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Mid America Raceways was a 1200' dragstrip located near Wentzville, Missouri. The facility also featured a 2.89 mile course which passed out of service quite some time before the dragstrip shut down. The road course was highly regarded, with varying elevation changes, a very long straight, and ten corners, 7 right and 3 left turns. There were 11 flag stations, #11 being on the straight after the driveover bridge near the end of the dragstrip. The dragstrip also had its run-off area downhill, so there was a strong need for good brakes.
This facility was sold for development in the 2005-6 timeframe. The dragstrip has been replaced by a housing development but some of the road course is still visible in current aerial imagery.
Last Updated: 2019-08-27
MAR was built in late 1965 and was the site of the second SCCA Trans Am race in the spring of 1966. The first Trans Am was at Sebring in March, 1966. Over the years, MAR has hosted many drag races and road races. St. Louis Region ran its National and Regional races here until 1984 when MAR closed its doors to road racing and St. Louis International Raceway opened its new road course in 1985. St. Louis International is now Gateway International Raceway.
Track:
Mid America Raceways
2575 Scotti Rd
Wentzville, MO 63385
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From St. Louis and the East, take I70 to Wentzville. Continue west past US 61 to exit 208 (Pierce Road). It is the one with McDonald's, Burger King, and an Amoco Station. Get on the frontage road on the north side and continue west. For those without a compass, exit I70, make a right, and then a left. You are going away from McDonald's.
Continue until you reach Point Prairie Road. There is a small sign for MAR, about 4 foot by 6 foot, in attention-getting black and white.
Follow Point Prairie Road for about 6 miles or so. You will drop in an esse curve into a gully and see the signs that point you to spectator and entrant entrances (1 on map). Continue straight, do not turn left. Go over the hill and down to the bottom, where you will find an extremely rough rock driveway heading back uphill on your left (2). If you cross the creek, you missed it. Drive up the driveway to the barn (3), where registration is held. After getting your credientials, follow the rock road down to the driveover bridge. Cross the bridge (9) and drive alongside the track to the paddock (10). Only during spectator events is there anyone at the gate.
In many of the fields that surround the track, there are crops planted or there are tree stumps remaining. the stumps have been marked with small square signs with an X painted on them. Some stumps are low enough to drive over, but don't count on it. Avoid them.
Turn 1 has a bluff on the outside near the trackout point. Since there is a drainage ditch that upsets the suspension, many cars end up trying to climb the embankment. The Bilstein Rabbit Cup Series had many Rabbits climb part of the way and then land in the track on their roofs. The next car through would hit the nose or tail and spin them in the middle of the track.
As I said, there is a drainage ditch across the track. When it rains, this becomes a stream of water that can cause problems.
This seems rather silly, since there isn't any road racing there anymore, but maybe this will spur some interest in getting the track re-opened to road racing again. MAR was a drivers course, full of challenge and always fun to drive. there was a very laid back atmosphere there with plenty of camping space. Facilities were poor, but then that was over ten years ago.
On the main straight, you leave the pits and pull out just before the walk-over bridge and turn 1, a 90 degree right-hander that has a concrete. The road course runs clockwise, so you are headed south. there is a drainage ditch that runs south across turn 1, so you have a dip just past the apex.
From Turn 1, you are headed into a long , fast sweeper of Turn 2. In many cars, you are in fourth gear and going quite fast, as it is possible to enter turn 1 about 90 mph and exit with considerable speed. this sweeper is a slow downhill run, also.
The Sweeper straightens out in the bottom between the trees and heads into turn 3, a sharp right-hander that heads uphill on the exit. A slight bend is in the straight between turns 3 and 4 but in most cars, you never notice it. This section is quite rough and a softer than normal suspension settings help to keep the car from skipping around too much.
Turn 4 is a large decreasing radius carousel with the peak of the hill about where the apex is. It is also very fast and those who misjudge the length of the corner can run off about the apex and find the tire wall protecting the paddock. those who misjudge only slightly can find themselves running off before the trackout point and running downhill through the grass towards the spectator areas.
You leave Turn 4 and head slightly downhill and slightly bending left to turn 5 which bends sharply to the left but not a full 90 degree turn. The track also makes an abrupt downhill change and drops you quickly into Turn 6 at the bottom, a very sharp right-hander that turns about 120 degrees.
Turn 6 has a large run-off area before reaching the trees, but at some Corvette events, there were a few who crossed that expanse and entered the trees, to disappear far within. Trees have been cut to get them out. Now there were no signs of skid marks and it appeared that the drivers suffered brain fade and just drove off, but it is something to consider since you carry a lot of speed into turn 6 and are running downhill.
From 6 you head down a short straight, hill on the right and open field on the left. There is enough room to get around some slower cars here, if you are quick. You enter Turn 7, a flat right-hander. You get another short straight into Turn 8, a flat carousel that can be double apexed and is surprisingly big. In this area, you will notice some signs with Xs on them that mark the locations of stumps. If you go off, avoid this signs.
Out of turn 8 you have a short straight, then a bend to the right for another straight into turn 9, a 90 degree right-hander. You run down a fair straight to turn 10, also a flat 90 degree right-hander. Your trackout point from 10 is unnervingly close to the abutment for the driveover bridge and has collected more than one car. Be careful.
At the bridge, you begin climbing back up the end of the dragstrip. As you clear the trees near the bridge, you find Turn 11at the end of the trees, which really isn't a turn but just a flag station. shortly past this, you will reach the peak of the hill and the straight. Pit entrance is on your right. In most cars, you should be near your top speed and still have at least an eighth of a mile to turn 1. This completes one lap.
A/Prod cars were turning about 2:02 laps and an F/Atlantic (F5000) had the record at 1:58. E/Prod was around 2:17.
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