Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one mile long clay oval motor racetrack on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, the state capital. It is frequently nicknamed The Springfield Mile.[2] Constructed in the late 19th century and reconstructed in 1927, the track has hosted competitive auto racing since 1910, making it one of the oldest speedways in the United States. The original mile track utilized the current frontstretch and the other side was behind the current grandstands and the straightaways were connected by tight turns.[2] It is the oldest track to continually host national championship dirt track racing, holding its first national championship race in 1934 under the American Automobile Association banner. It is the home of five world records for automobile racing, making it one of the fastest dirt tracks in the world. Since 1993, the venue is managed by Bob Sargent's Track Enterprises.
| The Springfield Mile | |
|---|---|
| Location | Springfield, Illinois |
| Time zone | GMT-6 |
| Coordinates | 39°50′12.8″N 89°38′31.2″W / 39.836889°N 89.642000°W |
| Owner | State of Illinois |
| Operator | Bob Sargent / Track Enterprises |
| Opened | c. 1853 |
| Major events | ARCA Racing Series Allen Crowe Memorial USAC Silver Crown Series Bettenhausen 100 American Flat Track |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Clay |
| Length | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
Illinois State Fairgrounds | |
| Location | Jct. of Sangamon Ave. and Peoria Rd., Springfield, Illinois |
| Area | 366 acres (148 ha) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Hammond, Charles Herrick |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | Historic Fairgrounds in Illinois MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000720[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 14, 1990 |
The Illinois State Fair mile currently hosts the Allen Crowe Memorial 100 ARCA stock car race, USAC Silver Crown championship dirt cars, UMP Late Models and Modifieds and the A.M.A. Grand National Championship. The only driver who has won races in three disciplines of racing in Ken Schrader who won in ARCA cars (1998), UMP Modifieds (1998), and midgets.[2]
Billy Winn won the first national championship dirt track race held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in 1934. A.J. Foyt ran his first national championship race there in August 1957. The track is host to two of the older memorial events in the United States, the Bettenhausen 100 for the USAC dirt championship cars, first run in 1961 and the Allen Crowe Memorial 100 stock car event for USAC, now ARCA, stock cars, first held in 1963. Both races are now held on the last weekend of the Illinois State Fair. Chuck Gurney is the only seven-time winner of the Bettenhausen 100, while ARCA driver Frank Kimmel won the Allen Crowe Memorial for the seventh time in 2008.
The Bettenhausen 100 was part of the AAA/USAC Championship Car schedule from 1934 to 1940, 1947 to 1970 and again in 1981 and 1982, and has been a Silver Crown]championship race since then.
From 1946 to 1953, the A.M.A. Grand National Champion was crowned based solely on the results of the Springfield Mile held at the fairground racetrack.[3] The 2020 Silver Crown race was delayed until October 18 by the COVID-19 pandemic; it was the latest that a race has been held at the track in a year and became the series' finale of the season.[4] The 2022 Silver Crown race was also postponed to October, this time by rain.
AAA/USAC Champ Car/Silver Crown race history edit
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Team | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | August 25 | Billy Winn | James Winn | Miller FD |
| 1935 | August 24 | Billy Winn | James Winn | Miller FD |
| 1936 | August 22 | Wilbur Shaw | Wilbur Shaw | Miller-Offy |
| 1937 | August 21 | Mauri Rose | Wilbur Shaw | Miller-Offy |
| 1938 | August 20 | Tony Willman | ? | Cragar-Ford |
| 1939 | August 19 | John Crone | ? | Miller |
| October 15 | Emil Andres | Emil Andres | Adams-Offy | |
| 1940 | August 24 | Rex Mays | Bowes Racing Team | Stevens-Winfield |
| 1947 | September 28 | Tony Bettenhausen | Belanger Motors | Stevens-Offy |
| 1948 | August 21 | Ted Horn | Ted Horn Enterprises | Horn-Offy |
| September 19 | Myron Fohr | Carl Marchese | Marchese-Offy | |
| 1949 | August 20 | Mel Hansen | Bowes Racing Team | Lesovsky-Offy |
| September 25 | Johnnie Parsons | Kurtis Kraft Inc. | Kurtis Kraft-Offy | |
| 1950 | August 19 | Paul Russo | Russo-Nichels | Russo-Nichels-Offy |
| October 1 | Tony Bettenhausen | Belanger Motors | Kurtis Kraft-Offy | |
| 1951 | August 18 | Tony Bettenhausen | Belanger Motors | Kurtis Kraft-Offy |
| 1952 | August 16 | Bill Schindler | Harry Allen Chapman | Russo-Nichels-Offy |
| 1953 | June 21 | Rodger Ward | M.A. Walker Electric | Kurtis Kraft-Offy |
| August 22 | Sam Hanks | Bardahl/Ed Walsh | Kurtis Kraft-Offy | |
| 1954 | August 21 | Jimmy Davies | Pat Clancy | Ewing-Offy |
| 1955 | August 20 | Jimmy Bryan | Dean Van Lines | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1956 | August 19 | Jimmy Bryan | Dean Van Lines | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1957 | August 17 | Rodger Ward | Roger Wolcott | Lesovsky-Offy |
| 1958 | August 16 | Johnny Thomson | Racing Associates, Inc. | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1959 | August 22 | Len Sutton | Central Excavating | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1960 | August 20 | Jim Packard | Stearly Motor Freight | Lesovsky-Offy |
| 1961 | August 21 | Jim Hurtubise | Barnett Brothers | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1962 | August 19 | Jim Hurtubise | Barnett Brothers | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1963 | August 17 | Rodger Ward | Leader Card Racers | Watson-Offy |
| 1964 | August 22 | A. J. Foyt | Ansted-Thompson Racing | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1965 | August 21 | A. J. Foyt | Ansted-Thompson Racing | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1966 | August 20 | Don Branson | Leader Card Racers | Watson-Offy |
| 1967 | August 19 | A. J. Foyt | Ansted-Thompson Racing | Meskowski-Offy |
| 1968 | August 17 | Roger McCluskey | Lindsey Hopkins Racing | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1969 | August 18 | Mario Andretti | STP Corporation | Kuzma-Offy |
| 1970 | August 22 | Al Unser | Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing | King-Ford |
| 1971 | August 22 | A. J. Foyt | Gilmore Racing | Meskowski-Foyt |
| 1972 | August 20 | Al Unser | Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing | King-Foyt |
| 1973 | August 19 | Mario Andretti | Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing | King-Foyt |
| 1974 | August 18 | Mario Andretti | Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing | King-Foyt |
| 1975 | August 16 | Al Unser | Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing | King-Foyt |
| 1976 | August 21 | Tom Bigelow | Leader Card Racers | Watson-Foyt |
| 1977 | August 20 | Larry Rice | David Lefrevre | Lefevre-Chevrolet |
| 1978 | August 19 | Gary Bettenhausen | Agajanian-King Racing | King-Chevrolet |
| 1979 | August 18 | Bobby Olivero | Leader Card Racers | Watson-Chevrolet |
| 1980 | August 19 | Pancho Carter | Emcee, Inc. | King-Chevrolet |
| 1981 | August 15 | George Snider | David Lefevre | Lefevre-Chevrolet |
| 1982 | August 14 | Bobby Olivero | Hodgdon-Curb Racing | Watson-Chevrolet |
| 1983 | August 20 | Gary Bettenhausen | Delrose-Holt Racing | King-Chevrolet |
| 1984 | August 18 | Chuck Gurney | Transportation Computer Systems | Watson-Chevrolet |
| 1985 | August 17 | Chuck Gurney | Transportation Computer Systems | Watson-Chevrolet |
| 1986 | August 16 | Jack Hewitt | Bob Hampshire Racing | Stanton-Chevrolet |
| 1987 | August 22 | Jack Hewitt | Bob Hampshire Racing | Stanton-Chevrolet |
| 1988 | August 20 | Steve Chassey | Delmar McClure | Adkins-Chevrolet |
| 1989 | August 19 | Chuck Gurney | Transportation Computer Systems | Watson-Chevrolet |
| 1990 | August 18 | Chuck Gurney | Transportation Computer Systems | Watson-Chevrolet |
| 1991 | August 17 | Chuck Gurney | Transportation Computer Systems | Watson-Chevrolet |
| 1992 | August 22 | Jimmy Sills | Bob Consani Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 1993 | August 21 | Jack Hewitt | Team 6R Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 1994 | August 20 | Chuck Gurney | Foxco Engineering | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 1995 | August 19 | Kenny Irwin | Calderwood Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 1996 | August 14 | Chuck Gurney | Johnny Vance Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 1997 | August 16 | Dave Darland | Foxco Engineering | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 1998 | August 22 | Russ Gamester | Russ Gamester | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 1999 | August 21 | Dave Darland | Foxco Engineering | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2000 | August 19 | Jack Hewitt | Dewitt Motorsports | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2001 | August 18 | Paul White | Paul Cook Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2002 | August 17 | J. J. Yeley | East-Stewart Racing | Beast-Ford |
| 2003 | August 16 | Dave Darland | Foxco Engineering | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2004 | August 21 | Brian Tyler | Team 6R Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2005 | August 21 | Brian Tyler | Team 6R Racing | Beast-Mopar |
| 2006 | August 19 | Tracy Hines | Indiana Underground | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2007 | August 18 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Tony Stewart Racing | Eagle-Mopar |
| 2008 | August 16 | Brian Tyler | Team 6R Racing | Beast-Toyota |
| 2009 | August 21 | Cole Whitt | Keith Kunz Motorsports | Eagle-Chevrolet |
| 2011 | August 20 | Brian Tyler | Team 6R Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2012 | August 18 | A. J. Fike | RFMS Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2013 | August 17 | A. J. Fike | RFMS Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2014 | September 7 | Kody Swanson | DePalma Motorsports | Maxim-Chevrolet |
| 2015 | August 22 | Kody Swanson | DePalma Motorsports | Maxim-Chevrolet |
| 2017 | August 19 | Justin Grant | Carli-Hemelgarn Racing | DRC-Ford |
| 2018 | August 18 | Chris Windom | Nolen Racing | Beast-Chevrolet |
| 2020 | October 18 | Kyle Larson[5] | Sean Michael Motorsports | |
| 2021 | August 21 | Kody Swanson | Chris Dyson Racing |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c "USAC Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield". USAC Silver Crown. August 21, 2021. Event occurs at 2 hr 38 minutes. FloRacing.
- ^ Assoc, American Motorcyclist (January 1984). The First Sixty Years; An Illustrated History of the American Motorcyclist Association. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ "Bettenhausen 100". USAC Silvercrown. October 18, 2020. Event occurs at 14:12. FloRacing.
- ^ "Bettenhausen 100". USAC Silvercrown. October 18, 2020. Event occurs at 15:30. FloRacing.
External links edit
- Illinois State Fair Racetrack Official Site
- Illinois State Fairgrounds archive at Racing-Reference