Belleville, IL – St. Clair County Board voted on Tuesday, May 30th to allocate $14 million into improving the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds aging infrastructure. This includes plans for extensive work on the racetrack and track facilities which are located on the fairgrounds.

Board Chairman Mark Kern stated “The track as it sits now is not capable of handling events, it really is falling down”. Kern also stated “It will be really a complete rebuild of that facility and maybe enlargement as we’re doing it so that we can handle other events there. The fairgrounds’ gonna be the center of many activities in the county. We’re excited about it.”

Kern also stated that his goal was for Belle-Clair Speedway to be able to host racing by 2024 as long as there were no construction delays. The track has not held any races since 2020 when it was shuttered for COVID-19.

The $14 million will fund other improvements at the fairgrounds as well including a new roof and HVAC system for the convention building.