Officials from Gateway Motorsports Park (MSP) released the complete schedule of drag racing activity for the NHRA sanctioned quarter-mile facility. The 2015 schedule is highlighted by the return of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown for the Championship on September 25-27, 2015. It marks the fourth consecutive year of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals since the track opened as Gateway Motorsports Park under the ownership of Curtis Francois.
“The AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals is our premiere event and features the top stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series,” said Chris Blair, Gateway Motorsports Park Executive Vice President and General Manager. “However, our focus is to continue building our other special events so that we can provide area racing fans with a diverse menu to choose from. We have assembled some great events for 2015, and we are already working on additional event programming for the years to come.”
The first major event of the 2015 season is Saturday, May 9 with the second annual St. Louis Nostalgia Rendezvous. The event features nostalgia drag racing, a classic hot rod show, rockabilly music and pin-up contests to showcase the popular ‘rat rod’ culture. Two weeks later, on May 29 and 30, the Professional Drag Racer’s Association (PDRA) makes its Gateway MSP debut with the Mid-America Open. The PDRA is the nation’s fastest growing 1/8 mile Pro Mod drag racing series and features the top drivers in drag racing.
The largest road trip in the world, the Hot Rod Power Tour, stops at Gateway MSP on Monday, June 8. The event features a caravan of several thousand hot rods hitting seven cities in seven days as they trek from Madison, Wisconsin to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Power Tour, a free spectator event, features a massive manufacturer’s midway, miles of custom cars and appearances by the leading personalities in the automotive industry.
While the summer heats up, the action doesn’t cool off as July and August feature three major events. On Saturday, July 25 the second annual Grillin’ at Gateway Festival returns in conjunction with the Fun Ford and Gateway E.T. Championship Series. Grillin’ at Gateway allows fans the opportunity to watch the top BBQ teams in the Midwest compete for a championship while also enjoying great food, live music, an all-Ford car show, autocross and drag racing.
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series returns on Saturday, August 8 for the 3rd annual All-American Hot Rod Showdown. The event features nearly 500 NHRA sportsman drag racers competing under the lights, a classic car show and the only St. Louis appearance of 270 mile-per-hour blown top alcohol Funny Cars and 280 mile-per-hour injected nitro Dragsters.
August winds down with the return of Anarchy at the Arch, an assault on the record books that last year established the fastest and quickest side-by-side run for full-bodied race cars in drag racing history. This year, the headline Outlaw Pro Mods will be joined by the Nostalgia Drag Racing League to provide fans young and old with an unforgettable drag racing experience.
Early September is highlighted by the 21st edition of the United Black Drag Racers Association (UBDRA) “Black Sunday” event on September 12 and 13. The event, which benefits youth and scholarship programs in the community, features a full weekend of bracket and grudge drag racing, a car show and community events on the midway.
As the season winds down in October, Gateway MSP will once again feature the popular Mid-America Chevy Dealers Super Show. The Chevy Show, which will be nationally televised on Velocity TV, includes a car show, swap meet, manufacturers midway and drag racing that is highlighted by Nostalgia Pro Stocks and a Super Quick Shootout.
Big money bracket racing returns on October 17 & 18 with the $10,000 to win Super Buck event and, one week later, the Midwest Jr. Championship Series concludes their 2015 tour.
In addition to the Gateway MSP produced major events, visiting tours by outside promoters populate the schedule with; Import Face-Off on Sunday, April 18, the Model T Swap Meet on Sunday, May 3, Street Car Take-Over on Sunday, May 24, the NHDRO Motorcycle Series June 6-7 and the National Hot Rod Diesel Association Drags and Truck Pull on Saturday, June 27.
The complete Gateway Motorsports Park schedule features 11 Midnight Madness late night drag and drift events, 10 E.T. Bracket and Jr. Dragster Series events, 22 Wide-Open Wednesday events and numerous driving schools, professional test days and Gateway Challenge corporate events.
“Our goal, from day one, has been to produce quality racing entertainment at each of our racing venues,” continued Blair. “The 2015 schedule illustrates that we are not slowing down on achieving this goal and, as we move forward, more great programming will be introduced to our fans and racers.”
For additional information regarding Gateway Motorsports Park, please visit www.GatewayMSP.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. The Gateway Motorsports Park offices are open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. by calling (618) 215-8888.
Please note that schedule is subject to change. Please verify all events before travel.
GMP PR
- TEAM CHEVY NASCAR RACE ADVANCE: Talladega Superspeedway - April 17, 2024
- American Sprint Car Series Starts New Chapter at Super Bee Speedway - April 17, 2024
- Big Machine Racing – ‘Dega here we come - April 17, 2024