Started in 2016, the Gateway Dirt Nationals at the Dome at America's Center in downtown St. Louis kicked off it's three night run on Thursday night, December 5th. As it has been in recent years, this event is a three night spectacular featuring the Late Models and the Modifieds. While not sanctioned by any of the racing bodies, the rules used during this event are generally those of UMP when it comes to tires, spoilers and such.
As in recent years, the entered drivers drivers are split into two groups with half qualifying on Thursday night and the other half on Friday night. Come Saturday, everyone will be racing in Last Chance events to join those that already qualified and would be in wait for the two main events.
The Late Model field is made up of open enrollments with racing teams waiting for that moment when the registrations are open to get their entry in. This year, one hundred and thirty two different Late Model teams will take a green flat on either Thursday or Friday with the entry list for this event being filled within mere moments of its being opened.
This being a Late Model event primarily, the Modified field has to be limited and for the Modifieds, they send in their names and hope that they are rewarded by being accepted as an entry. This year, sixty three Modified teams will be taking a green flag for this event. And while no one is excluded from Late Model entry if they get their names in soon enough, the Modified field does have a stronger entry list from top to bottom as quite frankly, there are some Late Models on hand that just shouldn't be running this event and it is reflected in the relatively smooth racing that takes place in the Modifieds while some of the Late Model events are plagued by yellow flags and some entrants repeatedly getting themselves in trouble.
Every year that Gateway Nationals seems to get bigger and bigger. Ticket sales are up again this year and there was a notice that unless tickets had been obtained in advance, there is a possibility that the Saturday night finale might be a complete sell out and all the seats in the dome aren't used with the top tier covered and not accessible. Last year they were forced to open up the second tier because there were so many fans and I assume that will be done again this year.
This really has become the "last hurrah" for a lot of the racing fans and teams throughout the country and both come from a wide distance to be a part of this event. For many drivers this is one race they all want to scratch off their bucket list before they retire from driving. Excess amounts of money are spent on tickets, accommodations, food and beverage and entertainment on this weekend in one last "blowout" for 2024.
The fifth mile dirt oval was once again laid down on the floor of America's Center and this year they really had it pounded down hard in an effort to eliminate some of the bumps that have been a part of the track in certain years. They had it probably as smooth as it has ever been for this race, particularly the opening night but that did come at a price and that price was dust which was among the worst ever seen here before. Literally everything and everyone body was covered in a thick layer of dust by the end of the evening. This is definitely an event for the hard core race fan as you surely wouldn't have wanted to take a race fan to this event if they had never seen one before. While the excitement level is high and the atmosphere can be electric, most people don't want to leave at the end of the night carrying with them enough dirt to till for crops come Spring.
Each year more and more of the race teams do special wraps on their cars for this event with some being holiday inspired , some politically motivated and some others in tribute to a person, event or other special thing. There were some real beauties this year and the smart teams often have matching apparel which not surprisingly, is available for sale. The entire arena this year was surrounded by various vendors in the hallways, most of which were selling either team or event apparel and their sales must just be staggering. It appears that many folks come to this race to do their Christmas shopping. This is much more than just a race, it is an event with the promoters happily going along with that thinking. In fact, there is so much going on that sometimes the racing itself becomes almost secondary in importance.
The format is pretty simple. Both classes qualify with heat races being started straight up. A certain number qualify directly to the main with farther back positions running a B Feature. Not everyone gets to run a B however, as there are too many cars in the Late Model field for everyone to run twice so there are actually some drivers that will run eight laps and then will be done until Saturday when they have one last chance.
With the smaller field in the Modifieds, everyone in that class does get to run a B Feature but only eighteen in each class get to run the night's main event.
Brandon Overton made a nice debut as the Longhorn factory driver for 2025 as he was quickest qualifier overall at 12.399 seconds. However, things went downhill for him quickly as he broke a front end while battling for the lead in the first Late Model heat and he failed to finish. Now he will be mired at the back of a Last Chance race on Saturday and we may not even see him race the rest of the weekend. Tyler Carpenter was quickest in the second half of the Late Models as he continues to shine at The Dome.
While the Late Models get hot laps before they turn around and qualify, the first time the Modifieds see the track is for their time trials as they get no practice so they are really under "the gun" right from the start. Not too surprisingly, it was Ricky Thornton Jr that topped the Mods with a lap of 12.855 seconds. The first time Thornton Jr sees the car in a year, puts his seat in it and then just comes out and tops the field. Amazing.
The Late Model drivers were a bit "wound up" in the early going of their qualifiers with the first two plagued with multiple yellow flags and they tore up a lot of equipment. However, after the first three Late Model events were done, there was not a single race all night with more than two yellows and that seems much smoother than for many years. Of course, spoilers and quarter panels don't count as they get destroyed at will and often, but there were no roll overs and the fence only had to be patched a couple of times so overall it was a smooth night.
While not too many people would have had Mike Spatola on their scorecards as the Late Model feature winner, He did indeed lead all twenty five laps to take the win in that division. Spatola took the early lead with Ashton Winger, who many thought might get the win, running second in the early going. Ryan Gustin was another favorite as he battled with Jadon Frame for third.
Drivers were trying different lines early but eventually settled in for running the high side up against the wall. This action tore off a few spoilers but proved to be the fastest way around the track. Brandon Sheppard appeared to possibly be the fastest car on the track but he was having a tough time getting past Frame for position.
The only yellow flew with sixteen laps in the book for debris on the track. On the green, Spatola again pulled away from Winger, who had provided drama under the yellow when steam rolled from his engine compartment but he opted to keep running. Sheppard got past Frame and then Gustin as he moved to third but he ran out of laps to move up any farther.
Spatola would cross the line unchallenged for the win and despite steam again pouring from his engine, Winger was able to hold off Sheppard for third and those three are now locked in for the Saturday finale. Only one car in the starting field failed to finish the race and all were on the lead lap.
Thornton Jr proved that no matter what kind of car he is driving, he is a tough one to beat as he dominated the Modified feature to get the win in the open wheel class. And he did some passing, starting in the third row but quickly moving to the front.
Michael Long got the jump on defending champion Drake Troutman to lead the first few laps but Thornton Jr was on the move quickly, using the extreme inside line of the track. Interestingly, the Late Models found that banging the outside wall was the fastest way for them while the Modified drivers that succeeded used just exactly the opposite tactic, instead hugging the inside wall.
No one could hold the bottom line like Thornton Jr and on lap five he drove past Long to take over the lead and once in front, he calmly pulled away from the field. Carlos Ahumada Jr also made some moves of his own from the third row, driving past Long for second by the halfway point and staying there the rest of the event.
One yellow for debris set up a two lap sprint to the finish but Thornton Jr was up to the task as he pulled away for the win over Ahumada Jr and Long. Those three are now locked in for Saturday night. Troutman and Mike Harrison completed the top five. Thirteen drivers were around at the finish with the rest in the infield with various issues. And while it was a relatively calm pair of main events, rest assured that things will be more contentious as the week progresses. Everything about this track breeds action and controversy.
One nice thing about this event is that while they start early, they also complete the racing generally early also with everything done on Thursday well before 10 pm. This allows the local hospitality industry to be ready for hordes of thirsty and hungry race fans to sweep into downtown St. Louis.
One nice thing about
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