Gateway International Raceway announced its 2008 NHRA and NASCAR schedule Thursday. The NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals will be held May 2-4 with the NASCAR Nationwide Series returning to the 1.25-mile oval Saturday, July 19, an off-week for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, held this year on Sept. 1, has been moved to the following week in 2008 to Sept. 6 with the green flag scheduled to drop at 1:30 p.m. GIR Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki said the move was made in accordance with the wishes of area racing fans.

"We enjoyed having our event on Labor Day weekend," Batycki said, "but we also know that our fans have certain holiday traditions that they have observed for years. We don't want to interfere with that; we'd rather create our own tradition by giving our customers the ability to enjoy their Labor Day weekend at the lake or at home with the family so they'll be good and rested for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Gateway the following Saturday."

The Truck Series race will provide race fans with a great day of motorsports, as Sept. 6 is also the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' regular season finale at Richmond.

"It's a win-win for our fans," Batycki said. "They can come here and watch great, side-by-side action as the stars of the Truck Series put on a great show. Then, they have plenty of time to get home to see the final race before the NASCAR Chase for the Championship on ESPN.

"At the end of the day, we just wanted to do what was in the best interest of the fans. They spoke and we listened."

Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 866-35-SPEED or by visiting GatewayRaceway.com.