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Indycar Series Race at St. Louis area From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline is an IndyCar Series race held at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, United States. The event was first held as a CART series race from 1997 to 2000, initially on Memorial Day weekend. From 2001 to 2003, it was held as an Indy Racing League (IRL) event. After a hiatus of over a decade, the race returned in 2017 as part of the unified IndyCar Series.[1]
IndyCar Series | |
---|---|
Venue | World Wide Technology Raceway |
First race | 1997 |
First ICS race | 2001 |
Distance | 325 mi (523.037 km) |
Laps | 260 |
Previous names | Motorola 300 (1997–2000) Gateway Indy 250 (2001–2002) Emerson Indy 250 (2003) |
Most wins (driver) | Josef Newgarden (5) |
Most wins (team) | Team Penske (9) |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Chassis: Dallara (11) Engine: Chevrolet (7) |
On Saturday, May 24, 1997, shortly after the construction of Gateway International Raceway (as World Wide Technology Raceway was then known), the CART series held the Motorola 300, the first major event at the facility. The race was scheduled for the day before the Indianapolis 500 of the rival IRL. Rather than stage a race directly opposite the Indy 500 (as they had done in 1996 with the U.S. 500 at Michigan), CART scheduled Gateway the day before the Indy 500 to serve as their Memorial Day weekend open-wheel alternative without direct conflict. On one instance, a couple of drivers actually competed in both events in the same weekend. The race was held on Memorial Day weekend for three seasons.
For the 2000 season, the race was moved from Memorial Day weekend to September.[2] Track management did not want the event to be scheduled for the same weekend as the Indy 500, as it was splitting the fan base and affecting attendance. With the two races in neighboring states, fans generally chose to travel to the Indy 500 for the weekend instead. In addition, CART officials decided to leave Memorial Day weekend open to allow their teams the opportunity to cross over and compete at Indianapolis if they desired.[3]
In 2001, the race was dropped from the CART series schedule, and it switched to the IRL. The distance was shortened, and the race became known as the Gateway Indy 250. However, the event suffered from continually declining attendance. The event was dropped altogether after 2003.
After new management at the facility in 2012, rumors began to circulate about reviving the event with the now-unified IndyCar Series. In 2015, the track was approved as a test facility.
In January 2017, a multi-year agreement was designed with Gateway Motorsports Park and the Bommarito Automotive Group.[4] The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 was announced at the 2017 St. Louis Auto Show and added to the 2017 IndyCar Series schedule. The partnership was renewed through 2021.[5]
In July 2020, the race was shortened to 250 miles (200 laps) to accommodate a revised schedule for the COVID-19 pandemic. The event featured two identical 200-lap races in the afternoon.
Before the start of the 2021 race, event promoters announced a contract extension with IndyCar to secure the race for an additional five years.[6]
* - no time trials held
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