What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

Just north of Chicago Midway Airport on Cicero Ave. are two one mile race tracks, Hawthorne, a horse track and the former Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park, originally a horse track but converted to a duel facility for pavement racing and horses. These two race tracks are back to back. I think Hawthorne is still operating, but it was my understanding that CMS/Sportsmen's Park was to be torned down.

I recently downloaded, for free, Microsoft Virtual Earth which gives you a birdseye view of literally any area/city/street/landmark/etc etc, just as if you were hovering over anywhere in the country in an airplane. This is one of the most facinating computer/internet programs I have ever experienced. Google also has one, but IMO is not as good as the Microsoft program. If you're traveling to an unknown area, this program can give a first hand look at exactly where you are going, a preliminary look at the actaul roads, landscape, buildings, etc etc. Just type in an address or place/location and you will see the area in seconds.

I've been having fun with this, exploring some of the old and new speedways around the country. One of them is the Chicago Motor Speedway. What's up there anyway? The Microsoft program ( and it's unkonwn when they took the aerial photos ) shows that the track is still there, but most of the grandstands on the main stretch have been torn down. There is still a significant grandstand left near the first turn along with a large clubhouse type structure. Wow... if a race car flipped out of turn one, it would land on the busy street which is just a few feet away.

I've also checked out some other former race track sites: Michigan State Fairgrounds one mile track where you can still see the outline of where the track was, New Bremen Speedway, New Bremen, OH, Fresno Fairgrounds mile track where at one time they were going to race SC cars, Bainbridge, OH mile track where they held a NASCAR race in 1957,champ and midgets... part of the track is still there, the other part is now a Home Depot, Del Mar mile track, CA.

If you'd like to do some virtual traveling and enjoy exploring from your easy chair, you will really enjoy this program!

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

The catch fence from Chicago Motor Speedway is at Kokomo Speedway.

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

I believe Kokomo got their catch fencing from CMS. I think I heard about some of the grandstands from CMS being used by another track, also, but I can't remember what track. I never made it up there, but the races up there were few. Was it a USAC or NAMARS midget race that they ran up there? Woulda been a good spot to run all three USAC divisions on one big track if it had stayed...

Damn, Tony Funk is fast!

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

Namars and USAC each ran 1 2 day show there. You give me too much credit Spridge. I just got on here at the right time.

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

Looking at Hawthorne on Virtual Earth, it looks like they may have moved some of the grandstands from CMS to the infield at Hawthorne. I've been trying to figure out what those grandstands are doing in the Hawthorne infield??????

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

I also visited on virtual Earth the Santa Clara Fairgrounds, San Jose, CA where they used to have a mile track and a 1/3 or 1/2 mile inside the mile. They also had a huge concrete grandstand. For some reason the fair board decided to take all of this out. The interesting thing is that all of the area that use to be track is totally empty... nothing there but grass and dirt. It doesn't even look like they use the land at all. I have read reports on the internet that the people in that area are very disappointed that they removed the track(s) and that the fair is just a small part now of what it used to be. You may also want to visit the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia where they took out the mile track also. They still have the 1/2 there. You can still see traces of the mile if you look carefully.

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

I had the Chicago/Kokomo fence connection all lined up to type, too. Brent and Spridge are both fast.

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

Don,

I believe the first midget race at CMS was sanctioned by UMARA. It was being billed as a huge event with 40 or so cars expected. Turned out I think only about 12 or so showed up. I was of course one of them being that it was only about 30 minutes from home. I thought I heard that some of the grandstands went to the Milwaukee Mile. The track was extremely smooth and very very wide. Many of the guys compared it to a paperclip. Unfortunatly I lost an engine that day and had to settle for watching.

By the way, good run for you guys at Fort Wayne,

Jim Anderson
2008 UMARA National Champion

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

The speedway used to be the only thing that made money at the fairgrounds. Of course the city power brokers slathered all over themselves to set up that silly CART/OWRS obstacle course.

Re: What's up with Chicago Motor Speedway/Sportsmen's Park
 

Thanks, Jim regarding Fort Wayne. Geoff Kaiser is not only an outstanding driver and a great person, he has a great feel for how to setup the car.