2002 Bristol Date: the Bristol Motor Speedway site is listing the 1st 2002 Bristol race as March 24, 2002, see my Tentative 2002 Winston Cup Schedule, am adding dates as columns, readers and sites post 2002 dates and build the schedule for 2002(7-16-2001)
Las Vegas Date: NASCAR's Winston Cup race in 2002 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be March 3, a source close to the racing series said. The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will mark the fifth straight year that Nevada's biggest annual sports event will be the first Sunday in March. Speedway officials would not confirm the dates, but the track is taking ticket renewal orders for that weekend. The public can buy tickets beginning Sept. 11. It is believed that qualifying for the Cup and NASCAR Busch series races will be March 1, with the Busch race the next day.(Las Vegas Review-Journal)(7-11-2001)
Homestead will take it: Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark has expressed interest in moving his Winston Cup races to different dates next season. The track hosts the Cracker Barrell 500 in March and the season-ending NAPA 500. Homestead-Miami Speedway president Curtis Gray said his facility, which has the second-to-last race of the season, would be interested in gaining the final race. The past two champions have clinched the title at Homestead-Miami. "Sure it'd be great to have the last of the season," Gray said. "It'd be very prestigious."(St Petersburg Times) AND Clark declined to mention which track would be willing to take the November race, but he did say he'd prefer to hold the event in September or October, "which are two of the driest months of the year in Georgia." The last five Winston Cup race weekends at AMS have been affected by inclement weather. NASCAR has told AMS that the spring race will remain in the second week of March(AJC)(7-8-2001)
Martinsville Dates: Martinsville Speedway is expected to announce the dates of its two 2002 Winston Cup events next week. The .526-mile oval is expected to play host to races on April 14 and Oct. 20.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(7-8-2001)
34 BGN races in 2002 and NO Watkins Glen? UPDATE 2: RPM 2Nights Ray Dunlap reported on Monday's show, that the BGN race schedule will expand to 34 races in 2002 and Watkins Glen will not be included (and no other road courses will be either). Supposedly the race dates will hold a 2nd BGN race at Daytona, the same weekend as the Cup Pepsi 400(ESPN2 RPM 2Night)(7-3-2001) UPDATE: BGN will make a second stop at Daytona next season, according to an ESPN report. The report said that the series will bring the BGN cars back to the 2.5-mile tri-oval in July as a support race the night before the Pepsi 400. The BGN cars annually open their season the day before the Daytona 500 in February. DIS officials would not confirm the move but said it is a possibility. According to the report, NASCAR would drop its lone BGN road-course date at Watkins Glen International, which is also owned by DIS parent International Speedway Corporation(Daytona Beach News Journal), also hear the BGN will not go to Milwaukee or Indianpolis Raceway Park in 2001 and may race at the Indianapolis Intl Speedway(7-6-2001) UPDATE 2: Beginning next season, the Daytona International Speedway will add a NASCAR Grand National series race to its Pepsi 400 Winston Cup race weekend. The addition to the BGN schedule will give the series three restrictor-plate races. Currently, the series runs once at Daytona and Talladega each season. Sources said the weekend will be run similar to this season's, with the BGN race held on Friday night and the Winston Cup event on Saturday night(That's Racin')(7-8-2001)
Darlington Spring Race Moves? Darlington will replace Rockingham as the second race of the year. Rockingham has hosted the second race of the season since 1992. Before that, the second race alternated between Rockingham and Richmond; and Daytona, when Riverside remained on the schedule. The change in schedule for next season will allow Fox to begin coverage of the first half of the season at Darlington. NBC and Fox rotate coverage of the season-opening Daytona 500. NBC will broadcast the race in 2002. Sources said Rockingham's first race of the 2002 season will move to April, likely one of the weeks following the April 7 race at Talladega. The track's second race will continue to remain near the end of the season's schedule(That's Racin')(7-6-2001)
Night Races in June? Ed Goren, president and executive producer of Fox Sports, said that 24 hours after the final NASCAR telecast on Fox June 24, ``we gathered all of the production people in a meeting to review the season and talk about possible changes in 2002. You won't see us resting on our laurels.'' One possible alteration, he said, is an increase in the number of primetime NASCAR telecasts to drive the ratings ever higher, particularly in June, when the May sweeps have wrapped up and the Fox Network is filling its schedule mostly with reruns.(Yahoo Daily News/Reuters/Variety), this years June races were: Dover, Michigan, Pocono and Sears Point, only Dover has been rumored to be looking into installing lights(7-1-2001)
Talladega Spring Date moves up: Been told by quite a few readers who have receieved tickets renews that the 2002 Talladega spring race will be held on April 7th. It was on April 22nd this year(6-26-2001)
NASCAR...Go West? Bear Stearns, a Wall Street brokerage firm, has just released an interesting business analysis of NASCAR and its future, along with some facts and figures, in a 77-page report. The highlights: NASCAR is oversaturated in the Southeast and needs to move several Winston Cup race weekends to the west, moving dates from Martinsville, Pocono and New Hampshire to Texas, Las Vegas, California and Kansas. NASCAR's proposed new speedways near New York City (at the Meadowlands) and Denver are "not likely." Some major NASCAR sponsors are disgruntled. Bottom line, the investment firm has long-term optimism for the sport, but is wary in the short-term. See the full story/report at the Winston Salem Journal: Brokerage firm tells NASCAR 'go west' and a partial report at the Bear Stearns site and another at Yahoo Biz: Bear Stearns Announces Investment Opinion on International Speedway Corp(6-16-2001)
Two More Cup races in 2002? UPDATE 4 No? NASCAR president Mike Helton said the sanctioning body is working on the 2002 schedule, but he refuses to comment on the garage rumor that there will be two more races -- 38 total -- next season. Word is Kentucky Speedway will be awarded an inaugural event and that California will get a second race. Other changes might include moving races at Rockingham, Atlanta and Darlington to dates that are more weather friendly(Sporting News)(6-11-2001) UPDATE: NASCAR officials currently are working on the 2002 schedule. Sources from the sanctioning body said the new docket would have several changes. The new Kentucky Speedway near Cincinnati will join the series, as well as a second racing date at California. If ISC completes the purchase of Pocono, it likely will lose one of its two racing dates. So will the Darlington Raceway and the North Carolina Speedway. Darlington will lose its spring date, while North Carolina(Rockingham) will drop its fall race. Also under consideration is a plan to change the fall contest at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, now the season finale, to an earlier date when the weather is more cooperative. The vacancy created by North Carolina would be a perfect fit(Savannah Morning News) UPDATE 2: It appears unlikely that NASCAR's Winston Cup schedule will be expanded next season. George Pyne, NASCAR's senior vice president, said Friday it was "very unlikely" any new races would be added to the already-crowded schedule. Races at Kansas City and Chicago were added this season, bringing the number of Winston Cup races to 36 - 38 counting the Budweiser Shootout and The Winston, two non-points events. "The sanctioning process is under way. We're ahead of schedule and NASCAR is very sensitive to adding any more weeks to the schedule at this point," Pyne said. "While the process isn't complete, it is very unlikely you'll see any additional weekends." Pyne said he wouldn't discuss specific items, such as moving race dates already on the schedule, but added that there will be no "dramatic changes." "I want to be clear. It's not completed. Anything's possible. I wouldn't read anything more into it than that, other than we're ahead of where we normally are," he said.(That's Racin')(6-15-2001) UPDATE 3: NASCAR might add two races to the Winston Cup schedule next season, at California and either Kentucky or Texas (or possibly both), so the logical question is where on the calendar is there any room. One possible answer: by running one-day events on the Wednesday night before Mother's Day, and the Wednesday night before Easter, according to Daytona sources. NASCAR officials aren't saying much about the shape of the 2002 Winston Cup schedule but concede they are "sensitive" to car owners' worries about expanding the tour(Winston Salem Journal)(6-17-2001) UPDATE 4: Kentucky Speedway will not be added to the 2001 Winston Cup schedule, NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "(We're not going to Kentucky) for Winston Cup, but we were very proud to be there Saturday night (Busch Series)," Helton said. "Everything is considered in the future, but we have to be careful and not give anyone false hope because of the bigness of things today."(Sporting News)(6-18-2001)
2002 Season Finale at Texas? There is speculation that next year's end-of-the-season race could be at Texas instead of at Atlanta(Winston Salem Journal)(6-17-2001)
2002 Race Dates: If Bruton Smith wants a second Winston Cup date at Texas, NASCAR officials have suggested he move one of Atlanta Motor Speedway's two dates to the Dallas-Fort Worth track. NASCAR executives spent the weekend negotiating with Smith over 2002 season events and dates. Atlanta has played to several less-than-sellout crowds the last few years. Atlanta's Ed Clark said he is dropping the IRL as an event at his track, because that series has proven such a difficult sell. Clark said he is encouraged that NASCAR will let him move his end-of-the-season Winston Cup race to a weekend earlier in the year(Winston Salem Journal)(5-28-2001)
2001 Schedule UPDATE 4 IT's OUT what is FX?: Bray Cary, NASCAR's vice president for broadcasting and technology, said Sunday morning that the long-awaited 2001 Winston Cup schedule is due out this week, with Busch Series and Craftsman Truck schedules to follow. No changes, other than those already announced, are expected in the 2001 calendar. The major changes are the additions of dates for new tracks in Kansas in September and at Joliet, IL in July(SpeedVision). See my 2001 TENTATIVE UNOFFICIAL Winston Cup Schedule page, all races dates have been confirmed from ticket holders or at the Race Track site - but it is still not official(9-24-2000) UPDATE: NASCAR is expected to release its 2001 Winston Cup series schedule Monday and it will include at least one previously unannounced race date change: One race traditionally held on Saturday will be moved to Sunday. The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis will become a typical Friday-Sunday race weekend next season, with the prestigious race now scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 5th(That's Racin')(9-25-2000) UPDATE: look for the schedule to be released today UPDATE 2: the Official 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Schedule is out, see it, the TV lineup and a story here - Cup Schedule from NASCAR PR(9-26-2000) UPDATE 3: getting much email on the fact that many people do not have Fox's FX cable channel and what to do about it. Simply, contact your cable company and contact Fox and state your complaint(9-27-2000) UPDATE 4: more info from MotorsportsTV - FX will be at 54 million households by the end of 2000. That represents an addition of 17 million over the past two years. The NASCAR contract should get that number even higher. In comparison, the most popular cable channels like ESPN, CNN, and TBS are at about 75-80 million households. ESPN2 just passed 70 million households, ESPN is at 77 million, and TBS is at 80.8 million. There
are about 100 million TV households in the U.S. Of course, many of those do not get cable or satellite. Also for info on FX, see my TV/Media page for the web link AND see a story/interview at MotorsportsTV: Kempner to Give Fox Its NASCAR Direction in 2001AND see my Story/Column Links page, go towards the bottom of that page, look for the heading: Some Past Interesting Articles and a few that answer some questions and see the last story from That's Racin' about the TV Contact including: "Will we still get to see qualifying and practice sessions the way we have in recent years?" Answer: Yes. NASCAR negotiated that kind of coverage into the deal.(There are other story links concerning the TV Contract there) ALSO: I have no idea how this will affect satellite dish users or if folks will still be able to watch via satellite, check with your system representatives(9-28-2000)
2002 Schedule Changes? Marcus Smith, Bruton's son and the manager of Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc., says he expects major changes in the 2002 Winston Cup tour schedule, perhaps with two tour events at Fontana, Chicago, and Kansas City -- and, of course he hopes, Texas(PitNow)(5-21-2000)
More 2001 Race Schedule Rumors CORRECTION: The Winston Cup schedule will likely grow in 2001, with races at Chicago and Kansas City coming on next season, according to published reports. Chicago Motor Speedway, in Cicero, IL, opened last year. The 1-mile oval is co-owned by CART team owner Chip Ganassi and will host a Craftsman Truck Series race in August. According to a source(of Total Sports), the track will hold a press conference after Richmond to announce a Winston Cup date (CORRECTION: been told by Total Sports that this was a mistake and the track would be the new one in Joliet, IL, not Chicago Motor Speedway)(Total Sports) Jayski Note: thought the Chicago race(if held) would be at the new ISC/Tony George track in Joliet, IL., not Ganassi's Chicago Motor Speedway, while the Roanoke Times has: Reports are that NASCAR will add two races to the schedule next season, giving it 36, not including the Bud Shootout and The Winston. Tracks in Kansas City, Mo., and Joliet, Ill., are expected to get the Cup races next year(4-29-2000) - NOTE: the Kansas International Speedway is in the state of KANSAS not Missouri(4-30-2000)
TV/Schedule News: NASCAR still has not announced its (Cup) schedule for next season, and television is the prime reason. NASCAR is trying to consolidate its TV deal, rather than having individual tracks fend for themselves. ABC and ESPN look to be a strong contender to land a significant portion of the deal. But CBS, which first broadcast NASCAR racing live 20 years ago and has televised the Daytona 500 since then, wants to remain a player(News and Observer)(10-9-1999)
The REAL 2000 Schedule...Finally....almost...NOT SO FAST: The wait is over. NASCAR will release the 2000 Winston Cup schedule this week at Lowe's Motor Speedway. According to spokesman Tim Sullivan, the new schedule is expected to include the same number of races (34), but there will be subtle changes in the position of the races which will be announced when the schedule is officially released. See full story at SpeedVision(10-6-1999) -- UPDATE: I hear the 2000 Cup schedule announcement has been pushed back until next week sometime(10-9-1999)
2000 Schedule: NASCAR could release the 2000 Winston Cup schedule this weekend at Dover, Del., but since this is the fourth straight weekend that has been considered a possibility there's no guarantee that will happen. Since next season's schedule appears to be a virtual duplicate of the 1999 schedule, the holdup is believed to be caused by other factors. One of those is television. See complete article at That's Racin': NASCAR still tying up loose ends on 2000 schedule(9-23-1999)
36 in 2000? Two new Winston Cup tour dates could be added in 2000, according to NASCAR sources. The would stretch the season to 36 races. There is no immediate indication where the two additional races might be, though the two most obvious locations are Bruton Smith's Texas Motor Speedway and Bill France Jr.'s California Speedway. France just broke ground this week on his planned Kansas City track, which isn't expected to be open until 2001(PitNow)(5-27-1999)
NASCAR Schedule? From Mike Mulhern at PitNow: "Kansas City's new speedway will probably not be open for NASCAR business next season, despite optimistic hopes. But the 2001 Winston Cup tour schedule is expected to feature an early fall race at the Midwestern track. The 2001 tour is also expected now to feature a Cup race at the planned new Chicago-area track, near Joliet, according to NASCAR sources. How might NASCAR find room on the calendar for two more events is a question stock-car teams are asking. One plan under consideration is moving a couple of current tour races to Wednesday nights, packaged as one-day events, opening up the two weekends. Martinsville and Darlington would two logical choices, but it's unclear precisely what NASCAR's thinking might be. NASCAR is expected to ask several, if not all, Winston Cup tracks to be prepared to add lights for possible night events, because one of the possible new television contract scenarios would include more night Cup races. NASCAR is also considering moving the Las Vegas race date to the fall of the year, rather than early March."(4-12-1999)
NASCAR vice president Dennis Huth said the Craftsman Truck Series schedule will include significant changes in 1999. According to Huth, the SuperTrucks will visit a number of new venues. Although he would not be more specific, the Truck Series is believed to be making the first steps in a shift away from some of the small short tracks and toward tandem events with Winston Cup races at tracks like Bristol, Rockingham and perhaps even Darlington. Another source said the trucks would run nine companion events on Winston Cup weekends next year, as compared to three this year.(SpeedNet/Monte Dutton)(9-27-98)
TNN's Raceday said that the Martinsville truck race in 1999 may be moved to the spring and that the 1999 Truck schedule may include Dover and Michigan.(9-27-98)
IROC will return to Talladega on April 24, 1999, no word on what track it will replace.(RPM2Nite) Tracks ran in 1998: Daytona, California, Michigan and Indy. Also no word on what car they will use.(10-9-98)
Story at SpeedNet about track dates and what the plans may hold in 2000 for the schedule at: NASCAR expansion skips PIR(10-3-98)
That's Racin' has the 1999 Winston Cup Schedule up at their site along with a story by Jim Utter and David Poole. The Official Schedule is supposedly going to be announced during the Darlington race weekend. Few surprises lurk in 1999 schedule and the 1999 Winston Cup Schedule. The schedule is the same as I have posted in the next story and both are UNOFFICIAL. Thanks Dave and Jim.(8-29-98)
Looks like other sites are picking up on my lead: Although the official NASCAR Winston Cup schedule for 1999 will not be released until next week, Richmond International Raceway owners confirmed yesterday they have a new date for the spring race. See the Richmond Times-Dispatch 1999 WC Schedule (Unofficial).(8-19-98)
1999 Cup Schedule Story: The fires around Daytona Beach, Fla., in July not only caused the postponement of the Pepsi 400 to Oct. 17, but had an impact on the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup schedule as well. See the Bob Zeller story: NASCAR: Pepsi 400 delay affects '99 schedule.(Virginian-Pilot)(8-25-98)
The NASCAR Winston Cup schedule will increase by one race next season as Homestead(FL) will be added. The race would probably be held later in the season. No tracks would lose races next season, but the schedule may be adjusted to help smooth travel. See the story by Jim Utter at That's Racin' at: Winston Cup schedule grows by one.(7-24-98)
"NASCAR now reaches north to Alaska with the addition of North Star Speedway to the NASCAR Winston Racing Series. North Star Speedway, located in Palmer, Alaska, is the only asphalt oval in the state, and is believed to be North America's farthest north asphalt oval track. The state-of-the-art .25-mile oval, nestled in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley at the foot of the Brooks Range and the Chugiak Mountains. North Star Speedway is located about 35 miles northeast of Anchorage."(NASCAR Online)(1-28-98)
"In the national teleconference at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Bill France said he no longer feels that Winston Cup has to remove a date in order to add one. He said NASCAR has talked to the teams and the sponsors and that he no longer feels that expansion is out of the question. He said to ``stay tuned'' for information on St. Louis, second dates for California and Texas, Homestead, etc. He later explained that he didn't mean
they would be adding dates for those tracks this year. He expects the 1998 schedule to be out in about three weeks. I was at the Atlanta press conference. Kind of surprised at the support the IRL race is getting here. Did an informal survey of racing fans around Columbus, Ga., and they said they'd go, once I explained to them what the IRL is. Like the idea of lights. Tony George said he has gotten ``some interest'' from NASCAR teams and drivers about running in the IRL at some of the tracks the two have in common. Sees no problem with it. New asphalt should be down at AMS next week. PR folks say the paving company tells them it won't need to cure but can be run right away. Booked for tests all of September, October. AMS says no word on running Winston Cup there under lights (too cold in March, November) AMS has been pushing for years to get their March date pushed back to the summer. It's the same weekend as the SEC basketball tournament which they feel cuts down on attendance. Say it won't happen in 1998"(Thanks Laura Kreuzer Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer)(8-13-97)
I hear that Ralph Sheheen of CBS/TNN via Gerry V talk radio show on WBT radio at 1110am in Charlotte announced some 1998 WC schedule news: Las Vegas gets a date the weekend of March 7-8, Homestead is NOT added, California and Texas still only have one date, Bristol is moved to March, Richmond spring date moves up to late spring, some others moving dates(not mentioned) and no races or tracks are dropped(7-29-97)
NASCAR's Bill France still isn't making anything official yet, but he is coming closer to announcing a second Cup date for both Texas and California for 1998. According to one scenario being discussed within NASCAR, the season-ending race would move to the Fontana track. And there are discussions about cutting Darlington, Rockingham and Martinsville all back to one Cup race eventually. There is also talk about Homestead, Fla., being added to the tour, perhaps in March, but probably not next season(JournalNow 7-19-97)
Bob Bahre(NHIS owner) is about ready to give up on getting a Busch Series race at North Wilksboro next year. According to Bahre, Bruton Smith, the tracks other half-owner, doesn't like the idea and won't go along with it. "it isn't worth the aggravation to have a lot of problems with Bruton. If it's going to make him feel like a real big man to sit there and let nothing happen to that track, and leave his $3.5 million in the bank, let's just leave it there."(JournalNow)(7-14-97)
Winston Cup Scene reports in its 7/10 edition that plans to stage a combination Busch Series/Craftsman Truck Series weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway next year have stalled for the present, at least(7-11-97)
Next season's Winston Cup schedule could have a different look. NASCAR officials remain mum over reports that a race will be added at the new Las Vegas track, and that both the Texas and California speedways that got races in 1997 will have a second event next season. The only thing NASCAR will say is that the schedule, which was announced earlier than usual last year to help teams and fans make travel plans for 1997, is likely to be out even earlier -- possibly as early as August -- this year. Published reports say a Las Vegas race would be run in the spring, probably replacing the Richmond race at the beginning of March. The Richmond event would move to May. Texas Motor Speedway would again have a race in April and another in November, either just before or just after Atlanta, the season-ending event in recent years. California, which had its inaugural Winston Cup event last month, would move that race back to the first weekend of May and have a second race in October. The new track in Homestead, Fla., currently being reconfigured into a pure oval to curry favor with NASCAR, would likely get an early spring or late winter date in the near future. NASCAR signs only one-year sanctioning agreements with each of its tracks, and officials said the negotiations for next season have just begun(AP 7-10-97)
On RPM2Nite it was stated that Las Vegas and California(it's second) would probably get race dates. Benny Parson's mentioned that if this happen and it becomes a 34 race season they should not allow any teams to test during the season so the crews could handle the workload. This would also take away that 2(or 3) car team testing advantage(7-7-97)
News from Wisconsin indicates that Madison International Speedway will be trying to get a BGN series event for 1998. Madison is a 1/2 mile track banked like Nashville(6-30-97)
The 1998 NASCAR WC Schedule is becoming much clearer, and it could be released, unofficially at least, within the next few weeks. What might it look like? NASCAR would like to package the Sonoma and Fontana races back-to-back, if possible, probably in May or June. Car owner Chuck Rider says crews could stay out there between races. There is also talk about using California Speedway as a West Coast shop-center. Las Vegas now appears set for a March date. A second Cup race at Fontana seems almost certain for the fall, probably in October. And a second Cup date now appears set for Texas Motor Speedway, possibly in early November. Another possibility would be to cut Bristol and Martinsville back to one-day shows, instead of three-day. Those tracks are within easy driving distance of the teams' North Carolina homes(most teams)(6-26-97)
Bristol's Jeff Byrd says that his plans for a charity Busch race at North Wilkesboro Speedway next season are moving right along. "We're making an honest effort to put a race on at North Wilkesboro next year. It is not dead. It is not a publicity scheme. It just takes a long time to get one of these things started," Byrd said. "But I'm cautiously optimistic we can get this thing done." When Bob Bahre made the comments the other day, he didn't know how along they are on the race proposal. They have asked NASCAR's Mike Helton for a Busch race. NASCAR says the Busch schedule is pretty crowded in this market and that maybe a truck race would be a better idea(JournalNow)(6-12-97)
More JournalNow news: Bob Bahre, who owns NHIS and half of North Wilkesboro Speedway, says he has heard no more from Bruton Smith or Humpy Wheeler about their proposed charity BGN race at North Wilkesboro. So he says he's writing it off as a publicity stunt(6-10-97)
Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre have both agreed to ask NASCAR for a Busch Grand National tour date for North Wilkesboro Speedway for 1998, and NASCAR's Mike Helton says he'll consider the request.(5-18-97)
Another track? I hear the Staten Island Advance (newspaper) has run many stories that several developers have promoted building an auto race track at an area of a closed US Navy base there(5-3-97)
International Motor Sports Group Inc. (IMSG) will operate Toronto's Mosport Park for at least the next 40 years. The agreement, signed recently, gives IMSG exclusive rights to all events that take place at Mosport Park. So this puts to bed the Bruton Smith rumor at this track(5-2-97)
Per RPM2Nite on 2-25-97, All the Winston Cup fields will have up to 42 cars(43 with the champions prov), including Richmond and Bristol. That should make for a crowded field(2-25-97)
SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR 1997
Per a story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 3-2-97, there might be some shuffling in the WC schedule next year as Richmond wants a May or June race because of the weather problems that have plagued them for years(3-2-97)
Texas Motor Speedway gets race date: 4/6/97
New Hampshire gets second race in Fall, scheduled date: 9/14/97
North Wilksboro lost both WC races and closed up
California Speedway, owned by Roger Penske, gets race date: 6/22/97
Bristol(1st race) Spring race moves ahead 2 weeks (4-13-96)
Dover(2nd), Martinsville(2nd), Rockingham(2nd), Phoenix, Atlanta(2nd) move ahead one week. Pocono(1st) and Michigan(1st) move back one week.
Second Talladega race moves to October 12, 1997(excellent move!)
