NASCAR Weekend Canceled At Chicagoland Speedway

JOLIET, IL — Joliet's local news radio station WJOL broke the news Friday morning that the Chicagoland Speedway on Laraway Road will not be hosting its annual NASCAR Cup Series weekend next month, another setback to the Joliet area economy.

This year's race weekend was set for June 18-21. Earlier this week, WJOL also reported that coronavirus was to blame for "a large reduction in staff" at the speedway. Staff were reportedly informed of the reductions on Wednesday.

Don't miss updates about precautions in the Joliet area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

On Friday, NASCAR officials issued the following statement on its website: “Due to the current pandemic, NASCAR has faced several difficult decisions, including realigning race dates from several race tracks. These decisions were made following thorough collaboration with local and state government officials from across the country, including the areas of the affected race tracks. We thank all our fans for their support, and we look forward to our return to racing.”

NASCAR announced the Chicagoland’s NASCAR Cup Series race set for June 21 has been reassigned to Darlington on May 17.

Additionally, NASCAR said the 1.5-mile Joliet track’s Xfinity Series race set for June 20 will be May 19 at Darlington.

Joliet's racetrack was also supposed to host the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series on June 19 and ARCA Menards Series on June 18. Those races will be given new dates in the coming days, according to NASCAR.

For the past two decades, Joliet's Chicagoland Speedway track has been a huge asset for the Joliet area economy. NASCAR weekend draws tens of thousands of racing fans from all over the country to stay at Joliet area hotels and visit local restaurants, bars and businesses during their stay.

Related:
Illinois Coronavirus Update May 8: 3,111 Deaths
Reopening Illinois: 6 Things You Should Know
On More Moe On West Jefferson Street?