Registration for the Super Late Model portion of the December 5-7 Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals opened up on Sunday evening, and it was closed just about as quickly as it opened. All available Super Late Model entry slots for the seventh edition of the Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals were filled in just 15 minutes. The event announced that it was a new record for Super Late Model registration.

While an official number was not announced, last year’s Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals had 143 Late Model entries., with only 20 drivers competing in Saturday night’s main event in 2023. While Late Model teams can register to compete in the Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals, the Modified portion of the event is once again invite-only.  

Brandon Sheppard (Late Models) and Drake Troutman (Modifieds) are the defending Gateway Dirt Nationals champions in their respective divisions. Preliminary wins for the Late Models went to Nick Hoffman and Ricky Thornton Jr., while Thornton and Jordan Grabouski picked up Modified preliminary wins.

The Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals started in 2016 at The Dome at America’s Center, the former home of the NFL's St. Louis Rams. The event was a huge success, with Scott Bloomquist and Tommy Seets Jr. taking inaugural wins that year.

Since then, Gateway has gone through changes, including going to a three-day show with two preliminary nights. Midgets also competed at Gateway on three different occasions, with Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Jonathon Beason getting wins inside the dome.

Gateway has also created superstars inside the dome, the biggest being Parkersburg, WV’s Tyler Carpenter, whose two wins in 2019 and 2021 introduced the dirt world to the “Kamikaze Kid” and eventually landed him a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ride with Niece Motorsports at Knoxville Raceway in 2022.

Carpenter and Bobby Pierce share the mark for most Late Model wins with two each, while Scott Bloomquist, Tyler Erb and Brandon Sheppard also have main event wins. Meanwhile, there has never been a repeat Modified champion, as Tommy Seets Jr., Ray Bollinger, Mike Harrison, Derek Losh, Tyler Peterson, Ricky Thornton Jr., and Drake Troutman all have wins.

The 2024 Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals will take place on Thursday-Saturday, December 5-7 at The Dome at America’s Center. The field will be split in half for both divisions for the Thursday and Friday night preliminaries, with champions being decided on Saturday.

Two-day and three-day ticket packages for the event are currently on sale, while individual day tickets will be available at a later date. 

Once again in 2024, race fans unable to make it to St. Louis will be able to watch all three days live on FloRacing. If you're not already a FloRacing subscriber, click here to sign up today.