"A 1.25-mile egg-shaped oval in the shadow of the St. Louis Arch that was closed, abandoned, and scheduled for the scrap heap in 2010, and now hosts NHRA drag racing, the NASCAR Cup Series, and IndyCar on one property. Race 26 of the O'Reilly Chase runs here."

Key Takeaways

1.25-mile egg-shaped asphalt oval in Madison, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis. The two ends are banked differently: 11 degrees in Turns 1 and 2, 9 degrees in Turns 3 and 4.

Back from the dead. The facility closed on November 3, 2010 and its grandstands were scheduled for demolition. St. Louis businessman and retired racer Curtis Francois bought it and reopened it as Gateway Motorsports Park in March 2012 on the strength of a 20-year handshake deal with the NHRA.

Rooted in drag racing. The property's first track was an eighth-mile drag strip built in 1967 as St. Louis International Raceway Park, extended to a quarter-mile in 1971.

A one-of-one calendar: the roughly 200-acre facility hosts NHRA national-event drag racing, the NASCAR Cup Series, and IndyCar, a combination the track itself bills as the only one of its kind on the planet.

The 2026 O'Reilly Chase visits September 12: Race 26, the Nu Way 225 Sauced by Blues Hog (225 miles, 180 laps), with the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday, September 13 at 2:00 p.m. Central.

Location: Madison, Illinois (700 Raceway Boulevard, Madison, IL 62060) Track Type: Egg-shaped asphalt oval Length: 1.25 miles Banking: 11 degrees in Turns 1-2 · 9 degrees in Turns 3-4 Origins: Drag strip built 1967; closed 2010; reopened March 2012 Owner: Gateway Acquisitions Inc.; owner and CEO Curtis Francois Also on site: Quarter-mile drag strip · road course

The Chase at Gateway: Race 26

Race 26 of the 33-race season, and the second of the nine Chase races, runs at World Wide Technology Raceway on September 12. The Chase is the O'Reilly Series championship: the top 12 drivers after Race 24 at Daytona settle the title over these nine races.

Date	Race	Series	Start
Saturday, Sep 12	Nu Way 225 Sauced by Blues Hog (225 miles, 180 laps)	NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series	See official schedule
Sunday, Sep 13	Enjoy Illinois 300 (300 miles, 240 laps)	NASCAR Cup Series	2:00 p.m. CT

Tickets: sold at wwtraceway.com and by phone at (618) 215-8888 ext. 1, with children 12 and under starting at $25. Gates open at 8 a.m. Central on Saturday and Sunday; ticket holders get free admission to the track's Friday activities (Free Friday) by showing proof of purchase at gate C. The track's NASCAR FAQ covers parking, camping (Progressive Infield Camping and Horsepower Hollow), coolers (soft-sided, 14 inches), and re-entry. Race weekend also carries the Confluence Music Festival and the Enterprise Infield Fan Zone upgrade for infield access.

Overview

World Wide Technology Raceway is the rescue story of American motorsports real estate. The Madison, Illinois facility, a short drive from the Gateway Arch, packs a 1.25-mile oval, a quarter-mile drag strip, and a road course onto roughly 200 acres, and NHRA national-event drag racing, the NASCAR Cup Series, and IndyCar all race here, a calendar the track itself bills as unique in the world.

The oval itself is a driver's puzzle. Its egg shape gives the two ends different personalities: Turns 1 and 2 carry 11 degrees of banking, Turns 3 and 4 only 9, and the corner radii do not match. Like Darlington, that asymmetry means a car is never right at both ends, and the driver has to make up the difference.

Recent Cup winners at the track read like a who's who: Joey Logano (2022), Kyle Busch (2023), Austin Cindric (2024), and Denny Hamlin (2025).

History

Drag-Strip Roots (1967 to 2010)

The property's racing history began with an eighth-mile drag strip built in 1967, named St. Louis International Raceway Park. The strip was extended to a quarter-mile in 1971, and later reversed to run the opposite direction as speeds rose and cars needed more shutdown room. Legends ran here: beginning in 1972, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits won 33 consecutive rounds and went undefeated at the strip for 12 years. The oval and road course came later, and the facility raced under the Gateway name for years.

Closure and Rescue (2010 to 2012)

On November 3, 2010, the facility's former owners shut it down. The property went on the market with no takers, fell into disrepair, and the grandstands were scheduled to be demolished and sold as scrap. Curtis Francois, a St. Louis businessman, developer, and retired racer who had competed on the road course himself from 1988 into the early 2000s, stepped in. His condition for buying the place was a single viable NHRA national event; in his words, the two sides "struck a 20-year deal on a handshake." He closed the purchase on the strength of it and reopened the track as Gateway Motorsports Park in March 2012.

The Modern Track

Under Francois's ownership the facility grew back into a national venue, added the World Wide Technology naming partnership, and built the three-series calendar (NHRA, NASCAR Cup, and IndyCar) that is now its calling card. NASCAR's top series arrived, and the O'Reilly Series joined the calendar as the track's second NASCAR national series date. Kentucky-born executive Chris Blair serves as executive vice president and general manager.

Timeline

Year	Event
1967	Eighth-mile drag strip built as St. Louis International Raceway Park
1971	Drag strip extended to a quarter-mile
1972	Don Garlits begins a 33-round, 12-year unbeaten streak at the strip
2010	Facility closed by its former owners (November 3); grandstands scheduled for scrap
2012	Curtis Francois reopens the track as Gateway Motorsports Park (March) after a handshake 20-year NHRA deal
2022-25	Cup winners: Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, Denny Hamlin
2026	The O'Reilly Chase visits with the Nu Way 225 (September 12)

The Racing

Gateway's egg shape puts the setup compromise front and center: get the car right for the tighter, more banked end and it pushes at the flat end, or vice versa. Braking into Turn 1 is heavy, exits off Turn 4 decide the run down the frontstretch, and passing depends on a driver's willingness to attack the corner the car likes least. The 225-mile O'Reilly race distance keeps pit strategy simple enough that track position and restarts carry the day.

Track records by series are maintained by the track's operator and updated event by event.

Ownership and Management

World Wide Technology Raceway is owned and operated by Gateway Acquisitions Inc., with owner and CEO Curtis Francois and executive vice president and general manager Chris Blair. Alone among the 2026 Chase venues profiled here, it is independently owned rather than part of the NASCAR or Speedway Motorsports track portfolios, the same independence that saved it in 2012. By the track's own accounting, its events pump tens of millions of dollars into the local economy and provide hundreds of jobs.

Visiting Gateway

The track sits at 700 Raceway Boulevard in Madison, Illinois, on the Illinois side of greater St. Louis, in view of the Gateway Arch. General parking is $24 a day by card in advance or at the gate ($20 cash on site), with VIP parking upgrades available. Camping options include Progressive Infield Camping and reserved Horsepower Hollow sites, and tent camping is permitted in designated areas. Fans can bring soft-sided coolers up to 14 inches and outside food and non-alcoholic drinks (no glass). Wi-Fi covers the grandstands and midway, and the Enterprise Infield Fan Zone upgrade opens the infield and an up-close look at the Cup cars.

2026 O'Reilly Chase tracks

O'Reilly Series reference

Track facts compiled from primary sources: wwtraceway.com (NASCAR FAQ, captured in our source records August 24, 2026, and the track's own history feature on its 2012 rebirth, read August 26, 2026). Records by series are maintained by the track's operator. Page version 2, August 26, 2026.