GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY REVISES 2009 MIDWEEK DRAG RACING SCHEDULE

In an attempt to maintain a weekly drag racing series as a viable option, Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, has restructured its Tuesday and Wednesday midweek programs for the 2009 racing season. Beginning on Tuesday, March 24, GIR’s Tuesday Street Tires Test-and-Tune and Wednesday Slick Tires and Motorcycles Test-and-Tune programs will be combined into one program held each week on Tuesday. Starting with the Tuesday, March 31 event, the weekly series will include the Street Car Shootout Series, the Doc’s Harley-Davidson Street Bike Shootout and, on previously scheduled dates, High School Eliminator.

Using a new format to ensure an equal number of run attempts for all competitors, a “punch card” distributed to and carried by each entered driver will allow up to three official passes, (not counting elimination rounds in the Shootout programs). As in past Tuesday and Wednesday events, however, early arrivals and those who stay later in the program can expect up to five runs, (discounting unforeseen delays), during each Tuesday night program.

An important aspect of the new Tuesday night format is the fact that Wednesdays will be retained as rain dates for each weekly program. If a scheduled Tuesday event is rained out under GIR guidelines, (the cancellation of all activity within two hours of the first car running down the track), the same program, (including Shootouts and High School Eliminator), will be contested the next night using the same schedule and format.

In addition, the new Tuesday events will include more employees in technical inspection, staging, starting line and race control to increase the efficiency of the event. The technical inspection process will be streamlined to include the sale of technical inspection cards, the signing of releases and the distribution of armbands in one specific area at the rear of the staging area.

Strict staging lane assignments will ensure that timed trials and qualifying runs will be orderly and consistent. The misuse or transfer of “punch cards” during an event will, obviously, be considered a capital offense. There will be no changes in the format of the Street Car Shootout Series or the Street Bike Shootout Series; each will involve the four quickest qualifiers in eliminations. “Fastest Street Car” qualifier decals will still be awarded to the sixteen quickest drivers in the SCSS and the Sport Tuner Showdown and Super Truck Showdown programs will still be contested.

Spectator admission will remain at $10 for adults with children under 12 years admitted free. Contestant entry fees will remain as posted for the 2009 season.

For cars with Street Tires, Contestant Admission for 2009 is $20 or $15 for all drivers with two or more passengers purchasing a spectator admission. The $15 contestant admission is also available to all current High School or College Students possessing valid school identification.

For cars with Slick Tires, Contestant Admission for 2009 is $25. Contestant admission for all motorcycle riders and Junior Dragster racers is $20. Contestant Admission of $20 for all drivers with two or more passengers purchasing a spectator admission.

The following is the Tuesday Event Timetable which will be followed under the new format. Events which include High School Eliminator will utilize a slightly modified schedule which will not affect the number of runs afforded to other competitors. Note that, in situations in which fewer delays are experienced, more runs may be afforded to each participant:

Gates Open at 5 PM

First call to staging at 5:30 PM

Staging lane assignments:

Lanes 1-2-3-4: Street Tire cars
Lanes 5-6: Slick Tire Cars
Lane 7: High School Eliminator Times Trials/Pro Tree Tests/Junior Dragsters
Lane 0: Motorcycles

Free Open Timed Trials (No Card Punches) from 6:00 PM until 6:30 PM.
(One car from each lane for thirty minutes).

6:30 PM: Street Tire Timed Trials/SCSS Qualifying Session #1

7:00 PM: Motorcycle Timed Trials/SBSS Qualifying Session #1

7:30 PM: Slick Tire Timed Trials Session #1

8:00 PM: Street Tire Timed Trials/SCSS Qualifying Session #2

8:30PM: Motorcycle Timed Trials/SBSS Qualifying Session #2

9:00 PM: Slick Tire Timed Trials Session #2

9:30 PM: Street Tire Timed Trials/SCSS Qualifying Session #3 (Cards with less than two Punches)

9:45 PM: Motorcycle Timed Trials/SBSS Qualifying Session #3 (Cards with less than two Punches)

10:00 PM: SCSS Top Four Qualifiers will report in front of main grandstands; SBSS Top Four Qualifiers will report to “short ‘chute”.

10:00 PM: Slick Tire Timed Trials (Cards with less than two Punches)

10:15 PM: Semi-finals of SBSS and SCSS

10:20 PM: Street Tire Timed Trials (Cards with less than two Punches)

10:45 PM: Slick Tire Timed Trials (Cards with less than two Punches)

11:00 PM: All SCSS and SBSS Finals in the following order:

Super Truck Showdown

Sport Tuner Showdown

Street Bike Shootout

Street Car Shootout

11:10 PM: Winner’s Circle photos in front of main grandstands.



The staff of Gateway International Raceway apologizes for any inconvenience presented by this revision but, in the current economic climate, everything possible was done to preserve the programs currently offered. Please note that, other than the cancellation of the twenty-four scheduled Wednesday events, no other 2009 programs, racing series or major event has been affected or changed at GIR.

Wonderful....Do they intend on working on the track before slick tires run or will we be bouncing off the walls? How far is Benton?

why don't they tell us to just stay home they don't want us there and get it over with !!!

If you hate McDonald's, QUIT EATING THERE.

Why is that concept so difficult to understand?

There are a dozen other tracks within a 250-mile circle. What is wrong with you people?

In these times we are lucky to have any track to run on...All I know it's going to be a LATE night on tuesday nights

Bret can you get a jackpot up for those wanting to run for some cash.Add it to the elimination series and we can practice handicap racing.
please maybe $25.00 we had that years ago along with king of street.
don

Ya know, Don, if we still had a Jackpot Eliminator, I'd never have picked up a camera.

The only reason I started taking pictures is because I had nothing else to do on Wednesdays after they killed Jackpot back in 2000. Because of my weekend work schedule, I usually only could race during the week.

I sure miss it.

sorry Bret
didn;t mean to sound negative but I just can't see the track prep being the same for the slick tired cars from the street cars
I started racing there in the 60's I have see alot of changes I remember when the track was closed for awhile you saw the tape that Tim Siebel brought over there from the old days I was the fool out there with the 8mm camara it was alot more fun back then
Charlie

I hate Mc Donalds!! So I will be driving to the competition, of course this is nothing new I got used to Pevely in 86 when SLIR screwed us and then got used to MAR after flood of 93. I will get used to Sikeston, Benton, I57. It is a shame GIR doesnt like my money though.

majority of disgruntle racers are the bracket racers.We are spoiled to race for $$$$ not a trophy.We've honed the skills on bracket racing and not just put the peddle to the floor.WE go on reaction times and top end being chased or chasing.Evidently by statements made go else where it doesn't effect GIR sad.It's taken 3 years to put brackets where they are now and 5 years to build the tuesday program
Nobody has said why the lack of effort to try to change brackets back to yesterdays events.Maybe this will increase sat car count.Hard to tune a sat car without the old wed .
They all have a place .
my take
don

IMO-It could have been handled differently. Maybe a Tuesday and Wednesday t&t one week and nothing the next. I understand Gateway is looking to survive, but they can't achieve that by sticking it to the racers. All businesses in these difficult times need the customer more than ever.

You can't tell me they are going to be able to stick to that schedule. The minute someone scatters parts on the track, the schedule is out the window. If you do the math, it's almost twice as many cars with less than 50% more run time.