The Hot Red Power Tour, the world's largest rolling car show, continued west on Route 66. This week we talk about day 3 and our stop in St. Louis, Missouri. Route 66 opened in 1926 and stretched 2,448 miles, and ended at the Santa Monica Pier, California. This was the shortest route for migrants to head west; initially, the surface of the road was a combination of dirt, gravel, bricks, and even wood planks. The road would take eleven additional years to be totally paved. The highway has been the subject of numerous productions over the years; the Bobby Troup-composed song, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” was sung by Nat King Cole. A television show called “Route 66” ran from 1960 to 1964, starring George Maharis and Martin Milner driving a Corvette on various adventures along the highway; more recently, the Cars movies were inspired by Route 66, with Radiator Springs being a conglomeration of towns along the road.
The third stop on our tour took us to the Gateway Motorsports Park, also known as Worldwide Technology Raceway. The complex located in Madison, Illinois, just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, was a major stop on the route. The 1.25-mile track had hosted a major IndyCar race, the Bommarito Auto Group 500, the weekend before the tour stop; this had the track in fantastic condition to welcome the attendees. We were able to attend the race and experience the pit area. If you have never been on pit road, the speeds and intensity of an IndyCar race are amazing. IndyCars typically run approximately 180 mph on the track. The PowerTour cars stopped at the track on the third day of the Tour. They were able to use the drag strip at the complex as a part of the tour to make runs to try to achieve the best time. The vendor village midway was set up, and even a cool-down center was available for the attendees to find some relief from the heat. Attendees were able to walk around the expansive complex and enjoy the cars and speak to the owners about the vehicles.
As the tour continued, we were able to experience even more Route 66 eclectic stops: the “World's Largest Bottle of Catsup” in Collinsville, Illinois, was close to the speedway; the Gateway Arch in St. Louis; the National Museum of Transportation was a favorite stop for car owners, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour was a favorite for the participants. Timing is everything on the tour; you need to plan your stops and leave enough time to check in before 5 pm. The stop at the World’s Largest Bottle of Catsup was quick but worth it. This is a water tower, and you really need to be a block away from it to take a good picture, and no, I did not spell Catsup wrong; check the bottle, that’s how Brooks spelled it in 1949. The St. Louis Arch is just a short drive away from the Catsup Bottle and is another site to photograph from far away. Also known as the Gateway Arch was completed in1965 and is known as the “Gateway to the West”. Declared a National Park in 2018, you can walk the grounds and even take a trip to the top in a uniqueelevator/tram. As we traveled to the arch, we crossed the Mississippi River. This was a center point for our trip and an iconic spot to stop.
This St. Louis section of 66 has various twists and turns, and you needed to be really careful not to get off track. Route 66 is well marked with a website indicating points of interest, but the various evolutions of the road can be a little confusing, especially in a major city. Next week we will continue to head west with the parade of cars. We have a couple of unique stops, taste some fantastic fudge, see some great entertainment, and a couple of surprises along the way. The adventure continues on the Hot Rod Power Tour.
