Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack facts for kids

The Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a famous place for car and motorcycle races! It's a big, one-mile-long oval track made of clay, located in Springfield, Illinois. People often call it The Springfield Mile. This racetrack is super old, built way back in the late 1800s and rebuilt in 1927. It has hosted exciting auto races since 1910, making it one of the oldest speedways in the United States.

The Springfield Mile is special because it's the oldest track to continuously host national championship dirt track racing. Its first big championship race was in 1934. This track holds five world records for car racing, which means it's one of the fastest dirt tracks anywhere! Since 1993, a company called Track Enterprises, run by Bob Sargent, has managed the venue.

Exciting Races at the Fairgrounds

The Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack hosts several thrilling events. These include the Allen Crowe Memorial 100 stock car race, which is part of the ARCA series. You can also see USAC Silver Crown dirt cars, UMP Late Models, and Modifieds. Motorcycle fans love the A.M.A. Grand National Championship races here too.

One amazing driver, Ken Schrader, has won races in three different types of vehicles at this track. He won in ARCA cars in 1998, UMP Modifieds in 1998, and midget cars.

A Look Back at Racing History

The very first national championship dirt track race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds was won by Billy Winn in 1934. Later, in August 1957, the legendary A.J. Foyt ran his first national championship race here.

The track is home to two very old and important memorial races:

• The Bettenhausen 100 for USAC dirt championship cars, which started in 1961.
• The Allen Crowe Memorial 100 for stock cars, which began in 1963.

Both of these exciting races now happen on the last weekend of the Illinois State Fair. Chuck Gurney holds the record for winning the Bettenhausen 100 seven times. For the Allen Crowe Memorial, ARCA driver Frank Kimmel won it seven times, with his last win in 2008.

From 1946 to 1953, the winner of the Springfield Mile motorcycle race was crowned the A.M.A. Grand National Champion. In 2020, the Silver Crown race was moved to October 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the latest in the year a race had ever been held at the track, and it became the final race of the season. The 2022 Silver Crown race was also postponed to October because of rain.

USAC Silver Crown Race Winners

Here's a list of the drivers who have won the big USAC Silver Crown (and earlier Champ Car) races at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack. All the winners listed below were from the United States.

American Flat Track Motorcycle Winners

Motorcycle racing is also a big part of the Springfield Mile's history. Here are the winners of the AMA Class C / Grand National / American Flat Track races over the years.

See also

In Spanish: Illinois State Fairgrounds para niños

• List of auto racing tracks in the United States