Gateway Motorsports Park — the home of NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis-Metro East region — will host the sixth annual St. Louis Nostalgia Rendezvous on May 10-11. The two-day high octane throwback party features TV star Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster of The Munsters), nostalgia drag racing, three Vegas headliner rockabilly bands, a traditional 1969-and-older hot rod and custom car cruise and a pin-up girl contest with cash prizes.
Spectator gates will open on Saturday at 8 a.m. Admission is $25 for adults (16 and older), $8 for kids (ages 7-15) and children 6 and under are free. Tickets may be purchased in advance.
NOSTALGIA DRAG RACING (BOTH DAYS): Nitro nostalgia Funny Car exhibition, four Funny Cars from Great Lakes Funny Cars, Nostalgia Drag Racing League (NDRL) season kick-off, Victory Nostalgia Super Stocks, nostalgia Gassers and two classes of bracket racing for 1979-and-older cars.
THREE BANDS (SATURDAY ONLY): The Royal Hounds (from Nashville – recently released their third album). Danny Dean & The Homewreckers (American rockabilly band from Los Angeles). Little Rachel (five-foot-tall Texas rockabilly queen). All three bands have played the iconic, world-famous Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender in Las Vegas.
CAR CRUISE (SATURDAY ONLY): Open to all period-correct, 1969-and-older cars and motorcycles. Hot rods, custom cars, rat rods, restorations, bikes, pick-ups, rusty rides, street rods, lowriders. (Please see rules and guidelines below.)
PIN-UP GIRL CONTEST (SATURDAY ONLY): Open to all ladies 18 years of age and older. Period-correct costume (in good taste). Cash prizes for first place through fifth.
BUTCH PATRICK (SATURDAY ONLY): Meet TV star Butch Patrick – Eddie Munster from “The Munsters” – and see his TV showrods, the Munster Coach and Grandpa’s Dragula. Butch also has appeared in a number of motion pictures and TV shows, including The Monkees, Adam 12, The Magical World of Disney, I Dream of Jeanie and Gunsmoke.
SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 9 – No racing or show activity
5-9 p.m. – Pit gates open, pit parking.
6-9 p.m. – Tech inspection.
Friday, May 10 – Nostalgia drag racing (Spectator gates open at 4 p.m.)
9 a.m.-9 p.m. — Racer gates open, pit parking.
Noon-7 p.m. – Tech inspection.
4 p.m. – Spectator gates open.
5-10:30 p.m. — Pro and Sportsman time trials.
6 p.m. and 9 p.m. – NDRL, VSS and association qualifying.
7 p.m.-midnight — Pavilion bar open.
10:30 p.m. – On-track activity ends.
Saturday, May 11 – The Big Day: nostalgia drag racing, Butch Patrick, bands, car cruise, pin-up girl contest (Spectator gates open at 8 a.m.)
7 a.m. — Racer gates open.
8 a.m. – Spectator gates open.
8 a.m. – Tech inspection for racers.
9 a.m. — Car cruise gates open.
9 a.m. – Time trial for Sportsman and Pro classes.
10 a.m. – Final NDRL, VSS and association qualifying.
11 a.m.-5 p.m. — Midway bands and entertainment.
Noon – Nostalgia Funny Cars.
1 p.m. – NDRL and VSS eliminations.
3 p.m. — Pin-up girl contest.
3:30 p.m. — Car cruise awards.
4 p.m. – Nostalgia Funny Cars.
4:30 p.m. — Car cruise parade.
7 p.m. – All final eliminations.
SATURDAY CAR CRUISE RULES AND GUIDELINES
We’ve changed the name this year from “show” to “cruise” to emphasize fun. This is the CRUISE for the guys who hate the politics and anxiety of car shows! No stress. No drama. Just fun.
Enter your car in the cruise simply by purchasing your adult admission ticket (no separate fee to enter your car). Your admission ticket allows you to enjoy the bands, nostalgia drag racing and attractions.
Awards are informal and some will be selected by celebrity judges. This is not Pebble Beach so please don’t expect judges sporting white gloves and magnifying glasses. If you drag your $100,000 showpiece out of the garage solely for the purpose of taking home hardware, this event is not for you. Award categories will include (but not limited to) Best in Show, Best Paint, Patrick’s Pick (TV star Butch Partick’s favorite), Best ‘30s, Best ‘40s, Best ‘50s, Best ‘60s, Best Rat Rod. The Best in Show trophy is our traditional white electric guitar with custom pinstriping, lettering and graphics.
Open to 1969-and-older cars, trucks and classic motorcycles. Bring out your hot rods, custom cars, rat rods, restorations, bikes, pick-ups, rusty rides, street rods and lowriders. Many shows limit their entries to ’65-and-older but we’re inviting ’69-and-older to allow more enthusiasts to participate.
Car cruise parade down the drag strip return road (in front of the grandstands) at approximately 4:30 p.m. All cruise entries welcome.
New this year: The Kamper Korral. Bring your old school 1969-and-older camper (teardrops, Frolics, Shastas, Alladins, etc.), pay for your adult admission ticket and park it FREE in the cruise area. (No hook-ups available at this show.) You may park your tow vehicle near the administration building if it does not fit the parameters of the car cruise guidelines.
Golf carts, motorized scooters, bicycles, scooters are not allowed in the car cruise area.
PIN-UP GIRL CONTEST (Saturday)
Open to ladies 18 and over in period-correct “pin-up girl” costume. Costumes must be in good taste. Contest will be judged by all band members. Prizes: $300 to win; $200 for second; $100 for third place; $75 for fourth; $50 for fifth. Small props are allowed – children and pets as contest props are not allowed. Free admission to the event if you pre-register by May 7.
VENDOR SPACES (Friday and Saturday)
Open to period-correct, nostalgia wares. Includes one (1) weekend crew pass. No food items, t-shirts or unlicensed bootleg materials. T-shirt sales are restricted to the bands, race teams, Butch Patrick and the official event souvenir trailer. To reserve your vendor space, please contact [email protected] . All vendor spaces must be purchased by May 8, 2019. We are not responsible for overnight vendor booth security — please secure your merchandise.
20’ x 20’ space: $125.
20’ x 40’ space: $200.
20’ x 60’ space: $250.
20’ x 80’ space: $300.
SPECTATOR ADMISSION
Single-day adult spectator (16 and older) — $25.
Two-day adult spectator (16 and older) — $40.
Kids (ages 7-15) — $8.
Children 6 and under – Free.
Car cruise: Free to period-correct, 1969-and-older cars and motorcycles with spectator ticket purchase ($25).
RAIN POLICY
Racing rain-out and make-up date is Sunday, May 12, 2019. In the unlikely event of a rain-out, the racing segment of the event will take place on Sunday starting at 9 a.m. The music, car cruise and pin-up contests will take place on Saturday, rain or shine.
Gateway Motorsports Park PR
