MADISON – The SpeedTour Grand Prix Festival, featuring the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, will join World Wide Technology Raceway’s stellar calendar of motorsports events in 2023. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis in Madison, Illinois, WWTR is the only track in the world hosting NASCAR Cup Series, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events. The inaugural SpeedTour Grand Prix Festival is scheduled for WWTR’s 2.0-mile road course on September 22-24, 2023.
The Trans Am Series is America’s road racing series and dates back to 1966. Throughout the years, some of the greatest names in motorsports have participated in the Trans Am Series, including Tommy Kendall, Mark Donohue, Peter Gregg, Bob Tullius, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. Recent standouts include NASCAR drivers Kaz Grala, Paul Menard, and Natalie Decker, as well as Indy Lights star Ernie Francis Jr.
Trans Am race weekends consist of two races, one combining the 800+ horsepower TA class with XGT, SGT, and GT production classes, and one featuring the rapidly-growing TA2™ class. Trans Am races feature entry lists of more than 70 cars, including Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, and Corvettes. Races are televised on CBS Sports Network, and also live-streamed on the series’ social media platforms.
WWTR’s drag strip pit area will be transformed into a giant paddock, midway, car show, food-and-beer festival, and concert venue for the fans.
“One of our primary goals at WWTR has been to provide world-class motorsports to a diverse array of racing fans,” said WWTR CEO and Owner Curtis Francois. “We’ve showcased the best of NHRA on our drag strip and our oval hosts the stars of both NASCAR Cup and INDYCAR. Our drift arena hosts the premier international drifting series with Formula Drift and now we’re thrilled to showcase our reconfigured 2.0-mile road course with the stars of Trans Am and SVRA.”
“The SpeedTour Grand Prix Festival is unlike anything we’ve presented in the past at World Wide Technology Raceway,” said Chris Blair, WWTR’s Executive Vice Present and General Manager. “The event will encompass our entire facility with great racing, an interactive paddock, manufacturer’s midway, car show, live music, and food-and-beer festival. Tony Parella and his team are open-minded and want to create unique and entertaining events, which is one of our primary missions here at WWTR.”
The iconic Trans Am Series is operated by the Trans Am Race Company, LLC.
“We are incredibly pleased to add World Wide Technology Raceway to the Trans Am and SVRA schedules next year,” said SpeedTour CEO Tony Parella. “The staff at WWTR is excellent at what they do and really understand how to put on a great event. We are very excited to introduce Trans Am and SVRA to the St. Louis market. The Midwest has a very passionate motorsports fan base, and we can’t wait for them to have the opportunity to see the sports cars in action.”
SVRA is guided by a philosophy encouraging the restoration, preservation, and racing of historically-significant automobiles. The vintage class is populated with motor racing’s iconic machinery from days gone by, including iconic Formula 1, Can-Am, NASCAR Cup Series, and Trans Am classics.
The 2023 Trans Am and SVRA schedules will be released at a later date.
About World Wide Technology Raceway
World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) is the only track in the world to host the premier series of NASCAR, INDYCAR, and NHRA. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 600 acres, WWTR is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. WWTR’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, a 1.25-mile superspeedway, a 2.0-mile road course, the Gateway Kartplex (a state-of-the-art karting facility), and the adjacent Gateway National Golf Links. WWTR and owner Curtis Francois have been recognized with several awards, including 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year; 2021 Jack Buck Award; 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Track Award; 2018 Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission; 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference; and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from the St. Louis Attractions Association.
Our mission: We are committed to making a difference in our community while providing first-class entertainment and memories that last a lifetime.
About SpeedTour
SpeedTour hosts motorsports festivals encompassing America’s top road racing series at the most prestigious race tracks across the country. Competition ranges from the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli (Trans Am), Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), Formula Regional Americas powered by Honda (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship powered by Honda (F4 U.S.), to International GT (IGT) and more. Trans Am, FR Americas, and F4 U.S. are all sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, which is also related to the SpeedTour through a long-term agreement to the commercial rights to brand and operate SCCA Pro Racing. With 21 events on the 2022 schedule, SpeedTour will exceed 5,500 entries. Between racing, concerts, and car shows, SpeedTour events often attract more than 25,000 spectators. Additional marketing and promotional opportunities for the SpeedTour are available through SpeedTour Quarterly, a quarterly magazine delivered in both print and digital formats, and SpeedTour TV, a live streaming platform. Several marquee SpeedTour events will be live streamed on SpeedTour.TV.
