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Lost Track

Building Meadowdale

Inspecting the Monza Wall at Meadowdale Raceway during construction

Meadowdale Raceway may be gone but she remains a much loved and sorely missed track in the Midwest. Although the park that stands on her old bones has a few reminders of the greatness that once was, it’s comforting to look at these photos of Meadowdale under construction. They remind me that tracks may go but new ones can come as well.

Monza Wall at Meadowdale

Will these new tracks have the nail-biting danger of Meadowdale’s defining feature: the Monza wall? Probably not. Will they inspire such fear and respect that they prompt a timid racer or mischievous prankster to adorn the racing surface with a painted “PRAY” in enormous block text just before the entry to turn 1? Almost certainly not. Will they feature the tight turns and sweeping bends that made Meadowdale so tricky? Maybe. Will they drive racing enthusiasts to painstakingly recreate them a generation later for use in racing simulators? Well.. probably.

Inspecting the Monza Wall at Meadowdale Raceway

More inspiration at Chicagoland Sports Car Club’s Memories of Meadowdale Raceway.

0 replies on “Building Meadowdale”

Saw the 1968 Trans Am, the last big race at Meadowdale: a big day for a ten year old as my next door neighbor ran the American Motors race program and I got to meet and get autographs from their two drivers, George Follmer and Peter Revson, one of my favorite drivers.

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