September 16, 2019, St. Louis Region – Let’s face it, just about everything is cooler and more exciting at night: baseball, movies, concerts, auto racing. World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, will launch an exciting new spectacle on Friday evening of the eighth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals: NHRA Prime Time.
NHRA Prime Time will take place during the evening Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying session (approximately 6:45 p.m.) on Friday, September 27. It will include pyrotechnics, a DJ with special music for each driver (similar to Major League Baseball’s walk-up music for each batter – but 10 times louder), a special exhibition vehicle and the blazing nitromethane exhaust flames from each car’s exhaust pipes as they rocket down the drag strip at speeds in excess of 330 miles per hour.
Expect records to fall. Even if you napped through seventh grade science class, you know cooler (nighttime) air is more dense in oxygen. More oxygen = more horsepower. More horsepower = higher speeds. Higher speeds = broken records. During the NHRA Prime Time session last Friday at the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event in Reading, Pennsylvania, Brittany Force set a new NHRA world record for elapsed time in the Top Fuel Dragster class (3.623 seconds). And Ron Capps set new track records for elapsed time (ET) and top speed in the Funny Car class.
To watch the WWTR NHRA Prime Time teaser: CLICK HERE
EIGHTH ANNUAL AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
The world’s biggest names in professional drag racing will compete at speeds in excess of 330 miles per hour on WWTR’s drag strip. The event is crucial to all title contenders during the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. To purchase tickets or obtain more information about WWTR, please call (618) 215-8888 or visit www.wwtraceway.com. Follow WWTR on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
7:30 a.m. – Spectator gates and parking lots open.
8 am. – Sportsman qualifying.
11 a.m. – Midway open.
2:30 p.m. – Pro Mod qualifying.
3:15 p.m. – Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) qualifying.
4 p.m. – Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying.
5:15 p.m. – Pro Mod qualifying.
6 p.m. — Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) qualifying.
6:45 p.m. — Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying, NHRA Prime Time.
7:45 p.m. – Track closed.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
7 a.m. – Spectator gates and parking lots open.
8 a.m. – Sportsman eliminations begin.
10:15 a.m. – Midway opens.
1 p.m. – Pro Mod qualifying.
1:45 p.m. — Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) qualifying.
2:30 p.m. — Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying.
3:45 p.m. – Pro Mod qualifying.
4:30 p.m. — Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) qualifying.
5:15 p.m. — Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying.
8:15 p.m. – Track closed.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
7 a.m. – Parking lots open.
8 a.m. – Spectator gates open.
9 a.m. – Midway open.
10 a.m. – Pre-race ceremonies and SealMaster Track Walk.
11 a.m. – First round of Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car eliminations.
Noon – First round of Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) eliminations.
12:30 p.m. – First round of Pro Mod eliminations.
1:10 p.m. – Second round of Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car eliminations.
1:40 p.m. – Second round of Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) eliminations.
2 p.m. – Second round of Pro Mod eliminations.
2:35 p.m. — Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car semi-finals.
2:50 p.m. — Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) semi-finals.
3 p.m. – Pro Mod semi-finals.
3:05 p.m. – Final rounds of eliminations for Sportsman, Comp, Factory Stock Showdown.
3:25 p.m. – Jr. Dragsters.
3:30 p.m. – Parade of champions.
3:40 p.m. – Final round of Pro Mod eliminations.
3:45 p.m. – Final round of Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock (car) eliminations.
3:50 p.m. – Final round of Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car eliminations.
4 p.m. – Track closed.
Schedule subject to change.
NEW ROADWAY: We have an all-new roadway on the west side of the property that will streamline the entry and parking process. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the entry into the venue prior to arrival.
PARKING: All general , handicap, suite, RV and Orange West parking will enter at the WWTR Dirtplex gate at 1905 Collinsville Road. Please program “1905 Collinsville Road, Fairmont City, Illinois” into your GPS to guide you into the venue. If you are traveling south on I-55, please take exit 4A, turn right at the BP gas station and proceed approximately 1/8-mile to the entry.
Upon entering the venue, if you have a pre-paid parking pass in your possession, please proceed to the right lane for express entry. If you are purchasing parking, please have your $20 cash payment ready and line up in the left lanes. Parking sellers cannot accept credit cards or checks.
Racer, Gold Key and Red Key are the only passes that are permitted to enter the via the main gate (across from the Pilot truck stop on IL-203) and are permitted to turn left. If you do not have the proper credentials you will be turned around at the guard shack.
Purple North parking will enter the venue approximately 500 feet past the main entry gate via the left turn turning lanes.
A reminder to all attendees: There will be limited pedestrian access crossing IL-203. Please note, as of September 1, 2019, the owners of the off-premises lot located behind the old Burger King building (now Lug Nutz) on Ohio Street will no longer provide off-site parking. Please do not attempt to park at locations off of World Wide Technology Raceway property.
WWTR has added an additional 6,000 parking spaces since the 2017 event and all attendees may easily fit on the track property. With the new three-lane access road, your most efficient entry and exit to WWTR is via the west side of the property (Collinsville Road entry) at 1905 Collinsville Road, Fairmont City, Illinois.
DAY-OF CAMPING: Camping is sold as a weekend option only for oversized vehicles. Nitro Farm parking (northwest side of drag strip) is $150 per unit and West General camping is $200 per unit. We recommend purchasing these options in advance of the event.
TAILGATING: Tailgating is permitted in authorized areas only. If you wish to tailgate, please notify the sales attendants to see if places remain in the expanded Orange West Tailgate area. Another option is to purchase two (2) parking passes — one for your vehicle and the other for your tailgate space. Tailgating is strictly prohibited in handicapped, Gold Key, Red Key and Racer parking areas. Space is limited in these areas and violators will be asked to leave the property.
TICKETS: As a reminder, the resale of tickets on WWTR property is strictly prohibited by law. WWTR is not responsible for counterfeit tickets purchased from unauthorized sellers. Your most secure ticket purchase process is to visit the WWTR ticket office and ticket sales locations.
RECOMMENDED ARRIVAL TIMES FOR THE BEST RACE DAY EXPERIENCE:
Friday, September 27 — Midway opens at 11 a.m. with Pro Mod qualifying at 2:15 p.m. The first round of Funny Car and Top Fuel Dragster qualifying is scheduled for 4 p.m. The second round of nitro qualifying will begin at 6:45 p.m. with NHRA Prime Time. Racing will conclude at approximately 9 p.m.
Saturday, September 28 — Midway opens at 10:15 a.m. with Pro Mod qualifying at 1 p.m. and Funny Car and Top Fuel Dragster qualifying at 2:30 p.m. The final round of nitro qualifying will take place at 5:15 p.m. Sportsman eliminations will continue until approximately 9 p.m.
Sunday, September 29 — Championship Sunday Midway opens at 9 a.m. Pre-race ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. Eliminations start with Top Fuel Dragster at 11 a.m. We encourage everyone to make their best effort to be on the grounds and in their seats by 10 a.m. for opening ceremonies. Sunday racing final rounds are scheduled to begin at 3:50 p.m. with the event concluding at 4 p.m.
About World Wide Technology Raceway
World Wide Technology Raceway is the home of INDYCAR, NASCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 340 acres, Gateway Motorsports Park is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. World Wide Technology Raceway’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, recently-expanded 2.0-mile road course, a state-of-the-art karting facility and a 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-road venue. World Wide Technology Raceway was the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from St. Louis Attractions Association. In 2018, owner and CEO Curtis Francois received the Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission in recognition of his work for restoring World Wide Technology Raceway (known then as Gateway Motorsports Park) to prominence.
