A Recollection of Drag Racing at Meadowdale:
I do not remember the exact date I participated in drag races but do remember one evening and under the lights when I won a class trophy (lost after being broken during a move) with my 1968 SS427 Chevy. I bought the car new and took delivery late 1967 so at best recollection the races must have been in 1969.
From a safety standpoint I do remember my first run under the lights ended up with me missing the makeshift turn off at the end of the strip which was marked only by guys with traffic control flashlights. Since you could not turn around after that point I was directed to follow the road course back to the staging area. Even though it was not intended for me to do so, I did get to drive part of the course which I would not have been able to do otherwise. This gives me a story to relate to my Grandson who lives in Carpentersville and has walked around parts of the Raceway that are left.
I know Meadowdale was not primarily intended for Drag Racing so it is a special memory for me to have raced there. I raced at many of the Chicagoland area Dragstrips no longer in existence with the exception of Union Grove, Wisconsin and Byron, Illinois. Oswego, Illinois and US 30 in Indiana are long gone. When I tell people I drag raced at Meadowdale, I get suspicious looks. I could kick myself for not hanging on to that trophy even if it was broken.
I am glad to see a renewed interest in the history of Meadowdale and hope someone else might add to the drag racing part of that history.
Regards,
Ron Hinton
Your memories are also welcome.
The web author raced at Union Grove in the late 50s and early 60s, but never even attended a drag race at Meadowdale, so I plead ignorance and ask for assistance from drivers who raced, crews who worked, and spectators who watched drag races there. Your memories, photos and momentoes from Meadowdale are needed to give proper recognition to your sport on this website. Put your memories in an e-mail and your photos in low res jpeg files and send them to the site. If you have photos, schedules, programs or entry forms, but cannot scan them, contact me and I will work with you to display them.
As far as I can tell, drag racing did not start at MIR until the Monza Wall was torn down and the staging and starting areas were leveled in early 1968. But I do have a fellow who swears he has drag racing pictures from 1967. I have seen the NHRA sanctioning papers for 1969-70 although I am fairly sure there was no activity of any kind at the track after 1969. The track was renamed Illinois International Raceway at some point in 1969 and the drag races may have been run under that name. Any clarification will be most welcome.
