(ORD) Chicago Ohare Airport :
(18 miles west of Downtown Chicago)
Find Hotels near Chicago Ohare Airport (ORD)
Find Chicago Ohare Airport (ORD) Website

(MDW) Chicago Midway Airport :
(10MIs S of downtown Chicago)
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Find Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) Website

(MDW) Chicago Gary Airport (indiana):
Find Hotels near Chicago Gary Airport (GYY)

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Shop for the cheapest airfare to Chicago Ohare, Midway or Gary for your trip to Chicagoland Motor Speedway with my Flights & Hire Cars CenterOnline Travel Store . For info about getting from these airports to their respective downtowns visit to and from the airport.

> Where's the Map of Joliet and the Speedway Raceway Complex?

> Is there camping at chicagoland racetrack? Camper/RV parking:

The speedway/raceway facility is built on huge open space has various options for infield RV Camping and hire, including, because the stands only stretch across the front straight, the posibility of parking beside the track, called "ridge parking". These can be very expensive, though, and other less expensive RV & tent campsites exist nearby, including some which provide special shuttle services. More in a special Speedway Camping section coming soon. Got tips? Contact me via link on left side of this page. For camping passes check Chicagoland Speedway Tickets

Driving

Road Advisories:
> Joliet Local road work / construction?
Traffic Radio: 1340 AM WJOL find more Local Traffic Weather Radio on my new page.
See online souces like: Illinois Dept of Transport (ILDOT) and Chicago/Illinois Real time traffic, construction - Keep an eye on I-56 & 80.
Parking: Day parking is FREE. Night parking is only allowed in designated camping areas. Disabled parking is behind the main grandstand.
See also direction tips above
Drive Right, steering Left. Foreigners need home license & International Driver's Permit (IDP), available from your local auto club

Joliet, IL Local Public Transit

> What if I don't want to drive?
Buses & Trains: On Saturday and Sunday of race weekends, take the Rock Island District Line train #505 (departs Chicago LaSalle Street at 8.30 and arrives in Joliet at 9:51) or the #509 train (departs 10.30 and arrives in Joliet at 11:51) from Chicago to Joliet Union Station (with intermediate stops). A shuttle bus takes passengers the rest of the way, on a backroad route avoiding traffic. Cost for the entire weekend was $5.00 in 2003!

Race Tickets

NOTE: Tickets for the Speedway can only be bought in a "track pack", which means you'll have tickets for both IRL and NASCAR weekends. You can't buy them seperately but if you can't make both events you can ask for your unused ticket to be given to charity. Tickets for the following season go on sale February. You can buy tickets individually from The ticket store. But note that scalping is illegal in the state of Illinois.

Entertainment:

Local Events Listings
> Joliet Concert, Sports and Events Tickets
> Chicago Concert, Pro Sports Venues and Events Tix
> City of Joliet Events Listings
Shopping: Check out > Chicago for some of the best shopping in the United States.
Casinos? Empress Joliet Casino | Harrah's Joliet Casino
Arts/Musuems/HIstory:
> Slovenian Women's Union of America & Slovenian Heritage Museum
See also my Chicago Travel GUide. As a cultural center, Chicago offers mounds of interest to the cultured race fan!
Go Carts: Closest I know of is in Chicago: Chicago Indoor Go Carting
Theme Parks Near by:
The Splash Station Water Theme Park at Joliet Park
. For something bigger check out Six Flags Great America & there's also Santa's Village & Racing Rapids Water Park.
There's plenty more
Restaurants/Clubs/Cafes:
All forms of regular American Chain eateries are in the region or you might like to check out:
> The Joliet Knights of Columbus #4400 have a regular Fish Fry Fridays & Saturdays. Their fish are the talk of the town!
> Mc Brody's with a beer garden serving up its yummy specialty, Stuffed Hamburgers.
Or you might be packing the grill in your RV! Don't forget to send me those tailgating recipies!

Other revhead Activites

During IRL weekends, IndyCar usually stages and interactive fan experience around the speedway and in downtown Chicago.
> April to October, the dragway allows street drag racing in its Test and Tune Wednesday nights.
> Demolition Derbys are often held in the race way (dirt track) complex
> Many of the bigger racing schools, including Richard Petty, Racing 101, and Dale Jarrod use the speedway for their training days
NEARBY
> Cruise nights schedules - Joliet and region
> Chicago Region, Sports Car Club of America - SCCA
> Audi Car Club of America, Chicagoland chapter
More Illinois Circuits: Racing Around America

Other Major Local Sports

Just out of town

> Tweeter Center auditorium, formerly New World Music Center - 20 Miles E. Featuring Concerts that may coincide with your raceweekend. See my events tickets link in Entertainment section above
> Balmoral Park Harness Racing Track - 35 Miles E
> Starved Rock State Park 50 Miles W, for hunting, fishing, camping and the great outdoors!

HANDY LINKS

Speedway / Dragway Official Website:
> chicagolandspeedway.com
> Local Map: see top of page, by venue address.
> Weather Forecast: NOOA Joliet, IL, Weather Forecast & Radar
> Local Newspaper: Chicago Tribune
> Tourism Websites Heritage Coridor Visitors & Convention Bureau Website
> Webcam: ???
> Satelite View: see "got a map?" or "hotels near joliet chicagoland speedway" links above.
> Got tips?

Of Interest to Tourists / International Travelers

Money Matters
... Curency: U.S Dollar (USD) - Oanda Exchange Rate Converter
... ATM Cash Machine Locator World wide by VISA - check this out. Good resource for finding bucks anywhere!
...Tipping: Expected. Usually you'll round up your bill 15%.
...Local State Sales Tax: Illinois: Chicago Suburbs: 6.25% included in listed price.
> Time Zone: EST Eastern Standard Time, GMT-5 -
> Telephone Info:
... Emergency Number: 911
... U.S. International dialing code is +1
...Note American mobile/cell phones have a habit of not working in huge crowds on race days because of interference. Make secondary plans for contacting friends just in case.
> Local Liquor Laws: Legal Drinking Age in Illinois is 21.
> Places of Worship: Joliet -switchboard.com

A FEW NOTES ABOUT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY / ROUTE66 DRAGWAY

At the Speedway
> NASCAR® Sprint CUP
> NASCAR TRUCKS & NASCAR National (formerly BUSCH) SERIES
> IRL INDY CARS

At Route66 Dragway / Dirt Track
> NHRA
> Monster Trucks
. Check above links for 2006 event dates

CAPACITY OF VENUES
Chicagoland Speedway: 75,000
Route66 Drag Strip: 35,000
Route66 Dirt Track: 8,000