COMBS: A Return to Racing in the Buckeye State
- Andrew Combs
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
On July 23rd, 2025, NASCAR officially announced their newest race in Southern California around Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, with the track set to utilize the airfield as part of NASCAR's next street race adventure in 2026. This comes after NASCAR considered several
cities such as Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Seattle to replace the race in Chicago.
In a letter written to Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson, race president Julie Giese made the clear intention of a return to Chicago the following year.
Our goal is for the Chicago Street Race to return in 2027 with an event that further enhances the experience for residents and visitors alike, as we work together towards a new potential date, shorter build schedule, and additional tourism draws.1
The return to the Chicago market feels inevitable, with the rumor that Chicagoland Speedway will see a return to the schedule in the place of Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. With that being said, one state that formerly hosted the second and third tiers of NASCAR racing is noticeably missing from the current calendar, and I believe a case could be made for its importance to be on the schedule. While I might be biased as it is my home state, NASCAR needs to be in the state of Ohio.
In 2013, NASCAR brought two of their national touring series to the Buckeye state, with the Xfinity Series heading to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Craftsman Truck Series to Eldora Speedway, marking the first time a NASCAR national series would run a race on dirt since 1970. However, both series time in the state would be short lived, with the last race in the state being run in 2023 and the Cup Series never running a points-paying event in the state. The seventh largest state by population in the United States, with its rich motorsport culture and history, now lacks inclusion in the most popular form of racing in the country.
I think it's important to mention there is no shortage of motorsport interest in the state. Currently the state hosts three scheduled stops for the Real American Beer World of Outlaws Late Models; five stops for the Kubota High Limit Sprint Car Series and Lucas Oil Late Model Series; eight stops for the NOS World of Outlaws Sprint Cars; and an annual stop with NTT Indycar Series at Mid-Ohio. Furthermore, the city of Dayton, one of the state's largest cities, has one of the highest household ratings for NBC's coverage of NASCAR.2 Ohio loves its motor racing, so why don't they have a race?
The most utilized reason that I have seen is that every major market in the state has a NASCAR event within "driving distance". Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus all sit under three hours from Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Cleveland and Akron both sit roughly three hours from Michigan International Speedway, and Toledo being the closest of all of these tracks being just over an hour from MIS. While true, the argument of driving distance now feels like a moot point.
Chicagoland Speedway is less than an hour outside of downtown Chicago, so distance isn't the issue there. It's about something else.
The street race was designed to capture a new audience and be able to bring an event directly to their doorstep, which would be a great way to bring racing back to Ohio. So where should NASCAR take the street race in Ohio?
Although Dayton was one of NBC's top markets for NASCAR and I consider it my home city, it doesn't have the infrastructure for an event of this scale. As mentioned prior, several cities were considered for the second edition of NASCAR's street race. One of those cities was Cincinnati, which I believe is the ideal choice. I previously would have said no to this idea, favoring a return to Kentucky Speedway, just down the road in Sparta, Kentucky. However, recent rezoning appeals for the track's property might be the final nail in the coffin for the only major track in the Cincinnati Metro area.
The speedway faced several challenges during its hosting of major events, mainly being its surrounding infrastructure and major traffic problems. I remember sitting in traffic for hours after races were over there, while at Mid-Ohio it wouldn't take more than 20-30 minutes to get out of the parking lot. The lack of hotel availability in the surrounding areas often meant long travel times post race on top of the traffic problem. Not to mention that the property currently is used by Ford for excess inventory and storage. Kentucky Speedway does hold a dear spot in my heart as it was the first place I ever got to watch a NASCAR Cup race, but sadly it looks like we'll have to move on.
A race in downtown Cincinnati could be the solution to recapturing that market, being the closest major city to that track. Not to mention that Cincinnati would provide a more convenient location for several other markets in the area, being situated roughly an hour and a half or closer from Columbus, Louisville, Lexington, and the aforementioned Dayton.
Additionally, Cincinnati has a rich sports culture and proven ability to host large scale sporting events. The city plays host to three top tier teams: the Reds of Major League Baseball, the Bengals of the National Football League, and FC Cincinnati of Major League Soccer. The city has played host to multiple large-scale sporting events, including the 2015 MLB All Star Weekend at Great American Ball Park and CONCACAF Champions Cup matches for FC Cincinnati.
FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium, which completed construction in 2021, has played host to many U.S. Men's and Women's National Team matches and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The city also has received international recognition from clubs who played in the Club World Cup, including from 17-time Austrian Bundesliga champion club FC Red Bull Salzburg, calling Cincinnati "Ohio's sports pearl." 4
While nothing is perfect, I think Cincinnati is as ideal of a location as it could get for racing in Ohio. Until a more permanent option for racing in the Buckeye state can be found, Cincinnati
should be considered a top target market for NASCAR and the next location for the NASCAR Street Race.
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