Chicagoland Speedway

Circuit History

Chicago had long been an untapped area for oval racing and various proposals came and went over the years without reaching fruition. Proposed venues in Kankakee, backed at various stages by Pocono Raceway owner Joe Mattioli and A.J. Foyt, and the Quad Cities, with support from Bruton Smith, fizzled out for financial reasons without ever breaking ground. Against this backdrop, in 1995 Bill France's International Speedway Corporation and Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George formed an alliance to search for a suitable site for racing.

Under the banner of the Motorsports Alliance, various sites were explored but each met with a similar lack of success, until Indycar team owner Dale Coyne stepped in to put the group in touch with local officials in Joliet, to the southwest of Chicago. Coyne had successfully built Route 66 Raceway, a drag strip and dirt oval facility, in the area and suggested the land adjacent might be favourable. An impact study revealed the new speedway would generate $300 million for the Joliet and Will County region and create over 3,000 jobs.

Joliet city council unanimously approved the speedway proposals on January 19, 1999 and Will County signalled their approval by extending an enterprise zone in order to give a tax break to the speedway developers. In May of that year, the Motorsports Alliance combined with Route 66 Raceway to form Raceway Associates with Coyne as president alongside George and France. Joie Chitwood III was named vice president and general manager of the massive facility. With all of the pieces finally in place, development of the 1.5 mile speedway could now begin in earnest.

Architecture and engineering firm HNTB, which had built stadiums and arenas such as the RCA Dome, Los Angeles Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, was selected to lead the design of the facility, while Bovis Lend Lease headed the construction of the speedway. Workers moved onto site in August 1999 and groundbreaking took place on September 28, 1999.

Circuit hosts NASCAR and IRL events

By May 2000, the new venue had been officially named as Chicagoland Speedway and the first races announced as Winston Cup, Busch, and IRL events. Construction continued throughout the year and into 2001, with completion in spring 2001. The circuit was officially opened on Saturday, June 23 in a special 'meet your seat' day attended by around 6,000 eager fans, who watch on as Joliet Mayor Arthur Schultz cut the ceremonial ribbon.

The NASCAR Tropicana 400 quickly became a sell-out event and the IRL event was also popular, with the track quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most competitive oval circuits in the IRL calendar. Many races saw extremely tight racing and close finishes, most notably 2002 when Sam Hornish, Jr. edged Al Unser, Jr. in a photo finish, officially by .0024 seconds, the closest in Indycar history. The battle had raged for the final 22 laps as the pair headed a huge ten-car two-abreast drafting pack. The following year's race was just as close, with Hornish again the victor, this time by .0099 seconds from Scott Dixon and Bryan Herta in a three-wide finish.

The Chicagoland race became the Indycar finale from 2006 to 2008, witnessing an epic battle for the title between Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon in 2007, resolved when the New Zealander ran out of fuel on the last lap, handing the race win and title to Franchitti.

Indycar officials elected to drop Chicagoland from its schedule in 2011, leaving NASCAR as the major draw. In 2008, the track installed lighting allowing a switch to night racing for its Sprint Cup race and two Nationwide races, while the racing calendar is rounded out by a round of the Truck Series and a 150-mile ARCA race.

Closure—and a surprise return

Racing ground to a halt in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all events cancelled and much of the staff laid off. On 29 September 2020, NASCAR confirmed Chicagoland Speedway’s removal from future schedules, its Cup Series date reassigned to Road America.

Though not formally closed, the circuit entered a dormant state. The circuit was used as a storage facility by Ford in 2021 for unfinished new vehicles during the microchip shortages of the post-COVID era, while there was a one-off SuperMotocross event in 2023. Documents published by Joliet city officials indicated that warehouse developments were being considered for the site, casting serious doubt on any longer-term racing return.

Yet in a surprise twist, NASCAR announced in August 2025 that Chicagoland Speedway would be reinstated to the Cup Series calendar in 2026. While full details are pending, the venue is set to undergo essential maintenance and upgrades to meet modern event standards. The decision forms part of a wider strategic shift to balance traditional oval venues with newer street circuits, and has been welcomed by fans eager to see high-speed pack racing return to the Illinois tri-oval.

With its reactivation confirmed, Chicagoland Speedway looks set to regain its place as one of America’s most competitive ovals—proof that some circuits are capable of a Lazarus-style resurrection.

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