Chicago locals drive past lost racing history daily and do not knows it exists
- An abandoned racetrack in Chicago lies behind the trees and bushes
- Locals drive past racing history every day without knowing it exists
- It held some incredible – and dangerous – challenges
Published on May 30, 2025 at 2:13 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on May 30, 2025 at 9:12 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Chicago locals drive past abandoned racing history every day thanks to a hidden racetrack, yet many are unaware of its existence.
YouTuber Mitchell Stapleton, whose channel is called Stapleton42, visited the amazing Meadowdale Raceway in Chicago.
This is a racetrack with a huge amount of history, where racers such as Mark Donohue and Augie Pabst have raced in the past.
Now, like several other tracks in America, it lies abandoned and forgotten, but serves as a reminder of a very different era of motorsport in the United States.
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Stapleton met up with local racer AJ Henriksen, and Midwest Racing Preservation Association (MIRPA) director Linda Daro.
The two were able to provide some inside details on the racetrack and point out how things were back in the 1960s.
The track itself was built as a 3.27-mile-long road course, and it opened in 1958.
However, its life as a racing venue was cut short, with it running for just 11 years before closing in 1969.
The area of the track became a forest preserve area in 1998, meaning it couldn’t be messed with.
That has allowed it to become a park, and for what remains of the track and its racing history to be preserved.
Because of this, families often go there for walks.
It’s very cool that what’s left of the raceway is now protected.
Very little remains of the track buildings, with concrete pads virtually all that is left.
In terms of major racing, it was Donohue who won the final major race at the track.
This was the final Trans Am event at the circuit in 1968.
Some parts of the raceway were quite infamous, however.
There was the Mozna Wall, a highly banked curve that one or two drivers did go over at some stage.
This was eventually replaced, with the track gaining a more conventional curve instead.
Amazingly, the circuit was built in just 100 days, something that’s unthinkable in 2025.
The fact that any of the track remains is incredible, and it’s great to see that what is left has found a new purpose in life.
It is possibly one of the best-kept secrets in the whole of Chicago.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
