MADISON, Ill. - On the heels of one of the most successful NHRA events in the track's history, Gateway International Raceway is pleased to announce the addition of the Monster Truck Challenge to its 2008 schedule of events. The event is scheduled for July 26th in the GIR oval and adds to the more than 200 diverse events hosted by the facility.
The event will take place in Turns 1 and 2 of GIR's unique 1.25-mile oval and will include some of the most famous monster trucks in the sport, including Bounty Hunter, the Dodge Raminator, and the world-famous Bigfoot. The series is an all-star tour of monster truck racing, said Rich Schaefer, MTC general manager, with a select group of the world's best monster trucks invited to compete each year. Past venues include Nashville Superspeedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"It is pretty cool that finally, on the 20th anniversary of monster truck racing, we bring MTC to the birthplace of monster trucks, St. Louis," Schaefer said. "And that's why we're bringing in the biggest hitters in the sport like Avenger, Bigfoot, Bounty Hunter, Raminator, and Tailgator. This event is special to today's big stars because without yesterday's stars from St. Louis, there would be no monster truck racing."
Gateway International Raceway Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki said the event is a great showcase of the broad spectrum of events hosted at the track, as well as a thoroughly entertaining spectacle for area race fans.
"For 20 years, we've seen the popularity of monster trucks grow and we've seen the crowds who follow the sport grow as well," he said. "Having the Monster Truck Challenge at Gateway means providing our customers with yet another great event as well as displaying the flexibility of our facility.
"GIR hosts more than 200 different events, such as NASCAR, the NHRA, SPEED's Pinks: All Out, the NHRA's weekly series, SCCA, Midnight Madness presented by Monster Energy Drink...the list just goes on and on. Without a doubt, we're one of the busiest tracks in the country and we wouldn't have it any other way."
Making the event even more special is the fact it will be the site of the MTC's inaugural Hall of Fame inductions. Inductees include Jim Kramer of Bigfoot; Jack Wilman, creator of the Granite City, Ill.-based Taurus; and Bearfoot driver Fred Shafer. Schaefer said he felt it was important to conduct the induction ceremony at Gateway due to the area's importance within the world of monster trucks.
"This is just something extra to pay homage to the folks who paved the way and to show our new fans the rich history of our sport," Schafer said.
Tickets are on sale now by calling Gateway International Raceway's ticket office at 866-35-SPEED or by visiting GatewayRaceway.com. For more information on the Monster Truck Challenge, visit MonsterTruckChallenge.com.
The event will take place in Turns 1 and 2 of GIR's unique 1.25-mile oval and will include some of the most famous monster trucks in the sport, including Bounty Hunter, the Dodge Raminator, and the world-famous Bigfoot. The series is an all-star tour of monster truck racing, said Rich Schaefer, MTC general manager, with a select group of the world's best monster trucks invited to compete each year. Past venues include Nashville Superspeedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"It is pretty cool that finally, on the 20th anniversary of monster truck racing, we bring MTC to the birthplace of monster trucks, St. Louis," Schaefer said. "And that's why we're bringing in the biggest hitters in the sport like Avenger, Bigfoot, Bounty Hunter, Raminator, and Tailgator. This event is special to today's big stars because without yesterday's stars from St. Louis, there would be no monster truck racing."
Gateway International Raceway Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki said the event is a great showcase of the broad spectrum of events hosted at the track, as well as a thoroughly entertaining spectacle for area race fans.
"For 20 years, we've seen the popularity of monster trucks grow and we've seen the crowds who follow the sport grow as well," he said. "Having the Monster Truck Challenge at Gateway means providing our customers with yet another great event as well as displaying the flexibility of our facility.
"GIR hosts more than 200 different events, such as NASCAR, the NHRA, SPEED's Pinks: All Out, the NHRA's weekly series, SCCA, Midnight Madness presented by Monster Energy Drink...the list just goes on and on. Without a doubt, we're one of the busiest tracks in the country and we wouldn't have it any other way."
Making the event even more special is the fact it will be the site of the MTC's inaugural Hall of Fame inductions. Inductees include Jim Kramer of Bigfoot; Jack Wilman, creator of the Granite City, Ill.-based Taurus; and Bearfoot driver Fred Shafer. Schaefer said he felt it was important to conduct the induction ceremony at Gateway due to the area's importance within the world of monster trucks.
"This is just something extra to pay homage to the folks who paved the way and to show our new fans the rich history of our sport," Schafer said.
Tickets are on sale now by calling Gateway International Raceway's ticket office at 866-35-SPEED or by visiting GatewayRaceway.com. For more information on the Monster Truck Challenge, visit MonsterTruckChallenge.com.
