The facilities include the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack, an oval track that has hosted AAA, USAC and ARCA races since 1948.

The fairgrounds are also home to a horse racing track which hosted the Hambletonian Stakes from 1957 to 1980 and the World Trotting Derby from 1981 to 2009.

[2] The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds opened in 1923 under the leadership of horse breeder William R. Hayes.

Hayes created the DuQuoin State Fair as a parallel event to the Illinois State Fair, which had banned gambling on horse races.

[3] Du Quoin State Fairgrounds has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 1990.