Meadowdale International Raceway was built in 1958 to promote growth in the Carpentersville area, 40 miles northwest of Chicago. The original track was 3.27 miles long with a variety of turns and elevation changes. Its signature feature was the Monza Wall, a 180 degree steeply banked turn that led onto the 4,000 foot main straight.
Meadowdale underwent a series of track and management changes in its brief life. It hosted major spectator road races from many different sanctioning bodies: USAC, Midwestern Council, SCCA regions, AMA motorcycles and kart clubs. An NHRA drag racing sanction was issued late in 1968 for the 1969 season. It was also used for police training, new car introductions and local club events.
The last major event at Meadowdale was an SCCA Trans-Am race July 6-7, 1968. A few sports car club races followed, but for all practical purposes, the track closed down after that pro event. Plans to revive it were announced periodically, but none were successful.
The combined park districts who bought the north 90 acres of the Meadowdale Raceway property in 1994 purchased the balance of the track in 2002. The track is now a forest preserve, nature area, recreation area called Raceway Woods. When they put up buildings at Raceway Woods, they have indicated they would devote some space to the track history.
While we will never again race on the track, a vigorous clean-up campaign is being waged by volunteers to clear open areas for activities and picnics and a walking path around the old course. This is being done to assure that Meadowdale Raceway retains its important position in American racing history.
Jack and Donna Redmer are volunteer stewards for the track. They live adjacent to the property and Jack raced on it when it was open. They devote a substantial amount of their time and resources to making the property a pleasant place for motorsports fans and others to hike, picnic, and relax.
What's in this website:
Vintage Photos of Meadowdale races and racers A variety of photos, magazine articles and other items from the active days of the track. If you have similar images from Meadowdale that you could share, they would be most welcome. Full photo credit will be given.
A Lap of Meadowdale International Raceway, June 10, 2001. Some 100 pictures showing the current state of the track. It's not pretty and if you wish to harbor memories of MIR in its glory days, you may be better off holding those thoughts. On the other hand, even aging movie stars show hints of their former beauty, and for those of us who loved Meadowdale, the views here bring back fond memories, despite the wrinkles. Early in 2006 we expect to prepare another set of track photos, showing the cleaned up course.
This is a very large file. To save loading time, it has been broken into three sections. But they still take a long time! Sorry.
Track Maps There were publicity maps, spectator maps and real track maps. Here is an assortment of them. Aerial photos from 1961 and 1999 are shown. Also, a map and notes for visiting Meadowdale.
Links to Meadowdale Resources. There's not too much on the Internet specifically about Meadowdale. That's one reason for this site. Most of the references are casual references to MIR in articles on other topics.
Miscellaneous Stuff Meadowdale souvenirs and race programs. The Grand Prix 500 Club. A Meadowdale shaped slotcar track. Ego trips by the site author. Your additions would be welcome.
Stories, Commentary and Fantasies A young man is seduced by an old track. A modern super car attacks MIR. Fond recollections of an early race. Conjecture on what killed Meadowdale. Notes and comments from viewers. Your additions would be welcome.
Why this site?
Mostly because nobody else has done it. Hopefully, this site will also re-kindle some fond memories for racers and workers who were able to be at MIR in its heyday. And if it provokes some jealousy among the youngsters who missed out on it, that's OK, too. 8^)
Here are my other agendas:
Promoting the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs www.mcscc.org and www.mcsccpix.homestead.com I've raced with these folks since the '60s, including events at Meadowdale when it was active. They are a great group of people, running old fashioned low-pressure club races in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. If you've ever thought about getting into sports car racing as a vintage or current era driver or race staffer, check out their websites.
Helping collect Meadowdale memories and pictures for Bill Pohnan Jr. of nearby Streamwood, IL, who has written a book on the rise, glory days and fall of the raceway. Bill calls And Then There Was Meadowdale "A Celebration of the Meadowdale International Raceways (and a shameless exercise in nostalgia)". Bill is seeking a new publisher. If anyone is interested, please contact Bill Pohnan at bpohnan@comcast.net.
Your comments on this website would be welcome. Click here.
Click here to send scans of photos or written contributions and comments. Try to hold down the size of photos and other graphic files. My country copper dial-up line delivers 26.4 kbps on its best day and a high res full size photo can take 20-30 minutes to receive. 5x7 scans at 72-95 dpi are fine. Or I can scan your old Meadowdale photos or publication articles and return them quickly and safely. Most of the photos here now have been handled in that way. E-mail for details.
This non-commercial website is intended purely for historic and educational purposes. Fair Use provisions of applicable intellectual property statutes apply to this use. Some of the text and photos here are in the public domain. Other material has been provided by its owners for use here only. Please do not copy anything from this site without permission. If you see any material on which you can show ownership, and object to its use here, advise me and I will remove it immediately. My original text is covered by current copyright laws.
This website has no official connection with any of the government bodies involved with Raceway Woods. It is strictly a hobby project of a former Meadowdale racer, race worker and race organizer.
Copyright (c) 2001-2006 Ross Fosbender
