The site has a layered racing history predating the current complex. St. Louis International Raceway opened in 1967 as a drag strip and was later expanded to include a road course in 1985, welcoming ARCA, IMSA, and Trans-Am. In 1994, Grand Prix of Long Beach promoter Chris Pook acquired the facility for $21.5 million; the existing tracks were demolished between 1995 and 1996, and a new oval and drag strip were built for $25 million.
The redeveloped Gateway International Raceway opened in 1997, hosting CART, the NASCAR Busch Series, and the NHRA in its first season. That inaugural year also saw an Evel Knievel motorcycle jump story retold from a 1972 event at the predecessor site, though the oval-era circuit itself dates from 1997. In 1998, Dover Motorsports purchased the facility. On November 3, 2010, Dover Motorsports announced the facility would close, ending racing operations. On September 8, 2011, St. Louis real estate developer and former Indy Lights driver Curtis Francois reopened the facility under the name Gateway Motorsports Park, completing the purchase on May 1, 2013.
The 1.250-mile oval is recognized for its distinctive egg shape, which places Turns 1 and 2 on a tighter radius than Turns 3 and 4 due to the backstretch running parallel with Illinois Route 203. Turns 1 and 2 are frequently compared to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in character, while Turns 3 and 4 resemble Phoenix Raceway. The overall geometry is likened to Darlington Raceway and Motegi. A Wallace Grandstand, named for the racing brothers Rusty, Mike, and Kenny Wallace — all from the St. Louis area — was added in 1999 in Turns 1 and 2.
The infield contains road courses of 1.600 miles and 2.000 miles. The 2.000-mile configuration, completed on June 26, 2019, incorporates Turns 1 and 2 of the oval and was partly developed to accommodate Formula Drift and Trans-Am competition.
CART was the first major series to run at the rebuilt facility, scheduling a May 24, 1997 date the day before the Indianapolis 500 as a Memorial Day open-wheel alternative. Juan Pablo Montoya set a race record at Gateway during the CART era with a margin of victory of 11.804 seconds in 2000. The series dropped the race after 2003, but IndyCar returned in August 2017 for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 following a multimillion-dollar oval resurfacing. Josef Newgarden won the 2022 edition for his fourth career victory at the track, and at the same qualifying session, Will Power's pole time tied Mario Andretti's all-time record of 67 IndyCar poles. Scott Dixon won the 2023 race by a 22.2256-second margin, shattering Montoya's previous record. In 2021, former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean made his first oval start at the facility, finishing 14th.
NASCAR's Busch Series (later Xfinity Series) and Truck Series raced at Gateway in the late 1990s and 2000s. Carl Edwards won multiple Nationwide/Xfinity events at the track, and a 2010 incident saw Edwards penalized for turning Brad Keselowski on the last lap. After Gateway went dark from 2011 to 2013 for NASCAR events, the Truck Series returned in June 2014 with Bubba Wallace winning under the track's new ownership. The NASCAR Cup Series did not hold a race at the facility until 2022, when the Enjoy Illinois 300 sold out completely — a first in track history. For 2025, the Cup date shifted to September, placing it within the Round of 16 for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, while the Xfinity Series also returned to the schedule for the first time since 2010.
The quarter-mile drag strip has hosted the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Midwest Nationals continuously as part of its modern operation. In 2004, Top Fuel driver Darrell Russell was killed during a second-round crash at the NHRA event, and a grandstand at the drag strip was named in his memory. In 2008, John Force secured his 1,000th competitive round win at Gateway on his 59th birthday by defeating Ron Capps. Brittany Force set the facility's fastest Top Fuel speed record at 340.47 mph in September 2025.
The facility also regularly hosts Formula Drift, the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and has staged concerts and other large-scale events. In late 2019, WWT Raceway purchased the adjacent Gateway National Golf Links, a 7,178-yard links-style course.
The track adopted the name World Wide Technology Raceway on April 17, 2019, after technology company World Wide Technology acquired naming rights. Prior names include Gateway International Raceway (1997–2010) and Gateway Motorsports Park (2011–2018).