Decatur Raceway

Decatur Raceway
Location	Decatur, Illinois
Races	Round of Decatur TM Lights @ Decatur

“	This is the circuit of dreams, there's no doubt in my mind of that. A select few drivers get the privilege of driving here every year.	„
—Ryan Matthews, talking about the Decatur Raceway

The Decatur Raceway is a 3.367-mile (5.419-km) road course in Decatur, Illinois created by Gerard Madigan. It is known for hosting the traditional season finale and one of the crown jewels of the TM Master Cup, the Round of Decatur. The speeds are incredibly high here, making large runoff areas a necessity.

The track also hosts the season finale for TM Lights. It has hosted the FARC Lowe Dollar Series, Dash Cup, the National Racing Championship, National Pro Cup Championship, and Formula Overdrive in the past.

Characteristics

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Delano ads just outside the Snake.

Decatur Raceway's most striking characteristic is the plexiglass-covered grandstand that surrounds the Grand Straight, where the start-finish line is. Immediately after the start-finish line is a quick left-right chicane called The Snake (sometimes called The Kink). The challenge of the Snake is that it is a very fast chicane, but is also very tight as well. Drivers who carry too much speed tend to find themselves spinning off the course or sliding into other cars. In an instance of marketing genius, Delano has its logos plastered on the outside wall, assuring that if a car goes off-course in The Snake, their ads will be seen on-camera.

Coming out of the Snake leads the drivers down the Gerard Straight, where the race track goes under a hotel and past the track museum. Several notable incidents have occurred on this part of the track over the years, including the crash in the 2012 race in which Yuliya Nosova and Scott Bates both were sent for several rolls. The Straight leads into Turn 3, Tyson's Bend, a speedway-like right-hander.

Drivers then head into a set of esses known as The Climb, as this part of the track heads uphill toward Turns 9 to 11. This area of the track is known as the Garbage Dump, as this portion of the track was built on a former landfill. Coming out of the Garbage Dump drivers encounter the Descent straight, which transitions from a gentle right-hand turn into a 90-degree right, leading to the last straightaway on the course, the Farmer's Straight.

The final set of three turns, culminating in the 90-degree Gateway right-hander just after pit-in, completes the lap.