Race Tracks Near Chicago
Chicago's motorsport centre of gravity sits southwest of the city around Joliet, where Autobahn Country Club's twin road courses, Chicagoland Speedway's 1.5-mile oval and Route 66 Raceway's drag strip cluster within a 45-minute drive of downtown. Road course drivers also have Blackhawk Farms Raceway near the Wisconsin line, and karters have a dedicated home at Concept Haulers Motor Speedway. Grassroots dirt racing runs weekly at Grundy County Speedway, Fairbury American Legion Speedway and LaSalle Speedway, while Byron Dragway and Great Lakes Dragaway handle drag racing further out. Cross into southeast Wisconsin and Milwaukee Mile and the high-banked Slinger Speedway come into range within about two hours. Downtown Chicago briefly had its own NASCAR street race, the Chicago Street Course, though it hasn't run since 2025. A handful of storied Chicago-area ovals and road courses, including Meadowdale International Raceway and the original Chicago Motor Speedway, no longer operate. Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, arguably the Midwest's best-known road course, sits just outside this guide's two-hour radius.
19 venues listed across 7 categories. Venues with a full RaceTrackWorld guide are linked.
Road courses in Chicago
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autobahn Country Club | Joliet, IL | 45 min | 2.1 mi | Members-oriented road racing facility southwest of Chicago with two configurable circuits used for club racing and driving events. |
| Blackhawk Farms Raceway | South Beloit, IL | 1 h 35 min | 1.95 mi | Near the Wisconsin border, a longtime SCCA club racing road course with a 1.95-mile, nine-turn layout. |
Ovals and speedways in Chicago
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, IL | 45 min | 1.5 mi | 1.5-mile tri-oval that hosted NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and IndyCar racing through the 2010s and now hosts occasional non-NASCAR and community events. |
| Grundy County Speedway | Morris, IL | 1 h 5 min | 0.375 mi | Three-eighths-mile dirt oval southwest of Chicago running weekly sprint car and stock car programs. |
| Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, WI | 1 h 35 min | 1 mi | The oldest operating motor speedway in the world, a one-mile oval on the Wisconsin State Fair grounds that has run everything from IndyCar to ARCA over more than a century. |
| Slinger Speedway | Slinger, WI | 1 h 50 min | 0.25 mi | High-banked quarter-mile paved oval northwest of Milwaukee, famous for close weekly Late Model racing and the annual Slinger Nationals. |
Drag strips in Chicago
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 66 Raceway | Joliet, IL | 45 min | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile drag strip next to Chicagoland Speedway that has hosted NHRA national events in past seasons. |
| Byron Dragway | Byron, IL | 1 h 40 min | 0.25 mi | Independent quarter-mile drag strip in northern Illinois running weekly test-and-tune and bracket events. |
| Great Lakes Dragaway | Union Grove, WI | 1 h 5 min | 0.25 mi | Historic quarter-mile strip in southeast Wisconsin dating to the 1950s, running weekly bracket racing and larger sanctioned events. |
Dirt tracks in Chicago
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbury American Legion Speedway | Fairbury, IL | 1 h 40 min | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile dirt oval known nationally for its Prairie Dirt Classic Late Model event. |
| LaSalle Speedway | LaSalle, IL | 1 h 30 min | — | Weekly dirt oval in north-central Illinois running Late Model and modified classes. |
| Wilmot Raceway | Wilmot, WI | 1 h 15 min | 0.333 mi | One-third-mile dirt oval just over the Wisconsin line running weekly IMCA and stock car classes. |
Karting in Chicago
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concept Haulers Motor Speedway | Sheridan, IL | 1 h 15 min | — | Sprint karting facility southwest of Chicago hosting club and regional karting series races. |
Street circuits and temporary in Chicago
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Street CourseDormant | Chicago, IL | 15 min | 2.2 mi | Temporary downtown street circuit around Grant Park that hosted NASCAR Cup and Xfinity races from 2023 to 2025 before the event was discontinued. |
Closed and historic in Chicago
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Motor SpeedwayClosed | Cicero, IL | 20 min | 1 mi | One-mile oval built inside Sportsman's Park horse track that hosted IndyCar and CART races from 1999 to 2002 before closing. |
| Speedway ParkClosed | Maywood, IL | 20 min | 0.5 mi | Half-mile paved oval that ran stock car racing from the 1940s into the 1970s before closing. |
| Raceway Park (Illinois)Closed | Blue Island / Calumet Park, IL | 25 min | 0.25 mi | Long-running drag strip and stock car track on Chicago's south side that closed as the surrounding land was redeveloped. |
| Meadowdale International RacewayClosed | Carpentersville, IL | 45 min | 3.27 mi | 1950s-60s road course northwest of Chicago known for its 'Monza Wall' banked corner; closed in 1969 and later redeveloped. |
| Rockford SpeedwayClosed | Loves Park, IL | 1 h 20 min | 0.25 mi | Long-running quarter-mile paved oval that hosted weekly NASCAR-sanctioned racing for decades before closing in the 2020s. |
Major race weekends in Chicago
| Event | Venue | When | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHRA national event | Route 66 Raceway | Varies | NHRA |
| Slinger Nationals | Slinger Speedway | July | ARCA / Late Model |
| Prairie Dirt Classic | Fairbury American Legion Speedway | August | Late Model |
Track days and driving experiences in Chicago
Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, about 45 minutes from the Loop, is the metro's most-used HPDE and club racing venue, with NASA, SCCA and BMW CCA events running most weekends in season for roughly $300-$550 a day. Blackhawk Farms Raceway near the Wisconsin line is the other main option for road racing and motorcycle track days. Grundy County Speedway and the region's dirt ovals run weekly points racing for licensed cars rather than open track days.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest race track to Chicago?+
The Chicago Street Course downtown is closest at about 15 minutes but hasn't run since 2025. Among regularly active venues, Chicago Motor Speedway's old site in Cicero is closest at about 20 minutes though it's now closed; Autobahn Country Club and Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, roughly 45 minutes away, are the nearest active tracks.
Is Road America near Chicago?+
Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin is about 2 hours 40 minutes from Chicago, just outside this guide's 120-mile/2-hour radius, so it isn't listed here despite being the Midwest's best-known road course.
Does Chicago still have a NASCAR street race?+
No. The Chicago Street Course ran NASCAR Cup and Xfinity races through downtown from 2023 to 2025, but the event was discontinued and hasn't been held since.
Is there horse racing near Chicago too?+
This guide covers motorsport only. Chicago-area horse racing (Hawthorne Race Course, Arlington's former site) isn't included here.
Where can I do a track day near Chicago?+
Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, about 45 minutes southwest of the Loop, is the region's main HPDE and club racing venue. Blackhawk Farms Raceway near the Wisconsin border is the other regular option.
Can I drag race near Chicago?+
Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, about 45 minutes from downtown, is the closest strip and has hosted NHRA national events; Byron Dragway and Great Lakes Dragaway further out offer weekly test-and-tune and bracket racing.
Venue list checked against 10 sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.
Track guides within 120 miles of Chicago
Chicagoland Speedway
Address: 500 Speedway Blvd., Joliet, IL 60433 USA Website: http://www.chicagolandspeedway.com Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 815 722 55...
RedBud MX
Address: 13638 Red Bud Trail N Buchanan Buchanan, 49107 USA Website: https://redbudmx.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 269-695-6405 ...
The Milwaukee Mile
Address: 7722 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis WI 53214 USA Website: http://wistatefair.com/wsfp/milwaukee-mile-speedway-and-peck-media-center/ Email: ...
GingerMan Raceway
Address: Ltd, 61414 Phoenix Rd., South Haven MI 49090 USA Website: http://www.gingermanraceway.com Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 269 2...
Blackhawk Farms Raceway
Address: 15538 Prairie Road, South Beloit, Illinois 61080 USA Website: http://blackhawkfarms.com Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 815-389...