Wide Open Wednesday Presented By AAA Insurance season-opener Wednesday, Midnight Madness Friday, Race Car Rumble Saturday, Import Face-Off Sunday

April 11, 2106, St. Louis Region – Extended forecast for the Gateway Motorsports Park Dragplex area: Probability of rain, low. Temperatures, rising. It looks like local racers finally are going to catch a break from the elements. Four days of drag racing action on GMP’s NHRA-sanctioned, quarter-mile Dragplex will kick off on Wednesday with the season-opener for the Wide Open Wednesday Presented By AAA Insurance Series. Gates will open at 4 p.m. with on-track action commencing at 5 p.m. The Dragplex concession stand will offer 99-cent beer and hot dog specials. Kids 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

On Friday, the Dragplex presents another edition of Midnight Madness street-legal drag racing. This week’s theme is “Muscle Madness” with themed contests, midway activity and music by DJ Frizzy.

Saturday’s Race Car Rumble is a pre-Import Face-Off Test ‘n’ Tune and grudge race.

Sunday’s annual M&H Tires Import Face-Off is a lifestyle event that includes a car show, quarter-mile drag racing exclusively for imports and sport compacts, the Usaci stereo crank-it-up contest, DJs, a model expo, open drifting by DriftSTL.com and a burnout contest.

Wednesday, April 13 — Wide Open Wednesday Presented By AAA Insurance
4 p.m. — Gates open.
4:30 p.m. — Tech inspection open, fuel sales begin (fuel sales conclude at 7:30 p.m.).
5:p.m. — Race tire exclusive session (5-6:30 p.m.).
5:30 p.m. — Concessions open (including 99-cent beer and hot dog specials).
6:30 p.m. — Open testing for all tire types.
8:45 p.m. — Tech card sales conclude.
9 p.m. — Tech inspection concludes.
9:30 p.m. — Concessions closed.
9:45 p.m. — Battle of the Bikes qualifying run.
10 p.m. — Battle of the Bikes Top 2 Showdown.
10 p.m. — Rear of staging lanes closed.
10:15 p.m. — Conclude event.

Entry fees and admission prices:
Adult spectator: $10 (with trackside wedge parking — no staging or restricted-area access).
Kids 12 and under: Free.
Restricted crew pass: $15 (restricted-area wristband).
Test ‘n’ Tune: $30 (car and driver).
Pro class testing: $100 (Top Alcohol or Fuel Altereds, Funny Cars and dragsters).

April 15 — Midnight Madness “Muscle Madness”
5 p.m. — Gates open, tech inspection begins.
6 p.m. — Street-legal racing begins.
7:30 p.m. — Midway activities and entertainment.
11:30 p.m. — Tech card sales conclude.
11:45 p.m. — Tech inspection concludes.
12:15 a.m. — Last call to staging lanes.
12:30 a.m. — Back of staging lanes closed; conclude remaining runs.
1 a.m. — Conclude racing.
1:15 a.m. — Pit sweep, facility closed.

Admission and entry fees:
Racer tech card: $25 (car and driver).
Spectator or crew pass: $15.
Kids 12 and under: Free.

Saturday, April 16 — Race Car Rumble Test ‘n’ Tune & Grudge Showdown
1 p.m. — Gates open.
2 p.m. — Tech inspection.
3 p.m. — Test ‘n’ Tune, grudge runs.
6 p.m. — 1/8-mile Bracket Gambler ($20, pay in lanes, 100% payback).
7 p.m. — Test run card sales conclude, tech concludes.
7:30 p.m. — Final call to staging lanes.
7:45 p.m. — Back of staging lanes closed.
8 p.m. — Conclude racing.
9 p.m. — Pit sweep due to Sunday Import Face-Off event. All vehicles must exit.
No overnights in pit area. North stacking area will be open.

Testing or grudge fees:
Gateway Bracket member: $30 (car and driver).
Non-member, grudge, test: $40 (car and driver).
Crew or spectator pass: $15.

Sunday, April 17 — M&H Tires Import Face-Off (www.importfaceoff.net)
8 a.m. — Racer gates open (East/pit side of track).
8 a.m. — Spectator gates open (West side of track).
9 a.m. — Car show and stereo registration (until noon).
9 a.m. — Racer tech inspection.
11 a.m. — Drag racing time trials and drifting.
2 p.m. — Drag racing eliminations.
5 p.m. — Drag racing finals.
5:15 p.m. — Burnout contest.
5:30 p.m. — Awards.

Admission and entry fees:
Spectator (ages 11 and older): $20 ($17 with advance purchase or with flyer at gate).
Children (ages 10 and under): Free.
Car show entry: $35 ($25 if purchased in advance online).
Test ‘n’ Tune drag racer: $35 ($25 if purchased in advance online).
Competition racer: $35 ($25 if purchased in advance online).
Burnout contest: Free with paid event admission.

Competition drag racing is limited to imports and sport compacts only. Test ‘n’ Tune is open.
Free pitside parking for spectators with advance, online ticket purchases. Day-of-show is limited to participants only.

All schedules subject to change.
Listen to the announcers on 92.7 FM.

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.