NASCAR Is Going Back to Chicagoland. Everything Else Has Changed.

NASCAR is returning to Chicagoland Speedway after several years of a Chicago Street Race format, with Denny Hamlin carrying the Cup points lead into Sunday’s eero 400. The 1.5-mile oval will host the 19th race of the Cup season, marking the first “real” speedway event for Chicago after three consecutive years of racing on a street course in downtown Chicago. Chicagoland Speedway is about 45 miles northeast of Chicago, and the last Cup race there—technically at Joliet, Illinois—was in 2019, with no firm date yet for the next event. Nearly half the expected Cup field has never raced at the track in a Cup event, including Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar, and Shane van Gisbergen. Hamlin replaced Reddick as Chase leader after last week’s Sonoma race, leading by one point, and seeks strong results on 1.5-mile tracks. The race also features a competitive chase window, with Joey Logano and Ross Chastain below the cutline.