Blackhawk Farms, Racing Circuit

Blackhawk Farms Raceway is a 1.95-mile private road course located outside South Beloit, Illinois, on a 219-acre farm straddling the Wisconsin-Illinois border. It was designed by local racing figure Jerry Dunbar and built in 1967 by Tito and Marcia Nappi, roughly a decade after nearby Road America opened. The short, technical layout was conceived to echo some of the character of its larger neighbour while retaining an intimate, family atmosphere. The Nappis ran the venue until 1986, when Mike and Raymond Irwin took over and resurfaced the track several times; in 1992 a chicane was inserted on the stretch after Turn 3 to offset the limited run-off at the following corner. Paul Musschoot, a businessman and longtime SCCA racer, bought the circuit in 2007 and added a new tech building, rooftop hospitality and improved drainage. Though it has never staged top-level professional racing, drivers such as members of the Andretti family, Boris Said, Paul Newman and Formula 1 champion Alan Jones have competed there. Today the track hosts club and amateur events for organisations including the Sports Car Club of America, the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs, Championship Cup Series and several vintage racing bodies. Its pit lane and front straight also appeared in an NFL Network documentary on Walter Payton, who raced a Sports 2000 car there.

Operated by: Blackhawk Farms Raceway LLC