CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY

Welcome to America’s newest shrine to motor racing, and definitely one of the most beautiful — Chicagoland Speedway. The booming popularity of auto racing together with intense demand from passionate Chicago area race fans has resulted in this magnificent motorsports complex. The greater Chicago area has a rich and storied history of motor racing that dates back to 1895, when the first ever gasoline-powered race was held up and down the lakefront. Over the past few years, meteoric economic growth from nearby riverboat casinos, coupled with the success of the Route 66 Raceway (drag racing) made nearby Joliet the perfect location for a new, state-of-the-art superspeedway.

 

Despite being a comparatively new avenue for motor racing, Chicagoland Speedway is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. The speedway is located in Joliet, Illinois and has a rich and eventful history of motor racing dating back to 1895. It was in this year that the first-ever gasoline-powered race was held at the lakefront. The Speedway and the superb motor sports complex were founded as a result of this same enormous passion that all Chicagoans share for the sport. The track is a 1.5-mile one, D-shaped tri-oval that cost its builders $130 million, covering an area of 930 acres of land. It hosts a number of events, the most significant of which is the annual NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Some others popular ones are: NASCAR Busch Series, True Value International Race of Champions, ARCA RE/MAX Series, IRL Infiniti Pro Series and IRL IndyCar Series.

 

HISTORY OF CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY TRACKS

 With the advent of newer and better racing tracks in cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Texas, combined with the growing popularity of auto racing in the United States, the moment had arrived for Chicago to make its mark on the map of car racing. A group of entrepreneurs including Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George, International Speedway Corporation Chief Executive Officer Bill France and nine local Joliet entrepreneurs: George Barr, Jim Bingham, Dale Coyne, Jerry Papesh, Ed Rensi, Steve Spiess, Dale Steffes, Jack Steffes and Rex Steffes, are the dreamers who worked towards the cause of the superspeedway coming to life. They explored several likely locations, including property close to downtown Chicago, as well as in all adjoining counties.

 

 

This magnificent speedway is the result of over five years of painstaking effort by Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George, International Speedway Corporation Chief Executive Officer Bill France and nine local Joliet entrepreneurs: George Barr, Jim Bingham, Dale Coyne, Jerry Papesh, Ed Rensi, Steve Spiess, Dale Steffes, Jack Steffes and Rex Steffes.

 

The attempts to put up a major speedway in the Windy City culminated into a reality during an informal meeting between Tony George and Bill France when the year 1995 was nearing its end. George had recently created the Indy Racing League, and France was very close to establishing NASCAR into the mainstream car race competition, surpassing everyone’s expectations. The initial effort to get the project underway was to focus on a 500-acre area of land less than 30 miles from downtown Chicago, in the neighborhood of the Dupage County Airport. With the high standards that hosting NASCAR and Indy Racing League require, France, George and Coyne were facing a problem with finding an estate that would fit into their budget. But as it happened, Dale Coyne eventually managed to negotiate successfully with Joliet and brought them around to agreeing to build the very sophisticated Route 66 Raceway there in 1997.

 

With new tracks already being built in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Texas, as well as the growing popularity of auto racing exploding in the United States, the time had come for Chicago to stand up and be noticed.

 

 When it was finally inaugurated in 1998, Route 66 Raceway qualified as a top-notch facility as far as drag racing is concerned. To no one’s surprise, the facility caught on instantly, not just with fans and racecar drivers, but among the Joliet locality as well. Coyne acted like a true businessman and was sitting with eyes and ears open when opportunity knocked; he knew very well that the Motorsports Alliance was experiencing many problems in building the superspeedway, he therefore, brought together the ownership officials and the Joliet officials so that they could discuss conveniently the construction of a 1.5-mile state-of-the-art speedway adjacent to Route 66 Raceway that would be capable of hosting NASCAR, Indy Racing League and other major events.

 

The Chicagoland Speedway thus came into being merely 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago in Joliet, IL on Old Historic Route 66. The facility occupies 930 acres of land, an area vast enough to hold 42 United Centers, and the grandstands are 15 stories high, the same height as the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel. Finally, the proportions of the Chicagoland Speedway infield are 1,200 feet x 2,850 feet, big enough to house four Soldier Fields. The Speedway is owned by Raceway Associates LLC, which covers the combined interests of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. (IMS), International Speedway Corp. (ISC) and the previous owners of Route 66 Raceway, a multimillion-dollar complex for drag, oval and road racing that opened in 1998, and is adjacent to the speedway.

 

Indeed, auto racing tradition and heritage have always held a significant place in Chicago. Chicagoland Speedway will give area race fans the ultimate racing environment and atmosphere, insuring a comfort level that has never been seen before in motorsports. While it remains to be seen just where the Chicagoland Speedway will be placed in the history of auto racing years from now, one thing seems certain - its place among the great speedways in the world has been secured.

 

The legends who have adorned the motorway over the period with their performances and has significantly made their way into the historical record books can be enumerated as follows:

            Jimmie Johnson: Hills Bros Coffee 300 (2001)

            Jaques Lazier: Delphi Indy 300 (2001)

            Buddy Lazier: IROC at Chicagoland (2002)

            Kevin Harvick: NASCAR Winston Cup Series (2002)

 

 

TRACK INFORMATION

As mentioned before, the track is 1.5-miles altogether, shaped like a D and tri-oval superspeedway. It has characteristic drag racing, stadium style seating, ¼-mile drag strip and a ½-mile dirt oval track. It is a multi-purpose motorsports complex that has hosted major car racing events such as the Winston Cup and Busch Series, and contains grandstand seating for 75,000 spectators, 37 luxury suites, on-site parking and camping areas and reserved long-term parking areas for recreational vehicles in the infield next to the second and third turns.

 

Track Facts Opened 2001 Track Length 1.5 miles tri-oval Banking in Corners 18° Banking on Tri-oval 11° Length of Frontstretch 2,400 feet Length of Back stretch 1,700 feet Qualifying Record First Qualifying 7/13/01 Laps 200 laps=300 miles, 267 laps=400.5 miles Pit Road 77 Banking Turn 1 18° Width Turn 1 55 feet Apron Width 27 feet Banking Backstretch 5° Backstretch Apron Width 24 feet Backstretch Banking Width 55 feet Laps 200 laps=300 miles, 267 laps=400.5 miles

The facility is located on 930 acres, which is large enough to accommodate 42 United Centers, and the grandstands are 15 stories tall, the same height as the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel. Finally, the dimensions of the Chicagoland Speedway infield are 1,200 feet x 2,850 feet, large enough to accommodate four Soldier Fields.

GRANDSTANDS AND SUITES: The height of the grandstands is 15 stories tall, which is the same height as the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel in downtown Chicago. The grandstands are 2,480 ft. long, which is slightly longer than two John Hancock buildings laid end-to-end.

 

Number of Seats: 75,000

Number of Suites: 32

 

INFIELD: The infield is 1,200 Ft. x 2,850 Ft., which is equivalent to four Soldier Fields (Home of the Chicago Bears). 78 - Outside the track, along the backstretch

 

 

 

 

Area Info:  Go South on I-55 to the I-80 Interchange (Exit 250 A). Go East on I-80 to Illinois Highway 53. (Exit 132 A). Go South on Illinois Highway 53 to the Track. Note: Do not be Distracted by Directional Signs on I-55 for "Joliet Road,".

SEATING ARRANGEMENTS AND DETAILING