Gateway Motorsports Park Officially Re-Opens Its Gates For Racing

Not sure about the rest of you, but the above photo sure is a sight for sore eyes to those of us in the Midwest. The Gateway Motorsports Park, formerly known as the Gateway International Raceway under the ownership of Dover Motorsports Inc., officially re-opened its gates for racing activities on Saturday, hosting an open test ‘n tune day to a large contingent of local racers champing at the bit to get back to their beloved St. Louis-area facility. DRAGZINE has been following the status and progress of the Gateway track, located in Madison, Ill., since our most recent event coverage of the NMCA World Finals there in October of 2010, and we salute the hard work of all those involved in bringing it back to life.

Under new ownership, the Gateway facility has been resurrected from what many were expecting to be years of dormancy while the financials of the property could be re-negotiated with the residing county in just over a year. and they’ve wasted little time in restoring its former glory as a drag racing destination.

The track is scheduled to host open, slick tire, and street tire test ‘n tune sessions, in addition to the longtime Friday night Midnight Madness events before its first major event on April 13-15 with the NHRA Spring Sportsman Challenge XX National Open for Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors.

Later this season, Gateway will also host the American Drag Racing League, the HOT ROD Power Tour, Monster Mopar Weekend, the Super Chevy Show, Fun Ford Weekend, and the NHRA Midwest Nationals, in addition to a full season slate of weekly ET bracket series events and open test ‘n tune sessions on weeknights throughout the spring, summer, and fall.