MADISON, Ill. – St. Louis has a wealth of racing history and Eileen Waters of the St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club knows most of it. On Saturday, she will become part of it as she will wave the green flag to kick off the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway. When GIR Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batyck asked her if she would do the honors, she was humbled.
“I consider it a great honor to be named the starter,” she said.
Waters’ began her racing addiction in the early 1970’s, when her brothers built a stock car and began racing at the Alton Speedway. “I went out to see what it was all about,” she said. “I was introduced to a good group of people and some great racers.”
Her interest grew from there and she began to go out to some races and eventually got into the media end of it. In addition to working as the official scorer from the infield, she worked as the assistant general manager for Gateway International Raceway and has covered racing on local radio for over 20 years. If it has a motor and races towards a finish line, Waters has been a part of it.
“Eileen is just an amazing person,” Batycki said. “She has an incredible amount of knowledge and we’re lucky to have her here. It’s really cool for someone with so much knowledge of the history here to become a part of that history and we’re honored to give here that chance.”
Waters said she spends at least three to four hours a day on race-related duties and while sometimes it may be overlooked in the overall picture concerning St. Louis sports, motorsports has a rich heritage here.
“If you love racing, St. Louis is the place to be,” she said. “St. Louis is the home to over 240 national and international championships. Some people may not realize both the quality of racing in St. Louis and the quantity of great racers that are from the area.”
The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club was founded in 1955 and has hundreds of members throughout the area.
To be a part of this weekend’s racing history, get tickets now by calling 866-35-SPEED or by visiting GatewayRaceway.com.
“I consider it a great honor to be named the starter,” she said.
Waters’ began her racing addiction in the early 1970’s, when her brothers built a stock car and began racing at the Alton Speedway. “I went out to see what it was all about,” she said. “I was introduced to a good group of people and some great racers.”
Her interest grew from there and she began to go out to some races and eventually got into the media end of it. In addition to working as the official scorer from the infield, she worked as the assistant general manager for Gateway International Raceway and has covered racing on local radio for over 20 years. If it has a motor and races towards a finish line, Waters has been a part of it.
“Eileen is just an amazing person,” Batycki said. “She has an incredible amount of knowledge and we’re lucky to have her here. It’s really cool for someone with so much knowledge of the history here to become a part of that history and we’re honored to give here that chance.”
Waters said she spends at least three to four hours a day on race-related duties and while sometimes it may be overlooked in the overall picture concerning St. Louis sports, motorsports has a rich heritage here.
“If you love racing, St. Louis is the place to be,” she said. “St. Louis is the home to over 240 national and international championships. Some people may not realize both the quality of racing in St. Louis and the quantity of great racers that are from the area.”
The St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club was founded in 1955 and has hundreds of members throughout the area.
To be a part of this weekend’s racing history, get tickets now by calling 866-35-SPEED or by visiting GatewayRaceway.com.
