NASCAR is gearing up for a high‑profile Fourth of July weekend, bringing its premier series back to Chicagoland Speedway after a multi‑year hiatus.
A packed schedule across three days
Friday will kick off with the ARCA Menards Series, which will run a full slate of practice, qualifying and a main race, giving fans an early taste of the weekend’s action.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will follow with practice on Friday, then move into qualifying and its own main race on Saturday, setting the stage for the weekend’s climax.
The NASCAR Cup Series caps the weekend on Sunday, with practice on Friday, a Saturday qualifying session and a Sunday main race that draws the sport’s biggest audience.
Track characteristics
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5‑mile intermediate oval known for its steep 18‑degree banking in the turns, 11‑degree banking on the tri‑oval and a 5‑degree stretch on the backstraight, features that reward high‑speed drafting and aggressive racing.
Notably, the Truck Series will not be on the schedule this weekend, focusing the event on the other three divisions and allowing teams to concentrate on the featured series.
The return of NASCAR to Chicagoland adds a patriotic element to the holiday weekend, with fans expected to combine celebrations with high‑octane competition on the Illinois venue.