The Southern California market is waiting to be tapped by NASCAR following the removal of Auto Club Speedway and the L.A. Coliseum from the Cup Series calendar. It could soon happen with San Diego touted as a potential destination to hold a street race akin to the one held on the streets of Chicago.
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The 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney gave his take on this in a recent episode of the Team Blaney podcast. He said, “We’ll see if it does happen or not. But, yeah, I think that’s fine. I mean, I think they’ve proven that they can go to these street races and build racetracks and put on great shows. I think it’s a good market for us out there.”
Like many of his fellow competitors, Blaney was a big fan of Auto Club Speedway. He would just be glad to have it back in some form. NASCAR has expressed interest this year in exploring “unique and new” street course circuits. Despite being plagued by rain, the first two Chicago street races were reported to have a significant economic impact.
NASCAR was also very pleased with how the inaugural race in Mexico City unfolded. Riding a streak of bold and popular schedule moves, expectations are high for the next step. Also vying for a spot on the calendar alongside San Diego are Montreal, Philadelphia, and Denver. It remains to be seen which city will grab the prize.
A source told the San Diego Union-Tribune last week, “Schedule negotiations are one of the best-kept secrets in NASCAR. There is always speculation at this time of year as to where NASCAR is going. But no one knows.” In the organization’s eyes, San Diego is a destination similar to Las Vegas. This is what makes it more attractive than the other options out there.
Also, this is the final year of the contract that NASCAR signed with the city of Chicago to hold races on its streets. If the deal isn’t renewed, the Cup Series might race at the Chicagoland Speedway. Blaney is one driver who would be extremely thrilled if that came to be.
He said, “I wish we go back to Chicagoland. That place is great. It puts on a great race. I don’t know why we stopped going there in the first place. I guess, I do know. They wanted to go to the city of Chicago and not Joliet. I would love to see that track come back personally.”
The official schedule for the 2026 Cup Series season is expected soon, which should put an end to the speculation.
