The 1.250 mi (2.012 km) oval at World Wide Technology Raceway is known for its unique shape and varying degrees of banking in each corner. The backstretch runs parallel with Illinois Route 203, which makes Turns 1 & 2 a tighter radius than Turns 3 & 4. Turns 1 & 2 have characteristics similar to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while Turns 3 & 4 are similar to Phoenix Raceway. The oval's egg shape mimics the legendary Darlington Raceway and Mobility Resort Motegi race tracks. The infield of the oval track includes a road course that features a 2.000 mi (3.219 km) configuration. This 2.000 mi (3.219 km) configuration of the road course was completed on June 26, 2019, and utilizes Turns 1 & 2 of the oval track. This added stretch of track was constructed directly in front of the Wallace Grandstand.
St. Louis International Raceway was built in 1967 as a drag racing facility. In 1985, a road course was constructed by then-owner Jody Trover, featuring 2.600 mi (4.184 km) and 1.010 mi (1.625 km) configurations. The course welcomed ARCA, IMSA, and the Trans-Am Series in its inaugural year. In 1994, Chris Pook acquired the facility for $21.5 million. The existing tracks were demolished over the course of 1995–1996, and a new oval speedway and drag strip were constructed at a cost of $25 million. The first major event held at the facility was the CART Series on Saturday, May 24, 1997. In 1998, the then-named Gateway International Raceway was purchased by Dover Motorsports. On November 3, 2010, Dover Motorsports closed the facility. On September 8, 2011, the facility was re-opened by Curtis Francois and renamed Gateway Motorsports Park, saving it days before being scrapped. On April 17, 2019, World Wide Technology acquired naming rights for the track, renaming it to World Wide Technology Raceway.
In 1997, CART, the NASCAR Busch Series, and the NHRA were newcomers to the revitalized Gateway International Raceway. Before the 1999 racing season, Gateway installed the Wallace Grandstand in turns 1 & 2 of the oval track to increase seating capacity. The grandstand is named in honor of the Wallace family's trio of racing brothers. The 2004 NHRA event was marked by tragedy as Top Fuel driver Darrell Russell was killed in a second round crash. One of the drag strip grandstands is named "The Darrell Russell Stand" in his memory. In October 2016, it was announced that the NTT IndyCar Series would be returning to Gateway on August 26, 2017, for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Track officials undertook a multimillion-dollar renovation of the racing surface after IndyCar Series teams experienced issues during a May 2, 2017 open test. On September 15, 2021, it was announced WWT Raceway would be added to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for the very first time for the 2022 season. The inaugural event was secured for June 5, 2022, and was named the Enjoy Illinois 300. Soon after being awarded a NASCAR Cup Series date for the 2022 season, another $40 million worth of upgrades were dedicated to the facility. On April 20, 2023, the Gateway Garage Experience was announced as the latest infield enhancement before the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series event. On August 29, 2024, it was announced that the track's NASCAR date would move from June to September and now be in the Round of 16 for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Michael McDowell set a new NASCAR Cup Series track record with a 32.318s (139.241 mph) lap time during qualifying for the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 on June 1, 2024. The NASCAR Cup Series race record is held by Austin Cindric at 2 h 48 min 3 s (97.965 mph) from June 2, 2024. Will Power holds the IndyCar single-lap record at 189.709 mph from August 25, 2017, and the IndyCar two-lap qualifying average record at 189.642 mph from the same date. Brittany Force holds the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series fastest speed record at 340.47 mph (Top Fuel) from September 26, 2025.
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