Lisle is a village in the Chicago metropolitan area and is located about 27 miles west of downtown. Universal Technical Institute (UTI) Lisle is a 107,629-square-foot campus that prepares aspiring technicians for careers in the transportation industry.¹

UTI Lisle, which offers programs in Automotive, Diesel, Welding, Industrial Maintenance, Robotics & Automation and Wind, is located near many local racetracks for students to enjoy (Industrial Maintenance Technician, Robotics & Automation Technician and Wind Turbine Technician programs are coming to UTI Lisle). If you’re looking to either watch or participate in the racing action, you have plenty of options in the Chicago area!

Follow along as we share a list of racing venues to check out when you need a study break:

Drag Racing

Great Lakes Dragway, known as “GLD” to locals, is a quarter-mile drag strip located about 76 miles north of campus in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Street legal drags, modified stock cars, funny cars, motorcycles and even snowmobile races are hosted at GLD. This track may be a bit of a drive from UTI Lisle, but it’s well worth it!

More drag racing action can be found at Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois. This quarter-mile track is about 77 miles northwest of campus. Byron hosts drag races for pro street, modified, street legal and even diesel trucks and motorcycles all summer long. The next time you find yourself without plans on a weekend, make the trip to Byron Dragway!

Go-Kart Racing

Sugar River Raceway may be about 114 miles from campus, but if you’re into go-kart racing, this is the place to be. Located just across the Wisconsin state line in Brodhead, Sugar River hosts walk-in go-kart racing and go-karting leagues. The track runs rain or shine on its outdoor road course.

Other Racing Types

If motocross and off-road racing are more your speed, check out Rocky Glen OHV Park in Rockford, Illinois. This 120-acre off-highway vehicle park offers three race tracks and more than 20 miles of trails. It’s open to motorcycles, ATVs, side-by-sides and more.

Rockford Speedway is located about 84 miles northeast of the UTI Lisle campus. Since opening in 1948, this high-banked, quarter-mile oval track has hosted all types of racing, from stock cars to modifieds, monster trucks and more!

Wilmot Raceway in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, is about 73 miles from UTI Lisle. Open May through September, this three-eighths-mile clay oval hosts outlaw cars, modified cars, street stocks and more.

Chicagoland Speedway, located about 33 miles south of campus, hosts NASCAR racing on its 1.5-mile, tri-oval track. Chicagoland Speedway is in partnership with Route 66 Raceway and together they host car shows, drag racing and more. More information is available on Chicagoland’s website.

That’s a wrap for our list of racetracks in the Lisle area! To learn more about UTI Lisle, visit our campus page and request information to get in touch with one of our Admissions Representatives.