Route 66 Raceway
Encyclopedia
Route 66 Raceway is a motorsports facility located in Joliet, Illinois
. The facility consists of a 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) dragstrip
and a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) dirt oval. The drag strip hosts several drag racing
events including the NHRA. The dirt oval hosts many weekly dirt racing events. The facility is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation
and is located adjacent to Chicagoland Speedway
The quarter-mile, $20 million drag strip features a 4-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.
Past events on the half-mile dirt track have included World of Outlaws
sprint cars, late models, and monster truck shows. In recent years the oval has been used exclusively for Team Demolition Derbies, with the Traxxas TORC off-road series appearing in recent years.
Also on the facility is a now-defunct 2 miles (3.2 km), 15 turn road course, temporary one-mile off-road track inside the dirt oval, and a 35 acres (14.2 ha) paved driving pad.
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
. The facility consists of a 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) dragstrip
Dragstrip
A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile tracks...
and a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) dirt oval. The drag strip hosts several drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
events including the NHRA. The dirt oval hosts many weekly dirt racing events. The facility is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation
International Speedway Corporation
International Speedway Corporation is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. in 1953 for the construction of Daytona International Speedway and in 1999 they merged with Penske Motorsports to...
and is located adjacent to Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
Background
The 250 acres (101.2 ha) facility was built in 1998, funded by nine local entrepreneurs headed by Dale Conye. The inaugural season saw 90 days of racing activity between the two tracks. In 1999, ISC took ownership of the facility when it purchased 930 acres (376.4 ha) of land adjacent to the facility to build Chicagoland Speedway.The quarter-mile, $20 million drag strip features a 4-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.
Past events on the half-mile dirt track have included World of Outlaws
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning a national tour of sprint cars. It later purchased a national tour of late model stockcars called the World of Outlaws Late Model Series...
sprint cars, late models, and monster truck shows. In recent years the oval has been used exclusively for Team Demolition Derbies, with the Traxxas TORC off-road series appearing in recent years.
Also on the facility is a now-defunct 2 miles (3.2 km), 15 turn road course, temporary one-mile off-road track inside the dirt oval, and a 35 acres (14.2 ha) paved driving pad.