With an illustrious history and an exciting future, auto racing is a major player in the Land of Lincoln
Auto racing in the United States may trace its roots to the south, but as time advances and the sport grows, it has steadily crept northward.
Currently, Illinois is enjoying its moment in the auto racing spotlight as the Land of Lincoln recently hosted two major NASCAR events and has a long history of hosting top-flight motorsports competitions.
The most famous of late, the Grant Park 220, was a first-of-its-kind NASCAR street race held in July in Chicago. This event was the first street course race in NASCAR’s 75-year history and competed on a two-mile course in downtown Chicago featuring 12 turns with the front passing scenic Lake Michigan. This historic event reportedly brought in more than $113 million in economic impact to Chicago.
Another major NASCAR competition held in Illinois is the Enjoy Illinois 300, which first took place in June 2022 and again in June 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, near the Illinois-Missouri border. The Enjoy Illinois 300 marked the first time the NASCAR Cup Series visited World Wide Technology Raceway, a 1.25-mile track that has been hosting NASCAR-sanctioned events since 1997. In 2014, the track became a permanent fixture on the NASCAR Camping World Truck series schedule.
Other Top Racing Tracks in Illinois
While NASCAR events have grabbed the latest headlines, Illinois also sports a slew of excellent racecourses that feature top-level professional and amateur racing.
- Route 66 Raceway in Joliet consists of a $20 million, quarter-mile dragstrip and a 3/8-mile dirt oval racetrack. It hosts National Hot Rod Association events including the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Opened in 1998, the 250-acre facility houses a 30,000-seat grandstand that features 40 rows of fully backed seats.
- Neighboring Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet is a $130 million, 1.5-mile speedway that sits on 930 acres of land, large enough to accommodate 42 United Centers (Home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks). It provides 700 acres of free parking for 50,000 vehicles and hosts major events including the Chicagoland 400 (part of the NASCAR Cup Series), Chicagoland 300 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) and the Chicagoland 225 (NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series).
- Less than 30 miles West in Morris is the Grundy County Speedway, a 1/3-mile-high banked paved oval track that hosts late model, sportsman, street stock and pure stock races. This track first hosted auto racing in 1926 when a 15-mile race for amateurs with a $175 purse was held.
- About two hours west is Cordova Dragway in Cordova, part of the Quad Cities. This track is an International Hot Rod Association quarter mile drag racing facility along the Mississippi River. Built in 1956, it is one of the oldest drag strips in the country and hosts weekend drag racing events from April through October. It regularly hosts the World Series of Drag Racing.
- Downstate about 100 miles, the Peoria Speedway offers dirt track racing and consists of a quarter-mile dirt oval with high banking. The speedway held its first race in 1950 and throughout the years has raced numerous classes like Late Models, Modifieds, Pro Street Stocks and Hornets. It has been home to the Illinois State Championship since 1952.
- Located at the Logan County Fairgrounds in nearby Lincoln, the Lincoln Speedway is a quarter-mile dirt race track that opened in 2004. After running races sanctioning by the United Midwestern Promoters, it switched to DIRTcar sanction and today, fans show up in droves to watch an array of different cars race on Friday and Saturday evenings.
- An hour southwest of Lincoln, the Jacksonville Speedway is a racetrack on the Morgan County Fairgrounds and features a grandstand that can seat 2,000. This speedway, which was established in 1912 and has hosted racing since 1949, has an illustrious history and a prosperous present, as attendance has grown in recent years.
- Thirty-five miles east of Jacksonville resides Springfield, Illinois’ state capital. Springfield is home to the Illinois State Fairgrounds, which hosts the annual Illinois State Fair. On this 366-acre site is a one-mile clay oval motor racetrack nicknamed The Springfield Mile. The grandstand was rebuilt in 1927 and is known for holding an assortment of concerts, horse, automobile and motorcycle races and tractor pulls. It features 8,912 permanent seats, which are roofed by a large metal truss. In addition, there are 2,700 bleacher seats that have a supported canopy covering. This grandstand has the capacity to hold over 13,000 people. The races at the fairgrounds date to the 1950s and have carried the Automobile Racing Club of America sanction since the early 1980s. The 2023 Progressive American Flat season concluded in epic fashion on Labor Day weekend with the Springfield Mile I and II. Long considered the crown jewel of the Progressive AFT schedule, the Springfield Mile offers up the perfect blend of speed and strategy tied to history and tradition.
- Granite City sits near the bottom of the state and features the Tri-City Speedway, a 3/8-mile dirt oval which is measured 20 feet from the outside wall. The new track sports 10 degrees banking in the corners and is 70 feet wide. Camping is allowed at the speedway, however, there are no hookups.
- Even further south is the charming city of Du Quoin, which lays claim to the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack. This track, a one-mile clay oval deemed the Magic Mile, held its first national championship race in 1948. The track is a stop on the ARCA Menards Series, USAC Silver Crown Series and American Flat Track.
Illinois still has plenty to offer racers and race fans, especially with Nascar coming to Chicago, so be sure to read our Illinois Sports Guide and Subscribe to Sports Planning Guide for more information
