Drag strip/Race track Dundee Illinois area

[Belair62]

My daughter stopped by and told me they went to some park that used to be a drag strip and racetrack in the Dundee area..long closed..I think last races were in 1969...supposed to be one of the longest straight a ways in racing at the time..I never heard of this ...whats the deal ?

[HuggerX22]

Meadowdale Raceway. Take 62 west to 31 head south it's a mile or so on the right. Just south of Algonquin. You can still see the Pure oil concrete silo without leaves on the trees. That's a long out for a guy like you. Probably stir memories of the car show where you lost to phantom "Nickey" Camaro .....

[Salvatore]

WOW get some pictures. I say REUNION! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

[DarrenX33]

http://www.meadowdaleraceway.homestead.com/

[mrtimstik]

Darren, I was just there. This looks like a cool place to check out. I think I'll be going this spring and bring my bike.

[Belair62]

[ QUOTE ]
Probably stir memories of the car show where you lost to phantom "Nickey" Camaro

[/ QUOTE ]

That was unique !!!!!!!!! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif

[Belair62]

I have to see this plce too....

[jeff morocco]

i grew up 5 minutes from that track. the silo is on rt 31 and was at the end of a huge banking turn that cars would actually fly off the track onto the road. i may just go there this weekend and take some pics for the board to enjoy.

[DarrenX33]

Jeff you in the burbs?

[jeff morocco]

i grew up in c'ville and now live in genoa. near hampshire/sycamore/dekalb

[DarrenX33]

Saint Charles. See you at the Sycamore show this year? Bunch of us went last year.

[jeff morocco]

yep, go every year. looking forward to meeting you. great people on this site !!!!!!

[DarrenX33]

indeed it is a great show. it will be over 1000 cars for sure this year. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Salvatore]

I'm coming! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[HuggerX22]

To those that are interested . If you have Google Earth do a search of Algonquin,Il. Scroll slowly down till you get to 42 degrees 06'59.62 N and 88 degrees 18'12.00 W . You will see the over grown outline of the track and surrounding ground on left side of the aerial photo.
As a kid I remeber getting kicked out of there for illegal off roading.

[jeff morocco]

hey i got kicked out of there too. around 1984-85 . did you go down the long straight to where the bridge was washed out? thats a long way down !!!!!

[Salvatore]

Hey this strip must be close to Alan Bertagnoli's house. I wonder if his X77 car every hit that strip?

[HuggerX22]

I was more like the summer of '77 after high school in a CJ-7 w/a 304-4sp and some long necks imported from Lake Geneva(legal at 18 back then). I remember a couple of cars in the bottom of the wash back then. The Monza turn at the north end of the front stretch was worth at try too.

[DarrenX33]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey this strip must be close to Alan Bertagnoli's house. I wonder if his X77 car every hit that strip?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sam your a Chicago suburb expert! You know this place pretty good for just one tour. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[kwhizz]

As my memory serves me......there were a couple of people involved with the Union Grove Drag Strip......Metzler and the Paul family.......in the middle 60's they split up and the Paul boys worked a deal to use the straight section of the Meadowdale road course as a Drag Strip.....It didn't last too long as the straight section was only a couple of hundred feet longer than the measured 1/4 mile.....soon after you went thru the lights the track went downhill, under a bridge and into a sweeping right hand curve.........kinda interesting for some of the fast cars of the time and you had to follow the road course back around to the Pits........

Ken http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif

[Xplantdad]

Welcome back Ken... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[kwhizz]

Thanks......You know......a fella could sort of get attached to Palm Trees...........LOL

Ken http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/youguysrock.gif

[BARN FIND]

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. The track closed in 1970 because of financial reasons. The track is now a forest preserve, nature area, recreation area called Raceway Woods. For more info:
http://www.meadowdaleraceway.homestead.com/

This info is from this site:

http://www.thevintageracer.com/sat/satellite.htm

[Alan X77 Hugger]

Sam, if my car hit that strip, it was long before I owned it. This place is about 10 miles from where I live and knew it was there, just never got out of the car to check it out. You would have to do it on foot or by off road bike.
Cool piece of local history!

[Salvatore]

Correct A cool piece of Drag racing history. Love old drag strips! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif