ST. LOUIS – The Bommarito Automotive Group, the leading retailer of new and used vehicles in the St. Louis region, has been named title sponsor of the Verizon IndyCar Series race at Gateway Motorsports Park scheduled for Aug. 26.
The announcement was made tonight at the St. Louis Auto Show. The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will mark the return of Verizon IndyCar Series racing to the 1.25-mile oval in nearby Madison, Illinois, for the first time in 14 years. The event under the lights is the 15th of 17 races on this year’s schedule.
"We are pleased to announce that Bommarito Automotive Group will join Gateway Motorsports Park in the production of our inaugural INDYCAR event as the title sponsor," said Curtis Francois, owner and CEO of Gateway Motorsports Park. "This is a tremendous event for the St. Louis region and no one knows our town better than the folks at Bommarito. They are a progressive group, known for a high standard of quality and excellence. It's the same standard of on-track action and family-friendly experience that we look forward to delivering with our landmark event."
Indy car races were run annually from 1997-2003 under CART and INDYCAR sanctioning, with the winners’ list a who’s who including Paul Tracy, Alex Zanardi, Michael Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Al Unser Jr., Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves. This year's race weekend will also include competition in the upper two levels of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires development ladder: Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires and the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires.
“We are excited to partner with Gateway Motorsports Park and the Verizon IndyCar Series," said John Bommarito, president of Bommarito Automotive Group, which has served the area for 45 years. "When approached by Gateway about the return of INDYCAR to St. Louis, we felt it was important to have a major St. Louis company step forward and support the return of open-wheel racing to the region. We are extremely proud to be the title sponsor of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.”
Gateway Motorsports Park is located just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis. Ticket information for the Aug. 28-29 race weekend is available at gatewaymsp.com.