take major risks.

The event returns NASCAR to Southern California. NASCAR raced at California Speedway in Fontana — about 50 miles east of Los Angeles — from 1997-2020, skipping 2021 and returning in 2022 and 2023. That track was closed after 2023 and part of its land sold. A plan was to convert the 2-mile track to a short track but that has not been done.

NASCAR will hold races on an active military base for the first time during the 2026 season in San Diego. The NASCAR Cup Series is running the America's Navy 250 at the United States Naval Base Coronado in San Diego on June 21.