Originally opened in 1969, there have been many upgrades to the 1/8-mile track, located south of Havana, Illinois, over the past decade. It was voted the IHRA Summit SuperSeries Track of the Year in 2015 with a new, safer shutdown area (1,730 feet total) and a new return road. Other improvements include the track surface, track cooling behind the starting line and work on the staging lanes.

These improvements have allowed the track to expand its bracket racing program, while other amenities include additional spectator seating, RV parking and camping and upgraded plumbing and concession stands.

In June 2021, a new track elapsed time and world record for a front-engine dragster was set with a 3.49-second pass at 217 mph. It even eclipsed the previous record of 3.66 seconds and 214 mph set in a jet car.

While those records are terrific, Central Illinois Dragway has hosted plenty of other great events like its popular Fall Nostalgia Race and Funny Car Chaos. The bread and butter remains its bracket racing program with the IHRA Summit SuperSeries, the largest and most prestigious program in North America.

Some of their racers are amongst the best in the country with Havana’s own Jimmie Barrett making it to the IHRA Summit SuperSeries Sportsman final in 2021. Barrett again qualified for the IHRA World Finals in 2022 as he repeated as Midwest Division champion. Other Central Illinois drivers who competed in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals at Holly Springs Motorsports were: Joel Leihser in Mod (No Box) and Alexa Berlett in Junior Dragster.

With a tremendous history of drag racing extending over 50 years, great competition and a nice variety of events, Central Illinois Dragway provides a terrific venue for IHRA-member racers. For more information on this historic track, click here to check out the track’s Facebook page.