When the 2016 Verizon IndyCar schedule was announced this week it had 16 races stretching from March to September.
None of those races will be at Gateway Motorsports Park, just outside St. Louis. But the track that hasn’t hosted an open-wheel series since 2003 could be on the 2017 schedule. But before that happens, the track will be an accepted testing site for IndyCar in 2016, as was announced on Tuesday.
“The conversations between Gateway Motorsports Park and officials at IndyCar have been very encouraging,” Gateway Motorsports Park owner and president Curtis Francois told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “There is mutual interest from both parties to bring an IndyCar race to Gateway Motorsports Park, and we are taking a methodical approach to exploring the possibilities.”
The track has already been tested on since the 2015 season ended in August. Ed Carpenter of Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing took laps at the 1.250-mile track in a compatibility test.
“From the feedback I’ve gathered, drivers like racing at Gateway Motorsports Park,” Francois said. “They like the track and they appreciate the enthusiasm and energy of the fans. They recognize that fans in the St. Louis region like more than just baseball. St. Louis is a sports town through and through.”
The last IndyCar race at Gateway, in August 2003, was won by Helio Castroneves.