Verizon IndyCar Series coming August 26, 2017
By John Bisci – August 25, 2016, St. Louis Region – Officials from Gateway Motorsports Park and INDYCAR have announced that a race date has been awarded to St. Louis for the cars and stars of the Indianapolis 500 to come to Gateway Motorsports Park in 2017. Officials from Gateway Motorsports Park and INDYCAR today announced a multi-year agreement to produce annual INDYCAR-sanctioned events at the 1.25-mile oval in the St. Louis region.
The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series date is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, August 26, with practice and qualifying on Friday, August 25. Tickets will go on sale October 11, 2016. Additionally, plans are already underway to incorporate a weeklong celebration leading up to the race.
Now locally owned and operated, Gateway Motorsports Park has grown into a premier nationally-recognized entertainment facility with diverse events. Gateway Motorsports Park will be one of only two facilities in the United States to host events by all three major sanctioning bodies — INDYCAR, NASCAR and NHRA — in 2017.
“Today is a monumental day for the people of the St. Louis region,” said Curtis Francois, owner of Gateway Motorsports Park. “More than a dozen track operators around the country sought an INDYCAR date for their communities. I firmly believe we came out on top because of the energy, loyalty and commitment to great sports that sports fans of all kinds demonstrate each day in this community. ”
“Gateway Motorsports Park is a key addition to the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Curtis Francois has been enthusiastic about the prospect of hosting an INDYCAR event for some time and we’re excited to bring the Verizon IndyCar Series to the market in 2017. Curtis and his team have made substantial improvements to the track and we’re confident both the facility, and the on-track competition, will be of the highest quality.”
In 2012, days before having its grandstands dismantled and sold as scrap, St. Louis native Francois took the reins and breathed new life into the shuttered facility. With a lofty fan-focused vision, a new name, a full racing schedule and support from one of the largest motorsports fans communities in the nation, Gateway Motorsports Park has grown and hosted more than 1,000,000 people in 2016 with over 300 large and small events. “I am proud of the progress we’ve made at my hometown track,” said Francois, who has pumped $20 million in capital improvement investments over the last four years. “I knew someday we would be making an announcement like this because I have such confidence in the people of this region and their commitment to great sporting events.”
“Securing the date is the first step in putting on a successful international-level event like an INDYCAR race,” said Francois. “The next step is to secure partnerships with civic and business leaders so we can bring to life an entire INDYCAR festival the week leading up to the race that will bring together tens of thousands of people to a charity golf tournament, bike race, charity walk, concert and so much more.” Francois says his team is already in talks with potential race sponsors and he’s encouraged by the early support. Industry experts say similar events bring $50 million dollars of new revenue into the community.
The inaugural race will join the annual NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Drivin’ for Linemen 200 (June 17) and NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ AAA Insurance Midwest NHRA Nationals (September 22-24) on Gateway Motorsports Park ‘s 2017 major event schedule.
For more information, please call Gateway Motorsports Park at (618) 215-8888 ext. 119 or visit www.gatewaymsp.com. Follow Gateway Motorsports Park on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.
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.