Bommarito Automotive Group 500

Last updated
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 logo.svg
World Wide Technology Raceway 2024.svg
IndyCar Series
Venue World Wide Technology Raceway
First race1997
First ICS race2001
Distance325 mi (523.037 km)
Laps260
Previous namesMotorola 300 (1997–2000)
Gateway Indy 250 (2001–2002)
Emerson Indy 250 (2003)
Most wins (driver) Josef Newgarden (5)
Most wins (team) Team Penske (9)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chassis: Dallara (12)
Engine: Chevrolet (7)

The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline is an IndyCar Series race held at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, United States. The event was first held as a CART series race from 1997 to 2000, initially on Memorial Day weekend. From 2001 to 2003, it was held as an Indy Racing League (IRL) event. After a hiatus of over a decade, the race returned in 2017 as part of the unified IndyCar Series. [1]

Contents

Race history

On Saturday, May 24, 1997, shortly after the construction of Gateway International Raceway (as World Wide Technology Raceway was then known), the CART series held the Motorola 300, the first major event at the facility. The race was scheduled for the day before the Indianapolis 500 of the rival IRL. Rather than stage a race directly opposite the Indy 500 (as they had done in 1996 with the U.S. 500 at Michigan), CART scheduled Gateway the day before the Indy 500 to serve as their Memorial Day weekend open-wheel alternative without direct conflict. On one instance, a couple of drivers actually competed in both events in the same weekend. The race was held on Memorial Day weekend for three seasons.

For the 2000 season, the race was moved from Memorial Day weekend to September. [2] Track management did not want the event to be scheduled for the same weekend as the Indy 500, [3] as it was splitting the fan base and affecting attendance. With the two races in neighboring states, fans generally chose to travel to the Indy 500 for the weekend instead. In addition, CART officials decided to leave Memorial Day weekend open to allow their teams the opportunity to cross over and compete at Indianapolis if they desired. [4]

In 2001, the race was dropped from the CART series schedule, and it switched to the IRL. The distance was shortened, and the race became known as the Gateway Indy 250. However, the event suffered from continually declining attendance. The event was dropped altogether after 2003.

After new management at the facility in 2012, rumors began to circulate about reviving the event with the now-unified IndyCar Series. In 2015, the track was approved as a test facility.

In January 2017, a multi-year agreement was designed with Gateway Motorsports Park and the Bommarito Automotive Group. [5] The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 was announced at the 2017 St. Louis Auto Show and added to the 2017 IndyCar Series schedule. The partnership was renewed through 2021. [6]

In July 2020, the race was shortened to 250 miles (200 laps) to accommodate a revised schedule for the COVID-19 pandemic. The event featured two identical 200-lap races in the afternoon.

Before the start of the 2021 race, event promoters announced a contract extension with IndyCar to secure the race for an additional five years. [7]

Race summaries

CART FedEx Championship series

Paul Tracy won the inaugural race in 1997. Paul Tracy 2007.jpg
Paul Tracy won the inaugural race in 1997.

Indy Racing League / IndyCar Series

Al Unser Jr. won the 2001 race. AlUnserJrMay2007.jpg
Al Unser Jr. won the 2001 race.

IndyCar Series

Josef Newgarden became the first two-time winner at Gateway (2017, 2020). Josef newgarden (29247578257) (cropped).jpg
Josef Newgarden became the first two-time winner at Gateway (2017, 2020).

Past winners

SeasonDateWinning DriverTeamChassisEngineRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed
(mph)
Report
LapsMiles (km)
CART World Series
1997 May 24 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Tracy Penske Racing Penske Mercedes-Benz 236299.72 (482.249)*2:37:54113.884 Report
1998 May 23 Flag of Italy.svg Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 236299.72 (482.249)*2:23:02125.725 Report
1999 May 29 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti Newman/Haas Racing Swift Ford-Cosworth 236299.72 (482.249)*2:25:35123.513 Report
2000 September 17 Flag of Colombia.svg Juan Pablo Montoya Chip Ganassi Racing Lola Toyota 236299.72 (482.249)*1:55:38155.519 Report
IndyCar Series
2001 August 26 Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. Galles Racing G-Force Oldsmobile 200250 (402.336)1:49:59133.379 Report
2002 August 25 Flag of Brazil.svg Gil de Ferran Penske Racing Dallara Chevrolet 200250 (402.336)1:44:23143.711 Report
2003 August 10 Flag of Brazil.svg Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing Dallara Toyota 200250 (402.336)1:50:53135.286 Report
2004

2016
Not held
2017 August 26 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 248310 (498.897)2:13:22139.465 Report
2018 August 25 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Power Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 248310 (498.897)1:59:30155.644 Report
2019 August 24 Flag of Japan.svg Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara Honda 248310 (498.897)2:15:53136.874 Report
2020 August 29 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 200250 (402.336)1:44:30143.522 Report
August 30 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 200250 (402.336)1:32:15162.594
2021 August 21 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 260325 (522.6)2:24:10135.245 Report
2022 August 20 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 260325 (522.6)2:10:40149.231 Report
2023 August 27 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 260325 (522.6)2:10:09149.819 Report
2024 August 17 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 260325 (522.6)02:22:28136.870 Report
2025 June 15 Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Global Dallara Honda 260325 (522.6)02:23:26135.939 Report

* - no time trials held

Support race winners

References

  1. IndyCar race coming to Gateway next year
  2. "Motorola 300 will be to September in 2000". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 6, 1999. p. 27. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. Cavin, Curt (May 23, 1997). "Track owner listens to CART hierarchy". The Indianapolis Star . p. 30. Retrieved November 27, 2024 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. "2000 Schedule Leaves Indy 500 Weekend Open". Motorsport.com. November 11, 1999. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  5. "John J. Bomarmarito" (PDF). www.bommarito.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  6. "Bommarito History". www.bommarito.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  7. Bommarito, Automotive Group. "Bommarito 500 To Stay for Five Years". Twitter. Bommarito Automotive Group. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  8. Cavin, Curt (May 25, 1997). "Tracy extends his reign in the rain (Part 1)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 25. Retrieved August 25, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. Cavin, Curt (May 25, 1997). "Tracy extends his reign in the rain (Part 2)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 28. Retrieved August 25, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  10. Miller, Robin (May 25, 1997). "Tough decision nets 2nd-place finish". The Indianapolis Star. p. 28. Retrieved August 25, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  11. Cavin, Curt (May 24, 1998). "Zanardi wins Motorola 300". The Indianapolis Star. p. 38. Retrieved August 25, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  12. Cavin, Curt (May 30, 1999). "Win at 300 tastes bittersweet". The Indianapolis Star. p. 46. Retrieved August 25, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  13. Coats, Bill (May 30, 1999). "Andretti's "gamble" pays off". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 61. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  14. Wheatley, Tom (May 30, 1999). "Hogan team has "monkey off our back" after coming in with runner-up finish". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 70. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  15. Miller, Robin (September 18, 2000). "Montoya wins on heels of Andretti's engine woes". The Indianapolis Star. p. 35. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  16. Cavin, Curt (August 27, 2001). "Skill, luck push Unser to victory (Part 1)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  17. Cavin, Curt (August 27, 2001). "Skill, luck push Unser to victory (Part 2)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 29. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  18. Cavin, Curt (August 27, 2001). "De Ferran slips by Castroneves for win (Part 1)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  19. Cavin, Curt (August 27, 2001). "De Ferran slips by Castronves for win (Part 2)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 29. Retrieved August 30, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  20. Cavin, Curt (August 11, 2003). "Helio hasn't lost his touch (Part 1)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 25. Retrieved August 31, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  21. Cavin, Curt (August 11, 2003). "Helio hasn't lost his touch (Part 2)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 34. Retrieved August 31, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  22. Cavin, Curt (August 11, 2003). "Pit accident rattles crew, drivers". The Indianapolis Star. p. 34. Retrieved August 31, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  23. "Official Box Score for the Bommarito Auto Group 500" (PDF). Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  24. "2017 Indycar Schedule and Results" . Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  25. Miller, Robin (2017-08-26). "Pagenaud Incensed by Newgarden's Move". Racer.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
  26. "IndyCar's Bommarito 500 set for Aug. 27". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  27. Ryan, Nate (24 February 2023). "IndyCar bringing alternate tire to an oval, using 2 compounds in Gateway race Aug. 27". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  28. Gateway International Raceway at champcarstats.com
Preceded by
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix
IndyCar Series
Bommarito Automotive Group 500
Succeeded by
Grand Prix of Road America