Folks including Joliet... now I've only been to Norwalk in the IHRA days, Joliet & Brainerd, with Brainerd being my 'home track'
Joliet... nice facilities... but fan expierence was plain and simple... nothing off the track to do other then the usual stuff. I never did find a beer tent, just bottles at various vendors, food was plain, nothing really good. If you're there just for the racing it was awesome though.
Norwalk, back when I went, nice facilities again... don't recall much other then the race was awesome. Back then though, the fence was about 5 feet off the track to about half track. Outrageously dangerous but outrageously awesome.. they've since fixed that giving the usual buffer zone. Thinking back, they had guardrail down teh track, not J barrier. I recall a Pro-Stocker going through the guardrail just past the spectator fence.. woulda been ugly had it happened earlier. This was probably 1996 or so.
Brainerd... nice facilities. the grandstand has the sun at your back. They are tall and long. The difference maker is the overall expierence. They have awesome food vendors, state fair style... fresh cut fries, Papa Johns, burgers are OK, and a beer tent.. actually 2 beer tents. Not to mention the zoo... bring a tent and camp on site, sit around a campfire, watch fireworks, check out the bands at the grandstand, get fall over drunk and have a good time with total strangers, checking out zoo vehicles etc. etc. etc.... racing is only half the fun. If you don't plan on spending the night at the zoo, then maybe it'st just an average track, but add the zoo and its over the top a great weekend!