MADISON, Ill. - In the world of drag racing, the St. Louis area holds a special place in the hearts of many racers and fans. Next weekend, fans from across the country will converge on GIR for the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags to see great racing, historical cars, and the man recently named one of ESPN's Top 25 Greatest Racers, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. All of the cars participating in the event will have been manufactured in 1974 or before.
In addition to the great racing and great memories the weekend will provide, eventgoers will have an opportunity to help a worthy cause. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to BackStoppers, an organization providing assistance to the families of fallen firefighters and police officers.
Muscle Car Reunion President John Troxel said the event, which kicks off Friday, May 30, and runs through Sunday, is a time machine for drag racing fans. "They can expect to go back in time," he said, "to 1974 and previous and see racing the way it was without electronics, with true tuners, mechanics, and drivers of the sport as it was and the cars like (they were)."
When the forerunner of Gateway International Raceway, the St. Louis International Raceway Park, opened 41 years ago, it drew a capacity crowd that came to see some of the biggest names in the sport. The opening event gave the facility a solid reputation within the drag racing community and helped cultivate a large weekly following.
In 1971, the track was re-named St. Louis International Raceway and was the host of the AHRA Gateway Nationals, attracting the sport's greatest drivers, none greater than "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. Garlits and his "Swamp Rat" dragster set a track record during the first Gateway National, but lost in the finals to Steve Carbone.
It would be the last time Garlits lost a round at SLIR for 12 years.
The Floridian won 33 straight rounds here in both Nationals and open competition, a run that continues to be the longest winning streak in the history of professional drag racing. When Garlits makes his return to the area, he will do so as a conquering hero and a legend in the sport he helped bring to the mainstream.
"Don Garlits has been a hero to all of us for many, many years," Troxel said. "We'd always hoped to have an event worthy of Don to come to. So we invited him to St. Louis and ,with the rich history he's got here, he is really looking forward to coming back here."
For Gateway International Raceway Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki, this isn't just a regular event; it's one with special meaning. Batycki's history in motorsports began on a dragstrip in south Florida and the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags weekend is an opportunity for him to be reminded why he fell in love with the sport originally.
"This event takes me back to my roots of watching legendary funny cars down at Miami-Hollywood when I was a kid," he said. "The cars our fans will get to see at Gateway are the ones that inspired a generation to become drag racing fans and should show a new generation the history of our sport."
For more information, visit GatewayRaceway.com or MuscleCarReunion.com or call 573-644-3272/3723. For more information on BackStoppers, visit BackStoppers.org.
(Special thanks to Gateway International Raceway Historian Bret Kepner for his assistance on this release.)
In addition to the great racing and great memories the weekend will provide, eventgoers will have an opportunity to help a worthy cause. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to BackStoppers, an organization providing assistance to the families of fallen firefighters and police officers.
Muscle Car Reunion President John Troxel said the event, which kicks off Friday, May 30, and runs through Sunday, is a time machine for drag racing fans. "They can expect to go back in time," he said, "to 1974 and previous and see racing the way it was without electronics, with true tuners, mechanics, and drivers of the sport as it was and the cars like (they were)."
When the forerunner of Gateway International Raceway, the St. Louis International Raceway Park, opened 41 years ago, it drew a capacity crowd that came to see some of the biggest names in the sport. The opening event gave the facility a solid reputation within the drag racing community and helped cultivate a large weekly following.
In 1971, the track was re-named St. Louis International Raceway and was the host of the AHRA Gateway Nationals, attracting the sport's greatest drivers, none greater than "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. Garlits and his "Swamp Rat" dragster set a track record during the first Gateway National, but lost in the finals to Steve Carbone.
It would be the last time Garlits lost a round at SLIR for 12 years.
The Floridian won 33 straight rounds here in both Nationals and open competition, a run that continues to be the longest winning streak in the history of professional drag racing. When Garlits makes his return to the area, he will do so as a conquering hero and a legend in the sport he helped bring to the mainstream.
"Don Garlits has been a hero to all of us for many, many years," Troxel said. "We'd always hoped to have an event worthy of Don to come to. So we invited him to St. Louis and ,with the rich history he's got here, he is really looking forward to coming back here."
For Gateway International Raceway Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki, this isn't just a regular event; it's one with special meaning. Batycki's history in motorsports began on a dragstrip in south Florida and the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags weekend is an opportunity for him to be reminded why he fell in love with the sport originally.
"This event takes me back to my roots of watching legendary funny cars down at Miami-Hollywood when I was a kid," he said. "The cars our fans will get to see at Gateway are the ones that inspired a generation to become drag racing fans and should show a new generation the history of our sport."
For more information, visit GatewayRaceway.com or MuscleCarReunion.com or call 573-644-3272/3723. For more information on BackStoppers, visit BackStoppers.org.
(Special thanks to Gateway International Raceway Historian Bret Kepner for his assistance on this release.)
