Mexico City will not return to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule during the 2026 season, according to a new report from Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, which cites multiple sources, on Wednesday morning.
If the report ultimately proves to be correct, and there’s no reason to expect it not to be, as Bianchi has had the earliest release of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for the last several years, it’ll mean that Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is one and done.
With Mexico City not returning, Bianchi’s report states that NASCAR is attempting to finalize plans to bring the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval back to the schedule in 2026.
Earlier this month, NASCAR announced that it was hitting the pause button on the Chicago Street Race, which had been contested in each of the last three seasons, in 2026, but that it hopes for a return to the streets of Chicago in 2027.
Chicagoland Speedway, which sits nearly 50 miles away from downtown Chicago, would give NASCAR representation in the area, and the track would make its triumphant return after dropping off the NASCAR Cup Series schedule following the 2019 season.
Chicagoland Speedway hosted races from 2001 to 2019.
The Chicagoland Speedway aspect of the report confirms longstanding speculation, which has swirled essentially all season long, that NASCAR could bring the 1.5-mile speedway back in 2026.
To read the full report from Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, click here.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is taking shape before our very eyes, and the pieces of the puzzle have been snapping together seemingly each and every day. Expect the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule sooner rather than later, which has led Jeff Gluck, a member of the NASCAR Playoff Committee, to believe NASCAR will be forced to keep the Playoff format, which it has had hopes of altering for 2026, the same next season.
