I have watched the Springfield Mile from underneath the racetrack.

The fastest, okay, only way to get from the seats in the grandstands at the Springfield Mile to the paddock/infield is through the tunnel under the track.

You take the steps down into a dank passageway, then follow the board floor past exposed pipes, wiring and other infrastructure apparently installed when Calvin Coolidge was president. If you're tall, you will need to lean into it. Wide? Meet another healthy adult coming the other way and one of you has to turn sideways.

Like everything at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the tunnel has a pre-war vibe. The grandstands were built in the 1920s and the bathrooms look straight out of Shawshank prison. Legend has it the only time Abe Lincoln meant to kill another man with his own hands it was nearby. Abe was going to use a fence post as his weapon.

If you time it just right—dawdle near the entrance during the warm-up lap, then head into the tunnel—a fan can "watch" the entire race from underneath the track. When the grid was full of XR750s it sounded like WWII bombers overhead; the entire pack pounds across the roof and then they're gone. In the sudden quiet you can hear the race announcers calling the action, telling you who's leading, who made a pass and who's coming around again.

And then you hear and feel them coming. It's close to thunder, except thunder doesn't cross directly over your head at 120 mph. For a few seconds the tunnel fills with a pounding roar, the boards vibrate under your feet and quiet conversation becomes impossible. Then they're gone again, heading for turn one.

Traffic picks up as more laps go in the books. Start moving or be moved.

Eventually you see daylight and emerge in the infield.