Drag racing is headed back to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., near Chicago.
The track hasn’t hosted any type of drag racing since the end of the 2019 season.
Now, on Aug. 5-7, the NHRA North Central Division 3 race will take place. On Aug. 4, there also will be a Test and Tune session.
“This is a pretty neat deal,” said William Tharpe, NHRA North Central Division Director. “A lot of people have been involved with this behind the scenes and it has been a huge effort by a lot of people from both sides. We’re very excited about this because that’s a huge market up there for us there. We have so many great racetracks that are up in that area and we have such a great history of things in the Joliet area and that track is one of the nicest facilities still that has been built. It is still in great shape.”
Route 66 Raceway was opened in 1998. It hosted NHRA national events from 1998 until 2019.
“We didn’t know how the (COVID-19) pandemic was going to shake out and we were looking at opportunities, and this has been about a year-and-a-half to two years of planning to get things up and running.
“We just got done with an event in Columbus (Ohio), our Jeg’s Sports Nationals and a Lucas Oil race that unfortunately got rained out. We had over 600 entries for that event itself. So, we are looking to see at least 500 to 600 entries at Route 66. That’s our hope.”
The classes that will compete in Joliet will be Top Dragster and Top Sportsman, Comp, Competition Eliminator, Stock, Super Stock, Super Gas, Super Comp and Super Street as well as Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car.
“This is a good chance for us to show the management of the facility now of what the capability is with a smaller-end race,” Tharpe said. “Then, imagine a national event coming back. There are the ticket sales, the infrastructure is already in place and everything that would flourish with just bringing one event back. This is kind a preview of what it could be. This is a whole new clean slate (with the track’s management) that’s why we are getting the opportunity that we have got right now.
“We are just looking to have a good, safe event and put a few people in the stands. Have a good race and see what else happens.”
