OpenHistoricalMap/Projects/Ghost Tracks/US/IL

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Illinois Ghost Tracks

List of Ghost tracks in Illinois currently documented in Open Historical Map.

Hollywood Speedway

Located east of Sandoval, Illinois.

[Hollywood Speedway]

The track appears to have operated from 1962 through 1964. The name derived from the track's site adjacent to a drive in movie theater.

Sources

Length from America's Speedways[1]. Name and location from Facebook Retired Race Tracks group. Dates from [Decatur Herald and Decatur Daily Review archived on newspapers.com]. Traced from 1966 USGS aerial imagery.

Meadowdale International Raceway

AKA Illinois International Raceway.

Located west of Carpentersville, Illinois.

[Meadowdale International Raceway]

The track operated from 1958 through 1969. OHM contains representations of both the first circuit, including the infamous Monza Wall, and the later circuit after the Monza Wall was torn out in 1968.

Sources

Dates from America's Speedways[1]. Other details from Ghost Tracks[2]. Traced from USGS 1962 and 1972 aerial imagery

Motion Raceway

Located north of Assumption Illinois. [Motion Raceway]

Operated from 1970 to 1983, first at 1/4 mile length, later shortened to 1000' because of insufficient shutdown area.

Sources

Lost Drag Strips: Ghosts of Quarter Miles Past[3]

Spring Creek Speedway

AKA Macomb Speedway

Spring Creek Speedway was located near Macomb Illinois.

[Spring Creek Speedway]

The track operated from 1968 through 2009 as Macomb Speedway, and in 2010 and 2011 as Spring Creek Speedway.

Sources

Dates and names from America's Speedways[1] and National Speedway Directory. Traced from Bing imagery.

Times-Herald Race

Located in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois.

[Herald Race Course]

The Times-Herald race was held on Thanksgiving Day, 1895 and was the first auto race in the Americas (the first auto race ever was held in Europe in 1893). The current map in OHM is incomplete as determining the exact route is proving to be a bit of a research problem.

Sources

The 50th anniversary map [1] is commonly reproduced, but is usually incomplete, lacking the keyed notes. Fortunately, a copy of the key has been located. Adding the route is a work in progress.

References

<references> [1] [2] [3] < /references>

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The History of America's Speedways: Past and Present, Alan Brown, 2003
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ghost Tracks, Pete Hylton, Legacy Ink, 2007
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lost Drag Strips: Ghosts of Quarter-Miles Past, Tommy Lee Byrd, CarTech, 2013
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