Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
| The Springfield Mile | |
|---|---|
| Location | Springfield, Illinois |
| Time zone | GMT-6 |
| Owner | State of Illinois |
| Operator | Bob Sargent / Track Enterprises |
| Opened | c. 1853 |
| Major events | ARCA RE/MAX Series Allen Crowe Memorial 100 USAC Silver Crown Series A.M.A. Grand National Championship |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Clay |
| Length | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
Illinois State Fairgrounds | |
  | |
| Location | Jct. of Sangamon Ave. and Peoria Rd., Springfield, Illinois |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | Historic Fairgrounds in Illinois MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000720[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 14, 1990 |
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one mile long clay oval motor racetrack on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, the state capital. Constructed in the late 19th century and reconstructed in 1927, the "Springfield Mile" as it is known has hosted competitive auto racing since 1910, making it one of the oldest speedways in the United States. 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. 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. It is the home of five world records for automobile racing making it one of the fastest dirt tracks in the world.
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 Tony 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 Tony Bettenhausen 100, while ARCA driver Frank Kimmel won the Allen Crowe Memorial for the seventh time in 2008.
The Springfield 100/Tony Bettenhausen 100 was part of the AAA/USAC Championship Car schedule from 1934 to 1940, 1947 to 1970 and again in 1981 and 1982.
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.[2]
USAC Champ Car race history
All winners were 
American
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | August 19 | Jimmy Bryan | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1957 | August 17 | Rodger Ward | Lesovsky | Offy |
| 1958 | August 16 | Johnny Thomson | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1959 | August 22 | Len Sutton | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1960 | August 20 | Jim Packard | Lesovsky | Offy |
| 1961 | August 21 | Jim Hurtubise | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1962 | August 19 | Jim Hurtubise | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1963 | August 17 | Rodger Ward | Watson | Offy |
| 1964 | August 22 | A.J. Foyt | Meskowski | Offy |
| 1965 | August 21 | A.J. Foyt | Meskowski | Offy |
| 1966 | August 20 | Don Branson | Watson | Offy |
| 1967 | August 19 | A.J. Foyt | Meskowski | Offy |
| 1968 | August 17 | Roger McCluskey | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1969 | August 18 | Mario Andretti | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1970 | August 22 | Al Unser | King | Ford |
| 1981 | August 15 | George Snider | Lefevre | Chevrolet |
| 1982 | August 14 | Bobby Olivero | Watson | Chevrolet |
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ The First Sixty Years; An Illustrated History of the American Motorcyclist Association. Books.Google.com. January 1984. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
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