Route 66 Raceway is a
motorsports
Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft
An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the po ...
facility located in
Joliet,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It consists of a
dragstrip and a
dirt oval racetrack (Dirt Oval 66). The facility is owned and operated by
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
and is located adjacent to
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is an inactive tri-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Joliet, Illinois. It has hosted various major races throughout its existence, including NASCAR and IndyCar races. The track is currently own ...
.
History
The facility was built in 1998, funded by nine local entrepreneurs headed by IndyCar owner
Dale Coyne.
The inaugural season saw 90 days of racing activity between the two tracks. In 1999, ISC partnered with the founders of the facility when it purchased of land adjacent to the facility to build Chicagoland Speedway.
The quarter-mile, $20 million drag strip features a four-story, 38-suite complex. The 30,000-seat grandstand surrounds the start line and features 40 rows of fully backed seats.
In 2010, the dragstrip was repaved.
Also on the facility is a now-defunct , 15-turn road course, a temporary off-road track inside the dirt oval, and a paved driving pad.
The dirt oval was shortened to a 3/8 mile facility in 2017, since then the dirt track has seen a resurgence with top-flight series such as the World of Outlaws returning to the facility.
However, in 2022 the dirt oval posted a full card of events, including concerts. Then, for no explained reason they removed the concerts and then canceled race events one-by-one about a week before the event was to take place. On-Line tickets have been sold for these events, and there have been reports of people having trouble getting refunds. As of July 27, 2022, online tickets for supposed upcoming events are now not for sale.
Events
The dragstrip hosted a round of the
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series from 1998 to 2019, and returned in 2023. The
AMA Supercross Championship
The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...
raced there in 2000 on a Daytona-style course on the dragstrip.
The dirt oval track has hosted the
All Star Circuit of Champions in 1998, 2018, 2019 and 2021, the
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series from 1998 to 2002 and later in 2005 and 2017, the
World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2017, the
USAC National Sprint Car Championship and
USAC National Midget Series from 2001 to 2004, and the latter again in 2019. Route 66 has also hosted
American Flat Track and
TORC: The Off Road Championship events, as well as monster truck shows and demolition derbies.
Current Track Records
References
External links
Official WebsiteThe Dirt Oval at Route 66 Racewayat The Third Turn
{{AMA Supercross venues
Motorsport in Chicago
Motorsport venues in Illinois
NHRA Division 3 drag racing venues
Sports venues in Joliet, Illinois
Buildings and structures on U.S. Route 66
Off-road racing venues in the United States