“But it goes back to my belief in the strength of the NASCAR brand, Ind圜ar and the NHRA and what they can bring to the city and how we can showcase St. It took $40 million in investments to even start a conversation to get a Cup date, and there certainly were no guarantees that I was going to get a return on that investment. “I think it can be difficult for folks to understand why we’ve been investing so much, but that’s what it takes to make facilities vibrant.
Louis and really recognize what a gem this speedway is,” Francois said. Louis and I have a deep commitment to St.
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“Anyone who knows me recognizes that I am always singing the praises of St. Our Professional Instructors will teach you how to drive the racing line, as you cross Drive a Supercar off of your bucket list Located in Joliet, Illinois. Current estimates show this company has an annual. He started third and finished fifth in his lone 2002 appearance at the track he now owns. Our records show it was established in 1972 and incorporated in Illinois.
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In his brief racing career, Francois made exactly one start in the Indy Lights Series - at Gateway. The World Series of Drag Racing has been entertaining fans for nearly 70 years. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, and after the Cup Series closes its Sunday show, Gateway will be the only motorsports facility in the United States to host NASCAR, Ind圜ar and NHRA in one year.įrancois, who paused his preparations for this weekend to attend the Indy 500 on Sunday at Penske’s invitation, has high hopes to turn Gateway into an elite motorsports venue. Cordova Dragway is the home to the oldest drag racing event in America. Louis Symphony Orchestra.įor his efforts, Francois has received the Innovator Award from the St.
The “Confluence Festival: Crossroads of Concert & Community,” a live entertainment showcase that will feature a diverse all-star musical lineup all weekend, headlined by Old Dominion, Nelly, Cole Swindell and the St.A renovated suite tower and grandstand, a new fan zone that provides an infield experience and a walkway for spectators to observe active garages.The property now includes an adjacent 18-hole golf course, 1,200 new camping sites and additional parking areas. The addition of 450 acres in an expansion that stretched Gateway’s footprint to nearly 700 acres.A new track surface around the 1.25-mile oval.He has spent at least $50 million on renovations so far - $15 million alone in the 10 months since Ind圜ar was there last August - and expects to eclipse $100 million in property upgrades by 2025.Īmong the enhancements Francois made since his 2011 purchase: Unlike the times today when everything seems so fast-paced, the Oswego dragstrip existed in a world that was all its own.Francois kept spending, developing and renovating. Known before as the Meltdown Drags, Glory Days is the Vintage Drag Race, Car Show & Swap Meet at Byron Dragway. The local-but-famous dragstrip that was once known as the “Big O” was now extinct, and the entire staff, including manager Bub Thurlby and his wife, Debbie, were saddened by the loss to say the very least, but the memories that the now-extinct dragstrip left behind would linger long after the end of the dragstrip itself.
One year later, according to this Oswego storyteller, he bought his first car, a brand new Mercury Comet, and the car that would eventually come to be known as “302much” would go on to win the Oswego Track Championships in the “Super Street Eliminator” class.Īfter 25 years of stable operation, the Oswego Dragstrip was closed after the property was sold to a nursing home. The author recalls that this was his very first drag race, and thus helped to give birth to his newfound love of cars and drag racing. The author of this online tribute to Oswego recalls his first trip to the track, in 1971. In fact, Oswego Dragstrip, located on Route 34 in Oswego, Illinois, was America’s oldest functioning dragstrip until it was bought out and renovated in the early 1980s. A hot bed for several generations of drag racing in the Oswego area, the stories that follow the landmark are as touching as any epic story you’ll hear this year. Oswego Dragstrip is a place of historical significance for many of Oswego’s locals, as well as for anyone who can remember the earliest days of drag racing in America.
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