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Races Remaining in 2008 Season for Top Sanctions
NASCAR Sprint Cup (Races Complete:11 of 36) >>> 25 Races Remaining in Season 2008
NASCAR Nationwide Series (Races Complete: 12 of 35) >>> 23 Races Remaining in Season 2008
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks (Races Complete:6 of 25) >>> 19 Races Remaining in Season 2008
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing (Races Complete:8 of 24) >>> 16 Races Remaining in Season 2008
IndyCar Series [IRL] (Races Complete:4 of 17) >>> 13 Races Remaining in Season 2008
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2008 Schedule
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, a 36-race slate that kicks off with the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway. The 2008 season also marks NASCAR’s 60th year as stock car racing’s longest operating sanctioning body.
Following the “Great American Race” the series travels to Southern California, then to the bright lights of Las Vegas before returning to the southeast for races at Atlanta and Bristol. The first scheduled off date for the series will be in March during the Easter holiday. Following the race in Martinsville, the series makes another swing to the southwest, racing at Texas and Phoenix in early April. The second scheduled off weekend occurs in mid-April. The series then picks back up with races at Talladega, Richmond and Darlington prior to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
“By running five consecutive points events before the first scheduled break in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the 2008 schedule is designed to be even more fan friendly,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.
Another adjustment to the 2008 schedule is that the Chicago race will be run Saturday night. “Night racing provides an additional element of intrigue and excitement,” said France. “Running under the lights at Chicagoland on a Saturday night will be even more exciting for the fans in the stands as well as those watching from home.”
Other key dates:
* On Sunday, July 27, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
* On the evening of Saturday, Sept. 6, Richmond International Raceway will be the last opportunity for drivers to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
* The week after Richmond, on Sunday, Sept. 14, New Hampshire again will have the kick-off event in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which covers the season’s last 10 races and determines the series champion.
* On Sunday, Nov. 16, Homestead-Miami Speedway will again host the season finale, where the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will be crowned.
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2008 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
Feb 9 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona – Daytona International Speedway*(Done)
Feb 17 Daytona International Speedway (Done)
Feb 24 California Speedway (Done)
Mar 2 Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Done)
Mar 9 Atlanta Motor Speedway (Done)
Mar 16 Bristol Motor Speedway
Mar 30 Martinsville Speedway
Apr 6 Texas Motor Speedway
Apr 12 Phoenix International Raceway
Apr 27 Talladega Superspeedway
May 3 Richmond International Raceway
May 10 Darlington Raceway
May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge – Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 25 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Jun 1 Dover International Speedway
Jun 8 Pocono Raceway
Jun 15 Michigan International Speedway
Jun 22 Infineon Raceway
Jun 29 New Hampshire International Speedway
Jul 5 Daytona International Speedway
Jul 12 Chicagoland Speedway
Jul 27 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug 3 Pocono Raceway
Aug 10 Watkins Glen International
Aug 17 Michigan International Speedway
Aug 23 Bristol Motor Speedway
Aug 31 California Speedway
Sep 6 Richmond International Raceway
Sep 14 New Hampshire International Speedway
Sep 21 Dover International Speedway
Sep 28 Kansas Speedway
Oct 5 Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 11 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct 19 Martinsville Speedway
Oct 26 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Nov 2 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov 9 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov 16 Homestead-Miami Speedway
*Non-championship points events Tentative-Subject to Change
2008 Schedule For NASCAR Nationwide Series
As NASCAR celebrates its 60th anniversary, the 2008 season will bring a new name - the NASCAR Nationwide Series to the nation's second-most popular series.
Nationwide Insurance is the new series sponsor. In 2008, the series - known as the NASCAR Busch Series but in its final year of sponsorship from Anheuser-Busch - will again start its season at Daytona International Speedway (Saturday, Feb. 16) and end at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Saturday, Nov. 15).
For the second consecutive season, there will be two international events. The series will return to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Aug. 2. And for a fourth consecutive year, the schedule includes a race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City, Mexico. However, for the first time in the brief history of the event, it will move from its previous date on the first Sunday in March to April 20.
Some of the key changes to the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule include:
* A historic doubleheader at California Speedway with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday, Feb. 23.
* The Mexico City race trades slots with the event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
* Las Vegas Motor Speedway's race will now fall one week earlier on March 1 and starts an early-season domino effect where three other races precede their dates by one week from last season - Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 8), Bristol Motor Speedway (March 15) and Nashville Superspeedway (March 22).
* The order of the two races following the first open week of the season (March 29) also moves up one week. The spring race at Texas Motor Speedway will be April 5 with the Phoenix event on April 11.
* Also, the addition of lights at Chicagoland Speedway will facilitate an inaugural Friday night show for the series there on July 11.
There will be nine "stand-alone" events: Nashville (March 22 and June 7), Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (April 20), Kentucky Speedway (June 14), the Milwaukee Mile (June 21), Gateway International Raceway (July 19), O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (July 26), Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (August 2) and Memphis Motorsports Park (Oct. 25).
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is scheduled for 35 races in 2008 - 26 combination events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and three in conjunction with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. There are 26 race tracks on the schedule divided among 20 states, Canada and Mexico. The 2008 season will mark the 60th anniversary of NASCAR, which was incorporated on Feb. 21, 1948. (The 2008 schedule follows this release. Starting times and television information will be available at a later date.)
2008 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
Feb 16 Daytona International Speedway (Done)
Feb 23 California Speedway (Done)
Mar 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Done)
Mar 8 Atlanta Motor Speedway (Done)
Mar 15 Bristol Motor Speedway
Mar 22 Nashville Superspeedway
Apr 5 Texas Motor Speedway
Apr 11 Phoenix International Raceway
Apr 20 Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Apr 26 Talladega Superspeedway
May 2 Richmond International Raceway
May 9 Darlington Raceway
May 24 Lowe's Motor Speedway
May 31 Dover International Speedway
Jun 7 Nashville Superspeedway
Jun 14 Kentucky Speedway
Jun 21 The Milwaukee Mile
Jun 28 New Hampshire International Speedway
Jul 4 Daytona International Speedway
Jul 11 Chicagoland Speedway
Jul 19 Gateway International Raceway
Jul 26 O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
Aug 2 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Aug 9 Watkins Glen International
Aug 16 Michigan International Speedway
Aug 22 Bristol Motor Speedway
Aug 30 California Speedway
Sep 5 Richmond International Raceway
Sep 20 Dover International Speedway
Sep 27 Kansas Speedway
Oct 10 Lowe's Motor Speedway
Oct 25 Memphis Motorsports Park
Nov 1 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov 8 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov 15 Homestead-Miami Speedway
Tentative-Subject to Change
2008 NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing Series Schedule
Schedule features addition of 24th national event; Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule expanded to 17 races
NHRA released its 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule today, expanding the Series to 24 national events. It is the first addition to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule since 2000.
The newest event on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, which will be announced in the near future, will be held September 11-14, 2008. To make room in the schedule for the new fall event, the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn. will move to September 26-28, 2008.
In addition, NHRA announced that the Pro Stock Motorcycle category will expand to 17 races in 2008, with the addition of the to-be-announced event in the fall.
The only time in NHRA’s history when 24 national events were staged during the season was to celebrate NHRA’s 50th anniversary, when a special one-time event was conducted at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in the summer of 2001.
“We are coming off one of the most successful seasons in NHRA history and anticipate the record-setting attendance figures we witnessed at a majority of our venues in 2007 to continue based on the consistency we have created in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “There has been much anticipation regarding today’s announcement and that anticipation will likely carry over until we announce the newest addition on the national event schedule.”
The season will begin and end at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, first with the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals, February 7-10, and finishing the season with the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 6-9. Both represent two of the longest-standing national events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Of course, all eyes in the motorsports world will be on O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend, with the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, August 29-September 1. The world’s largest drag racing event traditionally has more than 1,000 race cars on-site for the multi-day event and features two of NHRA’s most prestigious specialty programs, the Skoal Showdown in Funny Car and the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle.
Fans planning to visit the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 13-16, will view the newly completed, state-of-the-art race control tower and media center which is part of a multi-phase facility improvement project at historic Gainesville Raceway.
The NHRA POWERade Series Countdown to the Championship, which in 2007 has generated great interest among fans, sponsors, competitors and media, will once again feature a tiered playoff-style format with competitors vying for the Top Eight spots through the regular season. Details on the events that will be included in the Countdown to 8, Countdown to 4 and Countdown to 1 will be announced at the conclusion of the 2007 season.
Other feature events in the 2008 schedule include stops in both major markets in the state of Texas with the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals March 28-30, in Houston, and the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals, September 18-21 at Texas Motorplex near Dallas. The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will return for two dates at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which will host the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals April 10-13 and the AC Delco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals October 30 – November 2.
The Western Swing, which last year built the drama leading up to the Countdown to 8, will feature the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver, July 11-13, the Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals in Seattle July 18-20 and the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals July 25-27 in Sonoma, Calif.
Highlighting the month of June will be four NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national events with the running of the 20th annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, May 29 – June 1, followed by the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals June 5-8 in Chicago and the NHRA Supernationals, June 19-22 in Englishtown, N. J., just outside New York City. The series returns to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 26-29 in Norwalk, Ohio, which also will serve as the venue for the popular Pro Stock specialty race, the K&N Horsepower Challenge.
Other stops throughout the year include: the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals, February 22-24, in Phoenix; the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, April 24-27 in Atlanta; O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals May 2-4 in St. Louis; O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals May 16-18 in Bristol, Tenn.; Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., August 7-10; Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa., August 14-17; and the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals in Richmond, Va., October 10-12.
The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, and its 24-race schedule, is by far the most geographically dispersed motorsport series in the country with events from Florida to Washington, California to New Jersey and all points in between.
ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, a part of the ESPN network, the worldwide leader in sports, will once again provide exclusive television coverage, on a same-day basis, of all 24 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events featuring action from qualifying rounds on Saturday and Sunday’s race.
2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule
48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals, Pomona, Calif > Feb. 7-10 (Done)
24th annual Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals, Phoenix > Feb. 22-24 (Done)
39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, Fla. (PSM)> March 13-16
21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, Houston (PSM) > March 28- 30
Ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas > April 10-13
28th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Commerce, Ga. (PSM)> April 24-27
12th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis (PSM)> May 2-4
Eighth annual O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tenn.> May 16-18
20th annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, Topeka, Kan.> May 30 – June 1
11th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago (PSM)> June 5-8
39th annual NHRA SuperNationals, Englishtown, N.J. (PSM) > June 19-22
Second annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio (PSM)> June 26-29
29th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Denver (PSM)> July 11-13
21st annual Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals, Seattle > July 18-20
21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals, Sonoma, Calif. (PSM)> July 25-27
27th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, Minn. (PSM)> Aug. 7-10
24th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Reading, Pa. (PSM)> Aug. 14-17
54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Indianapolis (PSM)> Aug. 29- Sept. 1
Inaugural Carolinas Nationals, Charlotte,N.C. (PSM)> Sept. 11-14
23rd annual O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals, Dallas (PSM)> Sept. 18-21
21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals, Memphis, Tenn. (PSM)> Sept. 26-28
Third annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals, Richmond, Va.> Oct. 10-12
Eighth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas (PSM)> Oct. 30-Nov. 2
44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pomona, Calif. (PSM)> Nov. 6-9
(PSM) - Event will include Pro Stock Motorcycle
2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Schedule
02/15/08 Daytona International Speedway (Done)
02/23/08 California Speedway (Done)
03/07/08 Atlanta Motor Speedway (Done)
03/29/08 Martinsville Speedway
04/26/08 Kansas Speedway
05/16/08 Lowe's Motor Speedway
05/24/08 Mansfield Motorsports Park
05/30/08 Dover International Speedway
06/06/08 Texas Motor Speedway
06/14/08 Michigan International Speedway
06/20/08 The Milwaukee Mile
06/28/08 Memphis Motorsports Park
07/12/08 Kentucky Speedway
07/25/08 O'Reilly Raceway Park
08/09/08 Nashville Superspeedway
08/20/08 Bristol Motor Speedway
09/06/08 Gateway International Raceway
09/13/08 New Hampshire International Speedway
09/20/08 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
10/04/08 Talladega Superspeedway
10/18/08 Martinsville Speedway
10/25/08 Atlanta Motor Speedway
10/31/08 Texas Motor Speedway
11/07/08 Phoenix International Raceway
11/14/08 Homestead-Miami Speedway
2008 IndyCar Series Schedule
Sat 29-Mar Homestead-Miami Speedway 8 p.m./ESPN2
Sun 6-Apr Streets of St. Petersburg 2:30 p.m./ESPN
Sat 19-Apr Twin Ring Motegi Noon/ESPN
Sun 27-Apr Kansas Speedway 5 p.m./ESPN2
Sun 25-May 92nd Indianapolis 500 Noon/ABC
Sun 1-Jun The Milwaukee Mile 4 p.m./ABC
Sat 7-Jun Texas Motor Speedway 10 p.m./ESPN2
Sun 22-Jun Iowa Speedway 3 p.m./ABC
Sat 28-Jun Richmond International Raceway 8 p.m./ESPN2
Sun 6-Jul Watkins Glen International 3:30 p.m./ABC
Sat 12-Jul Nashville Superspeedway 8 p.m./ESPN2
Sun 20-Jul Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 1:30 p.m./ABC
Sat 9-Aug Kentucky Speedway 6:30 p.m./ESPN2
Sun 24-Aug Infineon Raceway 5:30 p.m./ESPN2
Sun 31-Aug The Raceway at Belle Isle Park 3:30 p.m./ABC
Sun 7-Sep Chicagoland Speedway 3:30 p.m./ABC
© 2007-8 Dwight Drum
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