.png){kind=logo} | |
 Tri-oval (2001–present) | |
| Location | 500 Speedway Boulevard,Joliet, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°28′29″N88°03′26″W / 41.47472°N 88.05722°W /41.47472; -88.05722 |
| Capacity | 47,000 |
| Owner | NASCAR (2019–present) |
| Broke ground | September 28, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-09-28) |
| Opened | July 12, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-07-12) |
| Construction cost | $130 millionUSD |
| Major events | Future NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 400 (2001–2019, 2026) NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Chicagoland 300 (2001–2019, 2026) Owens Corning AttiCat 300 (2011–2015) Former: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Camping World 225 (2009–2019) IndyCar Series Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 (2001–2010) International Race of Champions (2002–2003) |
| Website | chicagolandspeedway |
| Tri-oval (2001–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.520 mi (2.446 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns: 18° Frontstretch: 11° Backstretch: 5° |
| Race lap record | 0:24.4216 (224.067 mph (360.601 km/h)) ( Buddy Rice,Dallara IR-02,2002,IndyCar) |
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.500 mi (2.414 km) tri-ovalintermediate speedway inJoliet, Illinois. It has hosted various major races throughout its existence, includingNASCAR andIndyCar races. It features a 47,000-seat capacity as of 2019. The track is currently owned byNASCAR and led by track general manager Jacqueline Herrera.
During the 1990s stock car racing boom,NASCAR, theIndianapolis Motor Speedway, andMenards formed the Motorsports Alliance to find a new market to construct an intermediate oval, eventually deciding on the Chicago market. After failed proposals at theDuPage Airport and the town ofPlano, the city of Joliet was chosen after the Alliance partnered with theRoute 66 Raceway in 1999. Construction began within the year and was completed in 2001. After 18 years of racing, due to low attendance, all major racing at the facility stopped. From 2020 until 2025, with the exception of a one-offSuperMotocross race in 2023, the facility stayed largely dormant. In 2025, NASCAR announced the revival of the track with the return of the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026.
Chicagoland Speedway in its current form is measured at 1.5 miles (2.4 km), with 18° of banking in the track's turns, 11° of banking on the frontstretch, and 5° of banking on the backstretch.[1] Unlike mostintermediate oval tracks, the backstretch is a singular continuous curve instead of a straight line.[2] The track's length has been disputed by varying sanctioning bodies;NASCAR utilized a length of 1.5 miles (2.4 km)[1] while theIndyCar Series utilized a length of 1.52 miles (2.45 km).[3]
Chicagoland Speedway is located inJoliet, Illinois, and is served byIllinois Route 53 andInterstate 80.[4] As of 2019, the facility has a seating capacity of 47,000 according toForbes.[5] The entire facility encompasses approximately 930 acres (380 ha) of land according to theJournal Star.[2]
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In December 1996,DuPage Airport officials began hearing proposals of the construction of a potential racing facility on land owned by the airport.[6] Out of three proposals, the one chosen by the airport's board was a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) intermediate oval funded by the Motorsports Alliance, a partnership betweenInternational Speedway Corporation (ISC), theIndianapolis Motor Speedway, andMenards.[7] Initial plans for the $50 million proposal included seating capacity for 40–80 thousand and an opening date in 1999.[8] The proposed racetrack quickly faced opposition; by February 1997, numerous anti-racetrack groups were formed, including inWest Chicago andGeneva.[9] Two months later, the plan was killed after numerous factors, including increasing public opposition, concerns about the track's environmental impact, and disagreements between DuPage Airport officials and the Motorsports Alliance in lease revenues made the location unfeasible.[10] In August 1997, the Motorsports Alliance announced plans to pursue a location in eitherPlano, Illinois, or northwestIndiana.[11] By February 1998, the proposal was narrowed to Plano;[12] however, by January 1999, the plan was scrapped in favor for a proposal inJoliet, Illinois.[13][14]
On January 6, 1999,The Charlotte Observer reported that the Motorsports Alliance was seeking to annex 930 acres (380 ha) in Joliet, with a hearing scheduled on the 19th for its approval.[13] The location was later revealed to be a plot of land northeast of theRoute 66 Raceway, with the owners of Route 66 Raceway partnering with the Alliance's proposal.[15] On the 19th, the Joliet City Council unanimously approved the $100 million, 75,000-seat project.[16] Within the month, the Motorsports Alliance spurred efforts for the plot of land to be included into the Des Plaines River Valley Enterprise Zone for a tax break worth up to $10 million over 10 years,[17] which was fully approved four months later.[18] In response to local residents' concerns regarding traffic, in February, the Alliance promised to invest $3.7 million towards nearby road improvements.[19] In May, the Alliance announced plans to start construction in the summer of 1999 and open sometime in 2001.[20] That same month, the Alliance and Route 66 Raceway ownerDale Coyne formed a joint company named Raceway Associates to run the facility, with the Alliance owning 75% and Coyne owning 25%.[21] Two months later, NASCAR executiveMike Helton confirmed discussions about adding a potentialNASCAR Winston Cup Series to their schedule for the 2001 season.[22] By August,earthmovers began preparing the land for groundbreaking.[23]
Groundbreaking on the facility occurred on September 28, 1999, with NASCAR driverDale Earnhardt appearing as adignitary.[24] On May 8, 2000, track officials officially confirmed the addition of the facility to both theNASCAR Winston Cup Series and theIndy Racing League (IRL) for 2001; additionally, the track was also formally named as the "Chicagoland Speedway",[25] withJoie Chitwood III being named as the general manager of the track.[26] By September 2000, construction on the facility was "more than half done" according toSouthtown Star writer John Debberstein,[27] with the track itself being described as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) oval with 18.5° of banking in the track's turns, 11° of banking on the frontstretch, and 5° of banking on the backstretch.[28] The first tests done on the facility were conducted on October 26, with driversJohn Andretti andScott Sharp driving a NASCAR Cup car and Indy-car, respectively.[29] On February 1, 2001, the only construction fatality occurred when worker Ehren Brandau fell while installing windows to a skybox.[30][31] By the end of its construction, the entire facility cost approximately $130 million (adjusted for inflation, $230,853,223).[32][33]
Chicagoland Speedway officially opened to the public on July 12, 2001, for practice sessions for the2001 Tropicana 400, a Cup Series race.[34] The track's first race, aNASCAR Busch Series (now called the Xfinity Series) race, was run two days later withJimmie Johnson winning the first race at the track.[35] A day later, the Tropicana 400 was run, withKevin Harvick winning the first highlight race at the facility.[36] The track's first Indy Racing League (now called the IndyCar Series) occurred on September 2, withJaques Lazier winning the event.[37] A year later, the track recorded the closest finish in IndyCar history, withSam Hornish Jr. winner overAl Unser Jr. by 0.0024 seconds.[38] In 2003, Matthew Alexander replaced Chitwood as the general manager of Chicagoland Speedway.[‡ 1] The following year,SAFER barriers were installed throughout the entire outside perimeter of the track at a cost of approximately $1.5 million.[39][40]
In February 2007, ISC bought out Raceway Associates for $102.4 million, taking full control over both Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway.[‡ 2] A month later, Alexander was promoted to president of the speedway.[‡ 1] Within the year, Alexander announced the installation of lights to accommodate night racing;[41] the $17 million installation was completed in time for the2008 LifeLock.com 400.[42] In 2009, Alexander stepped down as president of the speedway, with Craig Rust replacing Alexander.[43] Rust's tenure was brief; he stepped down in September 2010[44] and was replaced by Scott Paddock four months later.[45] In the 2010s, the track underwent two seating capacity declines due to attendance declines: one in 2013 that decreased capacity to 55,000,[46] and one in 2019 that decreased capacity to 47,000.[47] Also in 2019, the facility was bought out byNASCAR when the sanctioning body bought out ISC.[48]
Although a NASCAR Cup Series race was scheduled in 2020, the race was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[49] In May 2020, plans were made to convert 82 acres (33 ha) of the facility's parking lots into warehouse storage;[50] however, the plan faced opposition from the Joliet City Council Economic Development Committee[51] and was rejected by the Joliet Plan Commission in August.[52] In September, NASCAR announced that all three national series would not return to Chicagoland Speedway for the 2021 season, leaving the track with an uncertain future.[53] Paddock resigned as president a month later.[54] The track was left widely dormant in the following years after NASCAR's departure. In 2022, the track was used to store vehicles awaiting computer chips from theFord Motor Company in the midst of the2021 global semiconductor shortage.[55] The following year, theSuperMotocross World Championship announced that they would host races at the facility for their 2023 season.[56] The event ran in September, becoming the first motorsports event at the facility in over four years.[57][58]
On July 30, 2025,The Athletic reported that the Cup Series was expected to return to the facility in 2026 following the removal ofa race at theChicago Street Course.[59] The series' return was officially announced a month later, with NASCAR scheduling Cup Series, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and ARCA Series races on Independence Day weekend of the 2026 NASCAR season. The Cup Series race is scheduled to be the first Cup Series race at the facility since 2019.[60][61] In November, Jacqueline "Jacque" Herrera, previously the director of community relations for the Chicago Street Course, was appointed as the general manager of the track.[62]
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Chicagoland Speedway is scheduled to host an annualNASCAR weekend highlighted by aNASCAR Cup Series race starting in 2026; the first race at the facility since 2019.[63] The track is also scheduled to host aNASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race.[63] Chicagoland Speedway formerly hosted aNASCAR Truck Series race last known as theCamping World 225[64] alongside another standalone NASCAR O'Reilly Series race last known as theOwens Corning AttiCat 300.[65][66]
From 2001 to 2010, Chicagoland Speedway hosted one annualIndyCar Series weekend: thePeak Antifreeze Indy 300. In 2006, the race was moved to become the season finale of the IndyCar season.[67] The move lasted for three seasons; in 2009, the season finale was switched for theHomestead–Miami Speedway.[68] The race was dropped after the 2010 season.[69]
From May 24–26, 2013, Chicagoland Speedway held a branch of theElectric Daisy Carnival, drawing an attendance of approximately 65,000.[72][73]
As of June 2019, the fastest official race lap records at Chicagoland Speedway are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-Oval: 2.446 km (2001–present)[74] | ||||
| IndyCar | 0:24.4216 | Buddy Rice | Dallara IR-02 | 2002 Delphi Indy 300 |
| Indy Lights | 0:28.3159[75] | Travis Gregg | Dallara IPS | 2004 Chicagoland Indy Lights round |
| NASCAR Cup | 0:29.736[76] | Kyle Busch | Toyota Camry | 2017 Tales of the Turtles 400 |
| NASCAR O'Reilly Series | 0:30.864[77] | Cole Custer | Ford Mustang | 2019 Camping World 300 |
| NASCAR Truck | 0:30.896[78] | Brett Moffitt | Chevrolet Silverado | 2019 Camping World 225 |
Media related toChicagoland Speedway at Wikimedia Commons
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