Nascar will not race in Chicago, but rather in San Diego next year. The announcement is a sign that Nascar is getting more creative and is willing to take major risks.

The event returns NASCAR to Southern California. NASCAR raced at California Speedway in Fontana — about 50 miles east of Los Angeles — from 1997-2020, skipping 2021 and returning in 2022 and 2023. That track was closed after 2023 and part of its land sold. A plan was to convert the 2-mile track to a short track but that has not been done.

NASCAR will celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday next Father’s Day Weekend with a three-day program at Naval Base Coronado capped by the first Cup race ever at an active military facility. The sports car governing body made the official announcement Wednesday morning.