Chicagoland Speedway in its current form is measured at 1.5 miles (2.4 km). The track has 18° of banking in its turns, 11° of banking on the frontstretch, and 5° of banking on the backstretch. Unlike most intermediate oval tracks, the backstretch is a singular continuous curve. The track's length has been disputed by varying sanctioning bodies; NASCAR utilized a length of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) while the IndyCar Series utilized a length of 1.52 miles (2.45 km).
Chicagoland Speedway is located in Joliet, Illinois, and is served by Illinois Route 53 and Interstate 80. As of 2019, the facility has a seating capacity of 47,000. The entire facility encompasses approximately 930 acres (380 ha) of land.
During the 1990s stock car racing boom, NASCAR, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Menards formed the Motorsports Alliance to find a new market for an intermediate oval. After failed proposals at the DuPage Airport and the town of Plano, Illinois, the city of Joliet was chosen after the Alliance partnered with the Route 66 Raceway in 1999. Construction began within the year and was completed in 2001. The Joliet City Council unanimously approved the $100 million, 75,000-seat project on January 19, 1999. Groundbreaking occurred on September 28, 1999, with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt appearing as a dignitary. On May 8, 2000, track officials confirmed the addition of the facility to both the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the Indy Racing League (IRL) for 2001, and the track was formally named Chicagoland Speedway. Joie Chitwood III was named the general manager. The entire facility cost approximately $130 million by the end of its construction.
Chicagoland Speedway officially opened to the public on July 12, 2001, for practice sessions for the 2001 Tropicana 400. The track's first race, a NASCAR Busch Series race, was run two days later with Jimmie Johnson winning. The Tropicana 400 was won by Kevin Harvick a day later. The track's first Indy Racing League race occurred on September 2, with Jaques Lazier winning. In 2002, the track recorded the closest finish in IndyCar history, with Sam Hornish Jr. winning over Al Unser Jr. by 0.0024 seconds. In 2003, Matthew Alexander replaced Chitwood as general manager. SAFER barriers were installed in 2004. In February 2007, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) bought out Raceway Associates for $102.4 million, taking full control over both Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway. Alexander was promoted to president a month later and announced the installation of lights for night racing, completed in time for the 2008 LifeLock.com 400. Craig Rust replaced Alexander in 2009, and Scott Paddock replaced Rust in 2010. Due to attendance declines, seating capacity decreased to 55,000 in 2013 and to 47,000 in 2019. In 2019, NASCAR bought out ISC, acquiring the facility.
After 18 years of racing, due to low attendance, all major racing at the facility stopped. A NASCAR Cup Series race scheduled for 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, NASCAR announced that all three national series would not return to Chicagoland Speedway for the 2021 season. The track was left widely dormant from 2020 until 2025, with the exception of a one-off SuperMotocross race in 2023. In 2022, the track was used to store vehicles from the Ford Motor Company due to the 2021 global semiconductor shortage. On July 30, 2025, The Athletic reported that the Cup Series was expected to return in 2026. The return was officially announced a month later, with NASCAR scheduling Cup Series, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and ARCA Series races on Independence Day weekend of the 2026 NASCAR season. The Cup Series race is scheduled to be the first Cup Series race at the facility since 2019. In November, Jacqueline Herrera was appointed as the general manager of the track.
Chicagoland Speedway is scheduled to host an annual NASCAR weekend highlighted by the NASCAR Cup Series' eero 400 starting in 2026. The track is also scheduled to host a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race. Chicagoland Speedway formerly hosted a NASCAR Truck Series race, last known as the Camping World 225, and another standalone NASCAR O'Reilly Series race, last known as the Owens Corning AttiCat 300.
From 2001 to 2010, Chicagoland Speedway hosted one annual IndyCar Series weekend: the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300. From 2002 to 2003, Chicagoland Speedway hosted the International Race of Champions (IROC). In 2023, the facility hosted the second round of the SuperMotocross World Championship.
From May 24–26, 2013, Chicagoland Speedway held a branch of the Electric Daisy Carnival, drawing an attendance of approximately 65,000.
As of June 2019, the fastest official race lap records at Chicagoland Speedway are listed.
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