Rt 66, Meadowdale-IL Intl Raceway & lives

[knightfan26917]

I admit it ... I'm fascinated by how lives are intertwined, especially when people don't even realize it, and I'm fascinated by nostalgia (as you may remember from some of my posts). Put those two together ... and you have one helk of a combination.

Case in point ... the former Meadowdale International Raceway. In its heyday (1959-1969), the raceway featured many races along its 12-turn, 3.27 mile road course, situated NW of Chicago, in Carpentersville IL, north of the then new I-90 tollway. In recent years, it has been turned into what is now known as Raceway Woods ... a forest preserve that features a path that follows the old raceway concrete.

I recently became aware of this gem when someone from one of my message boards posted about it ... and I can hardly believe that something like this is nearly in my own backyard. Since then, I've learned that, Phil, the owner of the garage where my older 4 MCs are stored, went to many a race there. I've also learned that my Dad went to a few races there, that my brother-in-law played around in that area during the years that the track and park lay dormant, and that my bro-in-law's Mom can recall times when they heard the races from their home. This all just fascinates the helk out of me ... from the fact that it was a premier raceway ... to the fact that many people I know in some way or another "touched" the place, without knowing about the others' ties to it.

You can read more about Meadowdale Intl Raceway and Raceway Woods by surfing this website:

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

...and take your time in doing so. Lots of cool links, including pictures from actual races, recent newspaper articles about the place, and lots of other cool tidbits.

Earlier today (Saturday), I drove out there to find where it was ... because I couldn't picture the entrance. I first found the entrance off IL RT 31 ... a very small place with just a sign and a placard giving some details. At this entrance, you can see the famous Silo (tho, I didn't know it at the time I saw it). Later, I drove out to the other entrance, the "main" entrance, off Huntley Rd. This entrance features a bit more parking (well, more defined parking, anyway) a couple different placards ... and a path that leads, apparently, directly to the old concrete raceway.

One of these days, I'm going to take time to go and walk around.....

Speaking of taking time ... I also want to find time to travel Route 66. My interest in this road was heightened by watching the movie "Cars" earlier this year. I was interested by how much the movie commented about this famous road. Earlier this week, I happened to catch a PBS special, "The Mother Road", about a mother and daughter duo who took a 3-week vacation to drive Route 66 from Chicago to California. In that special, I was amazed to see some of the scenes ... and just how true to Route 66 "Cars" was ... including the hotel with the Wigwam rooms..... Heh, now I REALLY want to see the movie "Cars" again, not only to see the '76/'77 MC featured as one of the announcers, but also to pay a little closer attention to the scenic details.... Now, if only I could find a job where I had 3 weeks vacation right away .

Heh ... I could go on and on about how different things like this interest me, including this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_W._Posvar_Hall

Specifically: Wesley W. Posvar Hall is a classroom and administrative building located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. (AND) The building stands on the original site of Forbes Field, home stadium of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team from 1909–1970. The stadium was dismantled starting in July 1971, and construction on the new building started soon afterwards and continued until 1974. The building incorporates many reminders of the famous ballpark—the home plate of Forbes Field remains near its exact spot, protected under lucite glass. The outfield wall is outlined in the sidewalk by bricks, and the portion of the famously deep left-center field wall still stands, marked "457 Feet".

I'm sure I could bore ya'll with various other things ... such as the Elgin National Watch factory right here in my hometown, stuff I've seen and learned about in my famous road trips, music and cars ... but, I won't.

Instead, I ask: Does any of what I've mentioned fascinate anyone else? Or, maybe there are things in your home area that are fascinating like this...? Or, perhaps I'm the only one that enjoys this type of thing...?

Hmmm...I believe my fascination with the "web of life" ... past, present AND future ... is one of the reasons why I love to meet people along my road trips.....

Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 32swm/pig valve/pacemaker

MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/

"I knew she was a jewel in disguise" ... Kathy Mattea ... '455 Rocket'

[Sixty8panther]

Awsome!

I love the silo right next to a hairpin turn.

[razoredge]

Medowdale rings a bell, perhaps "Wide World of Sports" broadcast a race of two from there when I was younger.

I too have an interest in traveling whats left of Route 66, for years I dreamed of gettin the old 65 V6 GMC restored and get the full experience but alas...........reality sucks

I can still remember the sound of the old Detroits pulling the hills on NY Route 7 & 20 in the summer evenings. The valley I grew up in was surrounded on both sides by these routes. The sound travelling through the valley was like music.

Im sure those living beside the roads were less impressed.

The very same valley also had a railroad, the D&H officially, the Delaware and Hudson running through it. My village was named after the D&H......."Delanson", it was an old depot, acclaimed to have had one of the largest stockpiles of coal in the east at one time. Possibly partly due to General Electric, and American Locomotive (Alco) about 15 miles to the east. Those days were all past by the 60's and they only staged cars for further dispatch on all the remaining spur tracks. My friends and I spent most of our time "down by the tracks", something about them.

On the same still summers eve, with the windows open as I lay awaiting sleep and contemplating the meaning of life, I could hear the beating of those huge diesel locomotives rumbling far to the west. It would be nearly an hour as they grew louder and louder, until finally they passed through town and then fadded more quickly to the east.

That rumble, as well as the click clacking of the trolleys to the tracks and the distant howl of the Detroit Diesel are deeply imbedded in my soul. Id say thats why, I too, have a desire to travel Route 66.

[knightfan26917]

Sixty8 ... sadly, the hairpin turn is no longer there . I'm going to have to take a closer look at those pics ... maybe even print 'em off ... to compare to how it looks now where the Silo still stands.

Razor, thanks for sharing those memories ... that is EXACTLY what I'm talking about ... I love hearing/reading stories about different parts of Americana ... especially the parts that I missed out on .

[knightfan26917]

He he he ... it is a SMALL world.

Since I originally posted this, I found out that a guy from the El Camino list was at the first race at Meadowdale Intl Raceway on Aug 15, 1958 ... and still has the souvenir program. AND....one of my heart friends actually RACED a VW there in 1968!