NASCAR Xfinity Series Replaces IMSA on Chicago Weekend

Image: NASCAR Chicago

IMSA will not race on the streets of Chicago next July as part of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race event, it has been confirmed.

It comes following news that the NASCAR Xfinity Series will join the NASCAR Cup Series for the July 1-2 event that had originally earmarked a yet-to-be-announced IMSA-sanctioned series for the support race.

An IMSA spokesperson confirmed to Sportscar365 the latest development following the issuing of the 2023 NASCAR schedules on Wednesday.

It’s unclear if IMSA gave up the slot for the July 1 race or if there was a push by the secondary NASCAR series to instead compete on the downtown streets.

IMSA President John Doonan stated in early August that “all options” were still open for the Chicago event despite the majority of its 2023 calendars having been confirmed at the time.

Sportscar365 understands that multiple IMSA-sanctioned series were under consideration at various stages, including the new-for-2023 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, which recently confirmed its full schedule.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by The Cayman Islands is the only series that’s yet to announce its schedule for next year.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John