Route 66 Raceway


Route 66 Raceway is a drag race facility located in Joliet, Illinois. The facility consists of a dragstrip. The complex also includes a dirt oval. The drag strip hosts several drag racing events including the National Hot Rod Association. The facility is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and is located adjacent to Chicagoland Speedway. The 2019 winners of the Route 66 NHRA Nationals were Tommy Johnson Jr., Steve Torrence, Deric Kramer and Matt Smith.

Background

The facility was built in 1998, funded by nine local entrepreneurs headed by Indy car owner Dale Coyne. The inaugural season saw 90 days of racing activity between the two tracks. In 1999, ISC partnered with the founders of the facility when it purchased of land adjacent to the facility to build Chicagoland Speedway.
The quarter-mile, $20 million drag strip features a four-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 the World of Outlaws sprint cars, late models, and monster truck shows. In recent years the oval has been used exclusively for Team Demolition Derbies, as well as TORC: The Off Road Championship.
Also on the facility is a now-defunct, 15-turn road course, temporary off-road track inside the dirt oval, and a paved driving pad.
The dirt oval was shorten to a 3/8th mile facility in 2017, since then the dirt track has seen a resurgence with top-flight series such as the World of Outlaws returning to the facility.