It was a dream in 1995, a work in progress in 1996, a construction project still giving off dust in 1997 and it remains a work-in-progress, constantly looking to improve. Now, in its 12th season, Gateway International Raceway is positioned as one of America’s premier motorsports facilities, and certainly one of the most versatile.

The land where Gateway International Raceway now sits was, about two centuries ago, at the bottom of the Mississippi River. The Great Earthquake of 1811, the one that shook the New Madrid fault and rang church bells back in Washington, D.C., “re-zoned” the land from River bottom to swamp.

Then in 1967, Wayne Meinert brought an eighth-mile drag strip to life on the land and called it St. Louis Raceway Park. Its first event was the old America Hot Rod Association Spring Nationals, and the lesson was there to be learned from the get-go.

The big names in drag racing all came to test the new track, and the fans followed – more than 8,000 in a facility designated for 3,000. Names like Ron Colson, the Beebe Brothers, and Dick Harrell’s Yenko Camero dominated the winner’s circle.

Just after the 1971 Spring Nationals, Meinert acquired enough land to make a full quarter-mile strip and extend the track in just 14 days. The track was renamed St. Louis International Raceway. The swampland promptly became the property of Swamp Rat.

The legendary “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and his Swamp Rat cars paid the first call for the inaugural AHRA Gateway Nationals. He laid down a track record of 6.49 seconds (231.95 mph), but lost in the finals to Steve Carbone. This was the Garliet’s last loss until the opening round of the 1984 event. He would win 33 straight races in St. Louis, eight AHRA Gateway Nationals and six consecutive event wins between 1978-83.

“If I remember, that’s Swamp Rats 13 through 18 or 19,” said Garlits, who has most of those old cars in his drag racing museum in Ocala, FL. “St. Louis was one of those tracks that could be really tricky, but if you were able to get the combination and get the read on the place you could have a lot of success. Think it’s because we had a lot of experience racing a lot of different tracks, but we had some awfully good years at that facility. And the fans? The fans were just great to us. It was a place we really enjoyed coming to each year.

While Garlits made the headlines, it was the Pro Stockers, Super Stocks and Pro Modifieds, that seemed to be the staple of racing at Gateway. Harrell, “Dyno” Don Nicholson, Ronnie Sox, Bill “Gumpy” Jenkins, Dick Landy and the late Lee Shepherd ran Gateway constantly. St. Louis racers like Jerry Haas and Bill Kuhlman went on to be the dominant chassis builders in Pro Stock. “I’ve got a picture of me running three other guys in a four-car one-race elimination on that strip. It’s true. I doubt we’d run that kind of race any more.”

Then Chris Pook at the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach came to town, and things started to perk. After a year of examination, he bought Gateway in 1994 hinting of bigger and better days. In 1995, the wraps came off those plans after he was able to secure $21.5 million in bonds by the State of Illinois through the Southwestern Illinois Developmental Association.

The new Gateway opened in 1997 with the Motorola 300, which played to a virtual sellout crowd that filled its grandstand seats to watch Paul Tracy overtake Patrick Carpentier in the finals laps to score the victory.

In 2001, the Indy Racing League debuted on the oval, bringing the stars of the Indianapolis 500 from the Brickyard to our backyard. Two-time Indy 500 champion Al Unser Jr. claimed the first Gateway Indy 250 title.

Overflow crowds watched the Inaugural Sears Craftsman Nationals drag races, highlighted by wins from NHRA legends Joe Amato and Warren Johnson, and the first NASCAR Busch Series race (now the Charter Pipeline 250) with Elliott Sadler scoring a sun-scorched victory. And Gateway was off and running. In 1998, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was added to the schedule with the Inaugural Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200.

The Truck Series has had a great presence at Gateway, with its event here widely recognized as one of the highest-drawing stand-alone NCTS events in the country. Ted Musgrave, the 2005 NCTS champion, was the first-ever Dodge to visit Victory Lane here and is the only two-time winner in the Truck Series at Gateway.

The track that many describe as a “flat Darlington” made headlines in 2004 when David Starr won the final multi-“green, white, checker” finish in NASCAR with an exciting finish that still ranks as one of the best in Truck Series history.

Several future NEXTEL Cup Series stars made their mark at Gateway as well. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick won back-to-back races at the 1.25-mile oval, with Dale Jr. winning the 1998-1999 races and Harvick winning in 2000 and 2001. Other Cup Series stars such as Greg Biffle, Scott Riggs, Martin Truex Jr., Reed Sorenson, and Columbia, Mo.-native Carl Edwards have all visited Victory Lane at Gateway.

St. Louis’ First Family of NASCAR, the Wallaces, were honored here in 2005 with the Wallace Family Tribute 250, the first time brothers Rusty, Mike, and Kenny raced together in a Busch Series event together. In honor of what the Wallace family has done for motorsports in the St. Louis area, the grandstands in Turns 1 and 2 were re-named after them.

For fans not wanting to miss any of the great racing action at Gateway International Raceway, season ticket packages are available by calling 866-35-SPEED.

Gateway International Raceway Winners:

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
1997 – Elliott Sadler
1998 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
1999 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2000 – Kevin Harvick
2001 – Kevin Harvick
2002 – Greg Biffle
2003 – Scott Riggs
2004 – Martin Truex Jr.
2005 – Reed Sorenson
2006 – Carl Edwards
2007 – Reed Sorenson
2008 – Carl Edwards

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
1998 – Rick Carelli
1999 – Greg Biffle
2000 – Jack Sprague
2001 – Ted Musgrave
2002 – Terry Cook
2003 – Brendan Gaughan
2004 – David Starr
2005 – Ted Musgrave
2006 – Todd Bodine
2007 – Johnny Benson
2008 – Ron Hornaday

ARCA
1997 – Mark Gibson
2001 – Frank Kimmel
2004 – Ryan Hemphill
2005 – Joey Miller
2006 – Cale Gale
2007 – Bryan Clauson

IRL
2001 – Al Unser Jr.
2002 – Gil de Ferran
2003 – Helio Castroneves

CHAMP CAR
1997 – Paul Tracy
1998 – Alex Zanardi
1999 – Michael Andretti
2000 – Juan Pablo Montoya

NHRA
1997 – Joe Amato (TF)
Ron Capps (FC)
Warren Johnson (PS)
Jon Smith (PSB)

1998 - Gary Scelzi (TF)
Frank Pedregon (FC)
Kurt Johnson (PS)
Matt Hines (PSB)
Tim Freeman (PST)

1999 - Gary Scelzi (TF)
John Force (FC)
Jim Yates (PS)
Angelle Savoie (PSB)
Bob Panella (PST)

2000 - Gary Scelzi (TF)
Jerry Toliver (FC)
Ron Krisher (PS)
Matt Hines (PSB)
John Coughlin (PST)

2001 - Doug Kalitta (TF)
Tony Pedregon (FC)
Warren Johnson (PS)
GT Tonglet (PSB
Taylor Lastor (PST)
Danny Rowe (PSB)

2002 - Kenny Bernstein (TF)
John Force (FC)
Jeg Coughlin (PS)
Angelle Savoie (PSB)

2003 - Doug Kalitta (TF)
Del Worsham (FC)
Ron Krisher (PS)
Geno Scali (PSB)

2004 - Doug Kalitta (TF)
Gary Scelzi (FC)
Greg Anderson (PS)
Steve Johnson (PSB)

2005 - Brandon Bernstein (TF)
Ron Capps (FC)
Kurt Johnson (PS)
Angelle Sampey (PSB)

2006 - Tony Schumacher (TF)
Tony Pedregon (FC)
Mike Edwards (PS)
Chip Ellis (PSB)

2007 - Melanie Troxel (TF)
Ron Capps (FC)
Dave Connoly (PS)
Matt Smith (PSB)

2008 - Rod Fuller (TF)
Tim Wilkerson (FC)
Kurt Johnson (PS)
Andrew Hines (PSM)

Thanks to Pete Wickham for his assistance.

Trio of Dover Motorsports Inc. tracks to host 13 major NASCAR and NHRA motorsports events in 2010

A leading promoter of motorsports events with three top-notch venues in three states, Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE:DVD) will welcome hundreds of thousands of NASCAR, NHRA and racing enthusiasts to its tracks during the 2010 season.

From the concrete, high banks of Dover International Speedway, to the nitro-powered, quarter-mile dragstrip at Gateway International Raceway, and the high speeds and precision turns of Nashville Superspeedway, Dover Motorsports, Inc. will host 13 major, national events in 2010, along with hundreds of club, drag and road racing dates throughout the year. 

Dover International Speedway, the high-banked, one-mile concrete oval in Dover, Del., hosts two NASCAR tripleheader weekends in 2010: May 14-16, and Sept. 24-26, when the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” returns to Dover. Fiercely known as the “Monster Mile” for its ability to destroy cars and driver’s hopes of winning at ease, Dover has been a staple on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar since its first race in 1969.

Situated in the heart of the mid-Atlantic region, the fan friendly venue welcomes thousands of race fans to its 750-acre complex each year. Unique to the sport of NASCAR, Dover shares the property with the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, giving race fans the complete vacation destination. Outside of Turn 4 stands the 46-foot-tall Monster Monument at Victory Plaza, presented by AAA, the larger-than-life sculpture of Dover’s signature icon Miles the Monster. The fiberglass structure attracts visitors to the track year round and has become a “must see” stop for tourists coming to Delaware’s capital city.

On the bank of the mighty Mississippi is Gateway International Raceway, an all-purpose racing facility that includes a 1.25-mile oval and a 1/4-mile drag strip. Gateway will host a NASCAR doubleheader weekend July 16-17, 2010 including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series will make a return trip to Gateway on October 22-23, 2010. The facility hosts more than 250 racing events throughout the season, including everything from local drag racing and drifting to late model touring series. Gateway boasts a challenging 1.6-mile road course utilized by the Sports Car Club of America and a number of local, regional, and national racing clubs.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2010, Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., houses a 1.33-mile, concrete, fully lighted, “D” shaped track. The facility also includes a 1.8-mile road course that is host to numerous motorcycle and road course events. Built by Dover Motorsports, Inc. in April 2001, Nashville Superspeedway continues to welcome NASCAR to “Music City, U.S.A.,” each season, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series on April 3 and June 5, 2010, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on April 2 and August 7, 2010.

While the action on the track is no doubt what brings the fans to the races, events at Dover Motorsports tracks are about more than just a race! Fans are treated to an electric atmosphere from the time they step foot on each property, including high quality entertainment with live bands and post-race concerts, free attractions in the FanZone, autograph sessions with drivers and celebrities, and plenty of souvenir shopping. Races are a fun event for fans of all ages and interest levels.