NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 and Europe’s Champ Truck World Series highlight the schedule!

March 10, 2015 – Madison, Illinois / St. Louis – Officials from Gateway Motorsports Park (MSP) have released the preliminary schedule of events for the venue’s 1.25 mile NASCAR speedway and the 1.6 mile road course.   The 2015 schedule is highlighted by the return of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 presented by Ameren on June 13 and the debut of the Champ Truck World Series for big rigs July 17 through 19, 2015.

“The success of NASCAR’s return to the region has generated tremendous enthusiasm for new events this year,” said Chris Blair, Gateway Motorsports Park Executive Vice President and General Manager.  “We had one of the largest crowds of all the NASCAR truck series events in 2014, and this momentum has supported our efforts to bring the Champ Truck World Series to town.  This series is going to bring something totally new and exciting to not only the St. Louis area, but also the United States.”

Last year marked the return of NASCAR to St. Louis for the first time under the new ownership of Curtis Francois.  The event, which saw popular driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace claim the victory, was an action-packed race that featured a new track record, multiple lead changes, on-track drama and an exciting finish.  Blair expects more of the same for the 2015 event.

“The majority of the drivers in last year’s event were new to Gateway Motorsports Park and the challenges and opportunities our track presents,” continued Blair.  “Now, with some experience under their belts, we anticipate harder driving and even more excitement this season.”

The Champ Truck World Series is a transplant from Europe where the series competes in front of massive crowds on many of the same tracks as Formula One.  The series features full-size big rigs that feature 2-axle, class-8 tractors with commercially available diesel engines between 10-15 liters and manual transmissions.  The series will visit six of the top road racing venues in the United States as part of the first ever American championship. Gateway Motorsports Park will host a complete show on both Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19, 2015.

“This is going to be one of the most interesting weekend’s ever for racing at Gateway Motorsports Park,” said Blair. “These trucks produce some exciting racing in Europe and are very popular with die-hard enthusiasts thanks to U.S. broadcasts and the internet.  When the promoters approached us about doing one of the events here we knew it would produce a really fun weekend.”

Also on tap are three events with the Porsche Club of St. Louis, three events with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), two events with the Midwest Cafe Racing Association, a weekend with the National Auto Sport Association and the debut of U.S. Drift Street Driven Tour – an automotive lifestyle event to be held on July 4, 2015.

Car enthusiasts who want to use their own car during track-day events can participate in five SCCA PDX events to be held on the third Wednesday of each month in May, June, July, August and September.  Participation in PDX events gives drivers one-on-one instruction with SCCA certified driving instructors and makes them eligible for other track day events.

Along with the association race weekends, the road course at Gateway Motorsports Park will also feature appearances and track days with a variety of driving experiences ranging from stock cars to formula cars as well as the Gateway debut of the Skip Barber Racing School.  In addition to motorized events, the American Heart Association Heart Walk, the Graffiti Run and Color Fun Fest are just a few of the specialty events held on the venue.

“Our goal is to have activity at the everyday of the week, all year-round,” concluded Blair. “Our schedule is always growing and our team is working hard to provide diverse entertainment for both spectators and participants no matter what the sport.”

For additional information regarding Gateway Motorsports Park, please visit www.GatewayMSP.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.  The Gateway Motorsports Park offices are open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. by calling (618) 215-8888.

Please note that schedule is subject to change.  Please verify all events before travel.

Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering 180 acres of prime real-estate, Gateways MSP is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the region, encompassing a ¼ mile NHRA-sectioned drag strip, 1.25 mile NASCAR speedway, 1.6 mile road course, a new Gateway Karting facility and a new 14-acre off road course. The vision for the new Gateway Motorsports Park is to create a racing lifestyle that attracts enthusiasts, professionals, amateurs and street-car lovers of all kinds by harnessing the grassroots momentum, energy and passion of the thousands of racing enthusiasts and fans in the area.

Susan C. Ryan
SC Ryan Consulting, LLC