NASCAR Mailbag: Chicago Street Race’s future, Trackhouse’s decision and more

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With the NASCAR Cup Series pausing for the only time this season before returning for 28 consecutive weeks, now is a good time to tackle reader questions about the sport. And there is no shortage of topics to address.

(Editor’s note: Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.)

What is the plan/rumors for the Chicago Street Race date in 2026? Is there another city looming as a frontrunner for a street race, and/or will Chicagoland be back? — Bill H.

NASCAR’s three-year contract with Chicago to race downtown expires at the end of the current season, with the deal containing options that could see the partnership continue past 2025. It’s not clear whether NASCAR will return next year, but there is a growing sense in the garage that it may be time to conclude the partnership — lest diminishing returns begin to set in, much like how the Clash was shifted away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after three years.

If NASCAR decides to end its successful first venture to race downtown in a major city, what’s next? Does it fill the created hole on the schedule by seeking a new city to host a street-course race, or add another oval?

NASCAR has made it clear they want to race in Southern California, with sources involved in the discussions indicating San Diego has been explored as a host for a street-course race. It’s unclear if a deal could come together in time for 2026, and there are other markets NASCAR is exploring, including the long-untapped Pacific Northwest.

Looking at oval options, a return to the Chicagoland Speedway certainly makes sense for multiple reasons. Although the track is located in Joliet, Illinois, it is still close enough to Chicago for NASCAR to maintain a presence in the United States’ third-largest market. That’s key. And Chicagoland, at a mile-and-a-half and with a worn surface, is an ideal fit for the Next Gen car, so the likelihood of a stellar race is high.

Yes, Chicagoland needs some upgrades, as can be expected for a facility that last hosted a Cup Series race in 2019. But those improvements aren’t deemed cost-prohibitive, according to league sources, and would be significantly less than what it costs to build and host a race in downtown Chicago.

From this perspective, if the Chicago Street Course isn’t on the 2026 schedule and San Diego is a year away, Chicagoland represents a worthy stopgap.

What do you think Trackhouse will do with Daniel Suárez at the end of the year? — Michael P.

Trackhouse’s Cup Series driver lineup next year hinges on whether the team feels 18-year-old wonderkid Connor Zilisch is ready for a promotion after just one year in the Xfinity Series. So far, he’s lived up to the hype that accompanied his arrival with one win and ranking third in laps led.

If Trackhouse elevates Zilisch, they would need to decide who to keep between Suárez or Shane van Gisbergen. (Ross Chastain has multiple years remaining on his contract.) A case could be made for and against either driver.

But Trackhouse also needs to demonstrate to Suárez it can provide him with consistently competitive equipment. Last summer, when Suárez announced he would return to Trackhouse in 2025, the driver made it known he opted for a one-year extension because he wanted to see the team, which once consistently fielded some of the fastest cars on the track, pull itself out of a performance downturn.

Of course, all this could be moot if Zilisch stays in Xfinity for a second year. In this instance, the runway is clear for Trackhouse to bring back both Suárez and van Gisbergen, kicking any decision a year down the road.

Will Daniel Suárez continue at Trackhouse beyond this year? It could depend on Connor Zilisch’s progress in the Xfinity Series. (Sean Gardner / Getty Images)

Do you expect Dodge to return to the Cup Series? If so, what team(s) are most likely to switch manufacturers? Possibly Trackhouse? — Rich S.

As The Athletic reported in February, Dodge is preparing to return to NASCAR in 2026 in the Truck Series. The manufacturer is then expected to advance to the Cup Series in short order — sources involved in the discussions say anywhere between one to three years is a reasonable timeline. An official announcement on these plans is anticipated sometime this summer.

Which teams will align with Dodge upon its arrival in Cup is to be determined. Looking at the current landscape, Trackhouse is an intriguing team any new manufacturer would want within its ranks. The team has shown it can win races, nearly won the 2022 championship, plus has a forward-thinking owner in Justin Marks whose approach would benefit a new manufacturer seeking to create an impression.

It also wouldn’t hurt Trackhouse to leave Chevrolet, where it will forever be underneath the Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut, to be a manufacturer’s flagship team.

How well do you think the Next Gen car would perform at Rockingham? Any plans on bringing the Cup Series back there soon? — Mathew P.

It has been reported that the Xfinity Series has sold out the Rockingham race this weekend. When was the last time the Xfinity Series sold out a race? How does this help play into a future Cup Series return? — Connor C.

Rockingham was once a mainstay on the Cup schedule before dropping off after the 2004 season and effectively closing its doors before reopening to host a single Truck Series race during the 2012 and 2013 seasons — though both were sparsely attended. And much like longtime fans pined for North Wilkesboro Speedway to again land a Cup date, there is a contingent of fans who’d like Rockingham to follow suit.

But should Rockingham be considered for a Cup race? It’s complicated.

First and foremost, fans need to attend. And not just this weekend but for future races as well, even after the novelty wears off.

Even then, a look at the map shows why it’s hard to see how Rockingham fits on the current Cup calendar. Presently, there are five tracks (Bowman Gray, Charlotte, Darlington, Martinsville and North Wilkesboro) two hours or less from NASCAR’s Charlotte, N.C., hub that host a combined eight races. This means 21 percent of the 38-race schedule is concentrated in this region. If NASCAR wants to expand its footprint across North America, adding to that logjam won’t help.

If the racing proves exceptional and the crowd support is stupendous, maybe NASCAR finds a way to slot in Rockingham on a future Cup schedule. But right now, the best-case scenario is for fans to enjoy Rockingham for what it is now, not wonder about future possibilities.

Regarding the last time an Xfinity Series race sold out, that would be last summer at Iowa Speedway.

How does NASCAR fix its attendance problem? On TV, it looked like Bristol and Martinsville were empty. — Rich S.

On the podcast, you often mention how much NASCAR is sustained by the TV money. To what degree? How thin are NASCAR’s margins because they’ve been willing to spend lots of money for new exploits (Chicago, L.A. Coliseum, Mexico City, etc.) — Jonathan P.

With NASCAR not publicizing attendance figures, it’s hard to know if the sport is facing a bigger overall problem or if Bristol and Martinsville should be considered outliers.

But any time this issue comes up, context matters. The weather was a factor; the forecast leading into Martinsville called for rain, which likely hurt walkup sales, and Bristol was both rainy and cold. Hard to fault fans for not wanting to come out for either race, and each track also has a second date that tends to resonate more with the ticket-buying public.

While having packed grandstands is important, it’s not the most important factor in NASCAR’s current health. The best barometer is television ratings, and on this front, the sport is doing well this season. Even though viewership was down this week, Bristol still was the second-most watched sport of the weekend, trailing only the Masters on CBS and ESPN, per data shared by NASCAR.

That NASCAR routinely ranks as the first- or second-most watched sport during the spring and holds its own against the NFL in the fall is why it recently signed a record media rights deal that generates billions. And this revenue is the lifeblood of the sport, allowing NASCAR to construct a purpose-built oval inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for $1 million-plus and a street circuit in downtown Chicago for an estimated $50 million.

When do you think the schedule will be coming out for next year, and where is one place you think would be a great fit to see them race? — Trevor S.

The schedule is typically released late summer, early fall. Expect a similar timeline this year.

As for which track not already on the schedule that would be a worthy addition, Chicagoland is the one that immediately jumps out. In its final years, it had evolved into a great showcase for what stock car racing should look like on an intermediate track and this was even with the previous generation of cars that didn’t often perform well on this type of track. Imagine how well the Next Gen car would do there.

Is Matt Kenseth still working with Legacy Motor Club? I remember seeing him a few times at the track after the announcement that he had joined the team, but haven’t heard anything recently. — Kevin K.

Yes, Matt Kenseth is still working with Legacy Motor Club on the competition side, where his many duties include effectively serving as a coach for LMC drivers Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. Kenseth was spotted inside one of the LMC haulers this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

(Top photo of the 2024 Chicago Street Race: Ben Hsu / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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