Blue Island's Raceway Park. This item is unavailable.Blue Island's Raceway Park

Start your engines! Relive the energy and intensity Blue Island's Raceway Park offered for decades with numerous rarely-seen images.

On September 24, 1938, Raceway Park officially opened its doors, and the track remained open for over 60 years. The first race was won by Harry McQuinn, who went on to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and become the chief pit steward of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1948, Raceway Park added stock car races to its regular program, and the track became a popular entertainment venue throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s as thousands of Chicagoans filled the stands. The track held its last race in 2000 and was torn down the following year. Although Raceway Park is now a part of history, the World's Busiest Track is still in the hearts and minds of many Chicagoland race fans.

Stan Kalwasinski and Samuel Beck, although a generation apart, have been lifetime race fans and began attending races at Raceway Park when they were kids. Kalwasinski covers Chicago-area auto racing for multiple publications and was also the track announcer for Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville for over 15 years. Kalwasinski and Beck have selected the best images from their photograph collections, as well as from others, to tell the story of the World Famous Motordrome.