Major-league racing returning to Gateway in 2017
IndyCar racing will return to Gateway Motorsports Park in 2017, according to reports.
The track in Madison announce the return of the open-wheel racing series during a news conference Thursday morning in St. Louis.
The 2016 race is scheduled for Aug. 26 — a Saturday night.
The last time Indy-style cars raced at Gateway was in 2003. The track’s first major event, held in 1997, was an IndyCar race.
For now, Gateway’s lead events are a NASCAR truck race and NHRA drag racing.
NASCAR’s second-tier series, formerly known as the Busch Series and now known as the Xfinity Series, last raced at Gateway in 2010.
The IndyCar series’ premier event is the Indianapolis 500. IndyCar drivers conducted testing at Gateway’s 1.25-mile oval in 2015.
“From the feedback I’ve gathered, drivers like racing at Gateway Motorsports Park,” said Gateway owner and president Curtis Francois. “They like the track and they appreciate the enthusiasm and energy of the fans. They recognize that fans in the St. Louis region like more than just baseball. St. Louis is a sports town through and through.”
Some of auto racing’s biggest names have chalked up wins on Gateway’s oval, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Al Unser Jr., Gil de Ferran, Paul Tracy, Alex Zanardi, Michael Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves.
Gateway held open-wheel races for IndyCar’s predecessor series, CART, from 1997 to 2000.
But just as open-wheel racing was arriving at Gateway, there was a split in the open-wheel series, leading to the creation of the rival Indy Racing League. At first, the best-known drivers largely stayed with CART, but the IRL kept the big attraction — the Indy 500. Both series suffered during the split, but they unified in 2008. The IRL raced at Gateway from 2001 to 2003.
Today, interest in the IndyCar series is on the rise, evidenced by an increase in both TV ratings and viewership over the past two seasons, Francois said.
We're extremely excited to announce that we've also added @GatewayMSP to the 2017 calendar! #GatewayINDYCAR2017 pic.twitter.com/ZlFgV8WAYZ
— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) August 25, 2016
IndyCar at a glance:
Currently has 16-race schedule. Five on ovals, the rest on street or road courses.
Top-name drivers include Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Juan Pablo Montoya.
Cars: single-seat, open-cockpit, featuring a 2.2-liter, twin turbocharged, direct-injected V-6 engine optimized to run at 12,000 RPM with an estimated 500-700 horsepower depending on the turbocharger boost setting. Engines supplied by Chevrolet and Honda.
Next race: Saturday night, Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Gateway Motorsports Park at a glance:
1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval with different degrees of banking in the turns.
Top events are NHRA drag races, NASCAR truck races.
Winners on the oval include: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Al Unser Jr., Gil de Ferran, Paul Tracy, Alex Zanardi, Michael Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Helio Castroneves.
This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 6:57 AM with the headline "Major-league racing returning to Gateway in 2017."