March 29, 2016, St. Louis Region – The second round of Gateway Motorsports Park’s 2016 Bracket Racing Series will take place on Saturday at the NHRA-sanctioned quarter-mile Dragplex. Gates will open at 8 a.m. with the first round of time trials scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Classes in competition will include: VP Racing Fuels Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Super Pro Motorcycle, Trophy and Jr. Dragster (Thunder, Lightning and Rookie divisions). Also on the bill is the annual NHRA King of the Track competition.
The 2016 season consists of 15 points-paying events: March 26, April 2, April 9, April 10, April 23, April 24, May 14, June 11, July 1, July 2, July 16, July 30, Aug. 14, Sept. 3 and Sept. 4.
Defending Dragplex champions include: Jeremy McKague (VP Racing Fuels Super Pro), John Ratulowski (Pro), Aaron Hagen (Sportsman), Phil Humphrey (Bike Index), Charles Willis Sr. (Super Pro Bike), Danny Ratulowski (High School), Clayton McGinnis (Jr. Dragster Lightning) and Lindsey Schmidt (Jr. Dragster Thunder).
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 2
8 a.m. — Gates, racer registration and pit parking open.
9:30 a.m. — Tech inspection.
9:50 a.m. — Jr. Dragster track talk with Kevin Corzine (in staging lanes).
10 a.m.
First Jr. Dragster time trial.
First Trophy time trial.
Second Jr. Dragster time trial.
Second Trophy time trial.
First round of Jr. Dragster eliminations.
First round of Trophy eliminations.
11:50 a.m. — King of the Track time trial.
Noon — Top Fuel Concessions open.
Noon
*Pro time trial.
Box ¼-mile Bonus time trial.
King of the Track time trial.
*Super Pro time trial.
No Box ¼-mile Bonus time trial.
First round of King of the Track eliminations (8 vehicles).
Super Pro Motorcycle time trial.
Sportsman time trial.
Second round of Jr. Dragster and Trophy eliminations.
Second round of King of the Track eliminations (4 vehicles).
Second round of time trials for all classes.
King of the Track final (2 vehicles).
Third round of Jr. Dragster and Trophy eliminations.
First round of eliminations for Bracket Series.
Fourth round of Jr. Dragster and Trophy eliminations.
Second round of eliminations for Bracket Series.
Final rounds for Jr. Dragster and Trophy eliminations.
¼-Mile Bonus eliminations begin following Round No. 2.
* Schedule is an approximate estimate and is subject to change for multiple reasons.
* Time trials in Super Pro and Pro will be contested as ¼-mile to accommodate racers needing runs for the ¼-mile Bonus class.
* The Bonus race is a non-points program. In the event of weather, priority will be given to completing all point series classes.
Admission and entry fees:
VP Racing Fuels Super Pro – 1/8 mile points: $65.
Pro – 1/8 mile points: $55.
Sportsman – ¼ mile points: $40.
Super Pro Motorcycle – ¼ mile points: $40.
Trophy – ¼ mile points: $30.
Jr. Dragster Thunder or Lightning.– points: $30.
Jr. Dragster Rookie – non-points: $30.
Spectators or crew passes: $15.
¼-Mile Box vs. No-Box Combo: $60 entry fee (Box will race Box until final. No-Box races No-Box until final. Box winner will race No-Box winner for $1,000 to win and $400 to runner-up.)
First-round pairings for King of the Track competition:
2014 Super Pro champion Tim Foley vs. March 26 wild card winner James Thurston.
2014 Pro champion Clay Tyler vs. March 26 wild-card winner Jeremy McKague.
2014 Pro Bike champion Janie Palm vs. March 26 wild card winner Scott Leonard.
2014 Sportsman champion Ted Lipka vs. March 26 wild card winner Ted Lipka (first-round bye).
The King of the Track competition will be run between rounds of time trials. Participants will receive two time runs before the eliminations. All King of the Track runs will be 1/8-mile with Cross-Talk off.
The 2016 King of the Track, which will be held Labor Day weekend, will have a different event format.
Please note: Points will not be earned until a registration form and points fee is provided to registration. Please complete your registration to earn points. No grace period will be issued.
Registration procedures: After purchasing your tech card at the front gate, complete it and bring it to the staging lanes along with your car. Once your car has been inspected and our tech officials have signed off on your card, please proceed to the tech shack at the front of the staging lanes. At the tech shack you will sign the racer waiver and receive your racer wristband which will be placed on your left arm. Any driver going down the track must have the racer wristband on the left arm.
Racers: Please note the earlier starting times for Jr. Dragsters and Trophy. Due to the large turnout on opening weekend, we are starting earlier for Jr. Dragster and Trophy participants. This has been adjusted from our previously-announced times.
For more information, please call GMP at (618) 215-8888 or visit www.gatewaymsp.com. Follow GMP on Facebook and Twitter.
The vision for the new Gateway Motorsports Park is to create a racing lifestyle that attracts enthusiasts, professionals, amateurs and car lovers by harnessing the energy and passion of the thousands of racing fans in the heart of the Midwest.
Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering nearly 200 acres, Gateway is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the region, encompassing a ¼-mile NHRA-sanctioned drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, 1.6- mile road course, a state-of-the-art Karting facility and a new 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-road venue.