Where Should Quincy Illinois Street Racers Compete?

Street racing is nothing new, but there has been a resurgence recently in Quincy, Illinois. This can be a very dangerous activity on public streets, parks and parking lots. Quincy Police wrote tickets and made arrests earlier this month.

QPD made 9 arrests and issued 11 citations for street racing early in June.

Obviously, you can’t have street racers zooming up and down city streets at any time of day or night, and there may be an element of the racers that see the experience legitimately pure if it’s done only on city streets outside the law.

City streets, parking lots and parks aren't for racing duels.

But it comes across as kind of similar to a previous problem in Quincy from years past: Downtown skateboarding. The argument at that time was that there was no proper place to skateboard. Eventually a skate park was built at All America park along the bay. Right next to it is a mountain bike park. Now if you want to test your skills against your friends you can do it there, whether on a skateboard or mountain bike. Personal danger and danger to public minimized. Can there be a similar answer for street racers?

All-America Park in Quincy with skatepark and mountain bike park

Will the Quincy parks department create a drag strip for the growing street race culture? Highly unlikely. Can those that are enthusiasts pool money left over from car maintenance to purchase land somewhere and pour a quarter mile track? Again, highly unlikely. But I could be wrong.

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Could those within the racing culture point the street racers toward a private track or road to rent for their hobby? Maybe. I don’t know who that would be or where it would take place. Traditionally, if you have a proper drag racing track it is next to a larger racing oval. Think Worldwide Tech Raceway/Drag strip and Kartplex in Madison, Il. or Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 raceway in Joliet.

But there are standalones like the Midstate Dragway in Havana Illinois. There’s also the Byron Dragway and Coles County Dragway. All of these are set away from the cities they are near and host several events. There is potentially an opportunity to build something from a passionate local racing culture.

Byron, Charleston and Havana have stand alone drag strips

Could it be built near the current Quincy raceway? That location is outside the city limits. There are already racing business minds there. Would they invest in that potential growth? Don’t know. West Quincy is nice and flat and also away from Quincy city limits, but that land as I understand it is pricey.

Perhaps an abandoned runway from a regional airstrip?

Where there is desire there is potential. Potential is the first step towards profit. Street racers, pool your passion and research where and how this culture could be embraced without dangerously breaking the law and putting yourselves and citizens at risk.