Is NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway a smart move? Driver Bell thinks so
Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet disappeared from the NASCAR schedule after the 2020 race was canceled by the pandemic.
It seemed like the track might be gone for good, and there were rumors of it getting bulldozed for development. In the meantime, the Chicago street race moved to San Diego after a three soggy years in Grant Park.
Turns out, the old track is back, with some fireworks added. A 400-mile race at Chicagoland Speedway returned to the NASCAR schedule and is set for July 5, 2026. Tickets went on sale last week and driver Christopher Bell was made available to talk about the comeback story.
“I think NASCAR's been doing a great job of bringing back what was old and making it new again,” Bell said in a phone interview. “We've seen North Wilkesboro come back, we've seen Bowman Gray and all of these different race tracks. The next step, obviously, Chicagoland Speedway.”
Well, those stories aren't quite the same. North Wilkesboro in North Carolina left the NASCAR schedule in 1996 and was basically abandoned before being brought back to life a couple years ago.
Chicagoland hosted a NASCAR event as recently as 2019. It was a regular stop for 19 years, beginning in 2001.
Bell had not joined the main Cup circuit the last time Chicagoland hosted a NASCAR race. But he has driven the track several times. He won an ARCA race there in 2017, competed in an Xfinity race twice, plus two truck races.
“Nobody's going to know how to prepare for it,” Bell said. “There's going to be a lot of unknowns and uncertainty going into it. You're not going to be able to look at previous race notes or anything like that. I really enjoy going to new venues, new racetracks, and I certainly think Chicagoland has all the ingredients to be a super entertaining race.”
As a mile-and-a-half track, one complaint about Chicagoland Speedway is there was nothing unique about it. It's similar to a number of other tracks on the circuit and in the newer days, the races didn't feature much passing.
Bell doesn't agree, especially since NASCAR has transitioned to a new generation of vehicle since the last visit to Joliet.
“Man, there's really nothing cookie-cutter about it,” said the Oklahoma native. “It's got very old asphalt on it now, which is a really good thing for our sport, because it allows us to race a lot better and make more passes. The cars are sliding around a lot more, it puts it more in the drivers' hands. It showcases the drivers' talent.
“It's a very rough and bumpy race track, which is going to challenge the crew chiefs in getting the setups right. So I think we're going to be putting on a very good show when we go back there.”
Bell just finished third Sunday at Las Vegas, which put him in third place in the playoff standings. There are two races left in NASCAR's Round of 8, at Talladega and Martinsville. Then the championship race featuring the final four drivers is Nov. 2 at Phoenix.
Chicagoland hosted a playoff race in September from 2011-17. Maybe NASCAR should throw in some of the so-called “Bear weather” and put the championship race in Joliet in November one of these years. If they're lucky, maybe there will be some snow flurries.
“I'd be down for it,” Bell said. “I think Chicagoland would be a great addition to our playoff schedule.”