NASCAR released an official statement announcing a pause on the Chicago street race in 2026. The event has been dropped from the sport's calendar for next year so that NASCAR could work with the City of Chicago to form a plan that "further optimizes operational efficiencies." The objective is to bring the street race back in 2027.

In a letter Friday to Mayor Brandon Johnson, NASCAR said it is pausing the race because it needs more time to try to reschedule the event and reduce the build-out and breakdown of the pop-up

NASCAR officials are pausing the annual Fourth of July weekend race next year to work on finding a new date and optimizing its setup and break-down of the course.