4 Best Race Tracks in Illinois
Illinois offers a wide variety of motorsports parks that suit the needs of every type of car enthusiast. We’ve compiled this list of four great tracks in the state that offer something for spectators, beginners, and professionals, whether they prefer two wheels or four.
[wptab name=’Autobahn Country Club’]
Autobahn Country Club
Photo: Gavin Rice via Flickr
Autobahn Country Club
Cost of Admission: 1/2 Day Autobahn Experience: $619 per driver. Memberships, public events, and track rentals are available.
Location: 3795 CenterPoint Way, Joliet, IL 60436
Types of Events: Driving & Racing School, Exotic Car Experience, Track Rental, Go Kart Track, Corporate Events, Car Shows
Rules: No bicycles, roller blades, skateboards, fireworks, weapons, or camp fires. As a private track, only certain events are open to the public.
Autobahn Country Club is a private race track in Joliet that offers track experiences with controlled laps of exotic cars, track rentals, and driving schools. The memberships are fairly expensive, but come with many of the perks of having your own race track to play at. Although it’s a private track, there are several events that are open to the public, including the track experience in one of their sports cars, and each of the driving schools.
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[wptab name=’Chicagoland Speedway’]
Chicagoland Speedway
Photo: tequilamike via Flickr
Chicagoland Speedway
Cost of Admission: Variable – View 2015 ticket pricing online.
Location: 500 Speedway Blvd., Joliet, IL 60433
Types of Events: NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY, and Truck Series
Rules: No firearms, fireworks, hard-sided coolers, hydration backpacks, bicycles, glass containers, umbrellas, skateboards, folding chairs, pets, large backpacks, or laser pointers.
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval speedway that hosts NASCAR races with over 500 acres of parking and 626 RV spots. The speedway is a great place to take the family to see some thrilling stock car racing, and an equally great place to host businesses events.
Mitsubishi Models: 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander
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[wptab name=’Blackhawk Farms Raceway’]
Blackhawk Farms Raceway
Photo: Jim Simonson via Flickr
Blackhawk Farms Raceway
Cost of Admission: Private rental – Many local clubs host events for their members
Location: 15538 Praire Road, South Beloit, IL, 61080
Types of Events: Club racing, motorcycle racing, vintage car racing, sports car racing
Rules: Pit vehicles must be registered. Campfires and pets are permitted. Used oil must be dumped in either of two specified locations.
Blackhawk Farms Raceway is another private track on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois that hosts several types of races, track days, and test & tunes with nearly two miles of track and seven turns. There’s free camping at the track, but you might have to pay a gate fee to get into the Raceway itself. Although it’s a private track, if you have a sports car or motorcycle, there are several clubs in the area that regularly rent the track for their members, including the Sports Car Club of America and the Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association.
[/wptab]
[wptab name=’Route 66 Raceway’]
Route 66 Raceway
Photo: Susan Johnson via Flickr
Route 66 Raceway
Cost of Admission: Test & Tune – $25 to run, $15 to spectate. NHRA: ~$50 to spectate per day or $135 for a weekend pass. Other event prices may vary.
Location: 3200 S Chicago St. Joliet, IL 60433
Types of Events: Amateur and NHRA drag racing, dirt oval racing
Rules: No coolers or hydration backpacks, no firearms, fireworks, knives, outside food or drink, bicycles, glass, umbrellas, skateboards, folding chairs, lasers, or pets. Visitors may bring one light backpack no larger than 18″ x 18″ x 4″.
Route 66 Raceway is a quarter-mile asphalt drag strip and half-mile dirt oval track that opened in 1998 right next to Chicagoland Speedway. The grandstands seat over 30,000, and there’s a four-story suite complex for the best seats in the house. The raceway hosts test & tunes all the time, as well as bracket racing for local car enthusiasts, but make sure to go watch the NHRA races when the professionals are in town.
Mitsubishi Models: 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
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