Gateway Indy 250
 |
|
| Venue | Gateway Motorsports Park |
|---|---|
| First race | 1997 |
| First ICS race | 2001 |
| Distance | 500km |
| Laps | 250 |
| Previous names |
Motorola 300 (1997-2000) Gateway Indy 250 (2001-2002) Emerson Indy 250 (2003) |
| Most wins (driver) | no repeat winners |
| Most wins (team) | Penske Racing (3) |
The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Valvoline is an IndyCar Series race held at Gateway Motorsports Park. 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 event. After a hiatus of over a decade, the race is scheduled to return in 2017 as part of the unified Verizon IndyCar Series.
Shortly after the oval track was constructed, the inaugural Motorola 300 was held on Saturday May 24, 1997 as part of the CART series. It was scheduled for the day before the Indianapolis 500 of the rival Indy Racing League. Rather than scheduling a race directly opposite the Indy 500 (as they had done in 1996 with the U.S. 500), CART scheduled Gateway the day before 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 off of Memorial Day weekend and scheduled for September. Track management did not want the race to be scheduled the same weekend as the Indy 500, as it was splitting the fanbase and affecting gate 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.
In 2001, the race was dropped from the CART series schedule, and switched alliances to the Indy Racing League. The distance was shortened, and the race became known as the Gateway Indy 250. 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, and in 2017, the race is scheduled to return to the schedule.
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