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  *Comments on St. Louis International Raceway:*
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  1.   AnonymousEFR posted:
  04.23.2014 - 6:57 am
   Rate this comment:      (1)      (0)

This track had two layouts, a 1 mile short course and 2.7 mile long one.
It closed in 1995, and was replaced by the Gateway Motorsports Park we
know and love.


  2.   23andJoe posted:
  12.24.2016 - 5:53 am
   Rate this comment:      (1)      (0)

The "long course" - the full road course - was actually 2.2 miles in
length, as indicated by both the 1985 Trans-Am box score and media
coverage from both 1985 and 1996.

The "short course" - used by the ARCA race - was the 1-mile course,
which "shortcutted" the main course by turning turns 4 and 12, where the
track joined the dragstrip both "coming and going" relative to the
starting line, into a single broad curve. It remained in use into 1996
as the remainder of the property was cleared for the construction of
Gateway International Raceway.

An interesting footnote is that the original St. Louis International
Raceway Park dragstrip, built in 1967, ran from south to north; when GIR
was constructed, the original dragstrip was torn out completely and
replaced, on roughly the exact same alignment, running from north to south.


  3.   23andJoe posted:
  12.24.2016 - 7:31 am
   Rate this comment:      (1)      (0)

This illustration shows the "long course" and the turn 4/12 complex
that, combined, formed the "short course". Note that the track is
identified as "Gateway International Raceway", which may indicate it
dates to 1995.

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/IL/images/gateway/gateway.gif

And this shows the 1-mile "short course" that was identified as the
"temporary course" for racing in 1996 as clearing of the property for
the construction of GIR was underway.

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/IL/images/gateway/g96tmp.gif


  4.   RaceFanX posted:
  03.07.2020 - 9:49 pm
   Rate this comment:      (1)      (0)

This track played host to one of the more unusual but historic moments
in motorsports history in 1983 when its drag strip hosted one of the
very first monster truck races ever held. The television show "That's
Incredible" set up a race between the early Bigfoot Ford and the USA-1
Chevrolet trucks complete with two long rows of 40 junk cars down the
strip that both trucks had to flatten. Bigfoot would win the race but it
took another year or so before monster truck racing became common and it
wouldn't be until 1988 that it had a points championship.


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