by BY KEN ROBERTS ¿ kroberts@post-dispatch.com > 618-257-0745 , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The additional Nationwide race at Gateway is scheduled for Oct. 23, the same day the race was set for Memphis. Gateway will host a NASCAR doubleheader with the Camping World Truck Series on July 16-17.

"This was a difficult decision for us, but one that ultimately was dictated by economics," said Denis McGlynn, Dover Motorsports president and chief operating officer. McGlynn said NASCAR approved the move of its Nationwide race from Memphis to Gateway and of its truck series race from Memphis to Nashville, which now will host a doubleheader April 2-3.

Gateway will not get the National Hot Rod Association event scheduled for Memphis on Aug. 20-22. The Madison drag strip already hosts one NHRA event April 30-May 2. Instead, the NHRA will reduce its 24-race schedule to 23 next season.

While McGlynn said the closure of Memphis was dictated by the bad economy, he did say in a phone interview that Gateway remains on solid ground.

"It's no different than any other year," he said. "We plan on operating next year, bringing another date in there and seeing what we can do to improve things."

It was announced in February that Gulf Coast Entertainment would buy the Memphis track from Dover. But the deal fell through after Gulf Coast was unable to secure financing.

In the spring, a local group headed by Kenny Nowling, president and CEO of the American Drag Racing League based in O'Fallon, Mo., inquired about purchasing Gateway from Dover. Those talks broke off in July.

"Those things come and go. Some are more serious than others," McGlynn said. "I'm not quite sure what happened to them. But we're planning on operating (Gateway) next year and doing the best we can as always."

McGlynn did say a new general manager for Gateway would be in place sooner rather than later. That person will replace Lenny Batycki, who resigned at the end of September.

"We have several candidates that we have talked to and probably a couple more we will soon talk to and I anticipate that that issue will be resolved in the very near future," McGlynn said. "I hate to get pinned down exactly (on a date), because I'm not quite sure myself."

Gateway is now one of three tracks owned by Dover - Dover International Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., are the others.

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