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| Location | Madison, Illinois |
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| Opened | 1970 |
| Major Events | World Stock Car Championship Alliant 300 (1988 - 1994, 1997 - 2004, 2013 - present) World Stock Car Championship Lites Budweiser 250 (1987 - 1994, 1997 - present) Champ Car Champ Car Gateway 250 (1998 - 2004) |
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Gateway Motorsports Park
Gateway Motorsports Park (formerly Gateway International Raceway) is a race track in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, Missouri. The track currently hosts the Alliant 300 for the World Stock Car Championship, as well as a companion event for the WSCC Lites series. It has formerly hosted the Champ Car series, with the last open-wheel race being held at the facility in 2000.
The track currently consists of a 1.25-mile oval for major events, a 1.5-mile infield road course for club events, and a drag strip.
Track History[edit | edit source]
The track began life as St. Louis International Raceway Park, a drag strip which broke ground in 1967 and opened for the 1970 season. In 1985 a road course was constructed, featuring 2.2-mile (3.5 km) and 1.0-mile (1.6 km) configurations; the WSCC began racing here soon after the road courses were completed. In 1994, the track was purchased by a group of promoters who were looking to build a new oval facility in the Midwest; during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, the track underwent major overhaul, converting it to a 1.25-mile oval facility and removing the road course layouts.
The 1.25-mile (2.01 km) oval is a favorite of many of the drivers who race there due to the unique shape and different degrees of banking in each corner. Turns 1 & 2 have characteristics similar to New Hampshire Motor Speedway while Turns 3 & 4 are similar to Phoenix International Raceway, while the track's egg shape mimics the legendary Darlington Raceway.