The 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.
Constructed in the late 19th century and reconstructed in 1927, the track has hosted competitive auto racing since 1910, making it and one of the oldest speedways in the United States, and the oldest track to continually host national championship dirt track racing. 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.
History 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.
The Illinois State Fair mile currently hosts the ARCA Menards Series' Springfield ARCA 100 stock car race, USAC Silver Crown 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.
Billy Winn won the first AAA National Championship raced 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 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. 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. The 2022 Silver Crown race was also postponed to October, this time by rain.
Race winners
ARCA Menards Series
AAA/USAC Champ Car/Silver Crown race history All winners were American
Season Date Winning driver Team Car Ref 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 1941–1946 Not Held 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 2010 Not Held 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 2016 Not Held 2017 August 19 Justin Grant Carli-Hemelgarn Racing DRC-Ford 2018 August 18 Chris Windom Nolen Racing Beast-Chevrolet 2019 Not Held 2020 October 18 Kyle Larson Sean Michael Motorsports 2021 August 21 Kody Swanson Chris Dyson Racing 2022 October 15 Shane Cockrum 2023 August 19 Logan Seavey 2024 August 17 Justin Grant 2025 August 16 Kody Swanson 2026 August 22 Briggs Danner
AMA Class C / Grand National / American Flat Track Year Rider 1937 Lester Hillbish 1938 Roul Castonguay 1939 Stanley Witinski 1940 Melvin Rhoades 1941 Wilfred Castonguay 1942-45 Not held 1946 Chet Dykgraaf 1947 Jimmy Chann 1948 Jimmy Chann 1949 Jimmy Chann 1950 Larry Headrick 1951 Bobby Hill 1952 Bobby Hill 1953 Bill Tuman 1954 Joe Leonard 1955 Everett Brashear 1956 Everett Brashear 1957 Joe Leonard 1958 Joe Leonard 1959 Carroll Resweber 1960 Troy Lee 1961 Carroll Resweber 1962 Bart Markel 1963 George Roeder 1964 Sammy Tanner 1965 Ralph White 1966 Gary Nixon 1967-81 Not held 1982 Ricky Graham 1983 (spring) Ricky Graham 1983 (fall) Ricky Graham 1984 (summer) Ricky Graham 1984 (fall) Ted Boody 1985 (spring) Bubba Shobert 1985 (fall) Ricky Graham 1986 (spring) Ricky Graham 1986 (fall) Bubba Shobert 1987 (spring) Scott Parker 1987 (fall) Bubba Shobert 1988 (spring) Bubba Shobert 1988 (fall) Scott Parker 1989 (July) Scott Parker 1989 (fall) Scott Parker 1990 (spring) Scott Parker 1990 (fall) Scott Parker 1991 (spring) Ricky Graham 1991 (fall) Scott Parker 1992 (spring) Scott Parker 1992 (fall) Scott Parker 1993 (spring) Ricky Graham 1993 (fall) Ricky Graham 1994 Scott Parker 1995 (spring) Chris Carr 1995 (fall) Scott Parker 1996 (fall) Dave Camlin 1996 (fall) Dave Camlin 1997 (fall) Scott Parker 1997 (fall) Kevin Atherton 1998 (spring) Scott Parker 1998 (fall) Chris Carr 1999 (spring) Kevin Atherton 1999 (fall) Rich King 2000 (spring) Jay Springsteen 2000 (fall race 1) Scott Parker 2001 (spring) Chris Carr 2001 (fall) Chris Carr 2002 (spring) Chris Carr 2002 (fall) Chris Carr 2003 (spring) Rich King 2003 (fall) Rich King 2004 (spring) Rich King 2004 (fall) Chris Carr 2005 (spring) Rich King 2005 (fall) Chris Carr 2006 (spring) Chris Carr 2006 (fall) Bryan Smith 2007 (spring) Kenny Coolbeth 2007 (fall) Chris Carr 2008 (race 1) Kenny Coolbeth 2008 (race 2) Chris Carr 2009 (spring) Kenny Coolbeth 2009 (fall) Jake Johnson 2010 (spring) Jake Johnson 2010 (fall) Bryan Smith 2011 (spring) Jared Mees 2011 (fall) Willie McCoy 2012 (spring) Willie McCoy 2012 (fall) Bryan Smith 2013 (race 1) Brandon Robinson 2013 (race 2) Brandon Robinson 2014 (spring) Bryan Smith 2014 (fall) Kenny Coolbeth 2015 (spring) Bryan Smith 2015 (fall) Bryan Smith 2016 (spring) Bryan Smith 2016 (fall) Kenny Coolbeth 2017 (spring) Bryan Smith 2017 (fall) Jared Mees 2018 (spring) Jeffrey Carver Jr. 2018 (fall) Bryan Smith 2019 (race 1) Jared Mees 2019 (race 2) Jared Mees 2020 (race 1) Sammy Halbert 2020 (race 2) Jared Mees 2021 (race 1) Jared Mees 2021 (race 2) Jared Mees 2022 Cancelled 2023 (race 1) Jared Mees 2023 (race 2) Briar Bauman 2024 (race 1) Jared Mees 2024 (race 2) Jared Mees 2025 (race 1) Dallas Daniels 2025 (race 2) Trent Lowe 2026 (race 1) 2026 (race 2) References:
See also List of auto racing tracks in the United States
References
External links
Illinois State Fair Racetrack Official Site