A special motorsports event is worthy of special paint schemes. Since the inception of the Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals in 2016, hundreds of beautiful race cars have shone bright under the lights at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis. 

That tradition will continue December 2-4 during the sixth edition of the indoor dirt racing event. With just over a week remaining until dirt late models and modifieds roar to life inside "The Dome," drivers have started to release the special schemes they'll be sporting during the event. 

Tyler Carpenter, the two-time defending winner of the late model portion of the event, released his Gateway scheme and accompanying apparel on Wednesday afternoon. 

Brandon Sheppard, who has yet to miss a Gateway Dirt Nationals event, will return to the dome in 2022 with a special red, white and blue scheme that honors the Veterans Golfer Association. 

“The race at the Dome in St. Louis is one of the coolest atmospheres that we race in all year.” Sheppard said in a team press release. “The idea that we can welcome such an awesome group of Veterans into our sport by introducing them to some exciting dirt track racing is just an honor and both the Riggs and Sheppard families couldn’t be more excited about what we can do to further the VGA mission in 2023.”

Ryan Unzicker, a winner with the ARCA Racing Series earlier this year, is also set to return to the Gateway Dirt Nationals have recording four top-10 finishes in five previous attempts. Unzicker released the special scheme for his No. 24 late model on Monday afternoon. 

Of course, we can't go without giving the Modifieds a little bit of love either. St. Louis' own Kenny Wallace will be strapping into a UMP Modified with hopes of collecting a popular victory in his hometown. 

The 2022 Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals begin next Thursday, December 2 with the first of two nights of preliminary features. Over 150 dirt late model drivers have been split into two preliminary night rosters. Thursday and Friday's preliminary night rosters can be viewed by clicking here. 

Two nights of preliminary racing will set the stage for last chance qualifiers and the $30,000-to-win main event on Saturday, December 3. Modifieds will also be in action during all three nights, headlined by a $10,000-to-win A-Main on Saturday. 

Fans unable to make it to St. Louis to watch the excitement at "The Dome" will be able to watch all three nights of racing live on FloRacing. If you're not already a FloRacing subscriber, click here to sign up today.