East Series announces 2009 schedule

NASCAR Camping World Series East 2009 Schedule Announced

*Season Will Open April 11 At Greenville-Pickens
*12 Dates Cover 11 Tracks In Nine States
*Third-Annual Combination Event With NCWS West At Iowa In May

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 24, 2008) -- NASCAR announced today the schedule for the 23rd season of the NASCAR Camping World Series East, which will take the series to some of the top short-tracks on the East Coast.

The schedule features 12 dates at 11 different tracks across nine states.

"The 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East calendar continues to feature key markets and top racetracks throughout the eastern United States," said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. "The championship represents a challenging mixture of short tracks, road courses, speedways and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series companion events."

The NASCAR Camping World Series East will make its first appearance at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., on Saturday, April, 25. The .400-mile oval joined the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series last year.

For the fourth year in a row the NASCAR Camping World Series East season will open at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C. on Saturday, April 11. Rookie drivers have taken home the wins at the half-mile oval the last two seasons -- Austin Dillon in 2008 and Joey Logano in 2007.

The NASCAR Camping World Series East will close out the 2009 schedule at Dover International Speedway on Friday, Sept. 25 during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at the "Monster Mile." Matt Kobyluck clinched his first NASCAR Camping World Series East title at Dover in 2008.

The schedule will once again be highlighted by the annual combination event between NASCAR's top developmental series -- the NASCAR Camping World Series East and West -- at Iowa Speedway on May, 17. The race attracted NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne in its first two editions, but was won by a NASCAR Camping World Series regular each year -- Brian Ickler (2008) and Logano (2007).

A fixture on the NASCAR Camping World Series East schedule since the Loudon, N.H. track opened in 1990, New Hampshire Motor Speedway will once again be the site for a pair of races on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends. New England native Eddie MacDonald swept both NHMS races in 2008. The 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East race dates are Friday, June 26 and Friday, Sept. 18.

Other 2009 highlights include:

* The series returns to historic South Boston (Va.) Speedway for the third consecutive year with a Saturday, May 30 date. Kobyluck won the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Series East event at the .400 oval in 2007 and Brian Ickler is the defending race winner.

* The series will return to the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for the 14th time on Saturday, June 6. There have been 10 different winners in 13 all-time races at 2.45-mile road course. The event will be part of a weekend of racing that includes the Grand-Am Rolex Sport Car Series.

* Saturday, July 11 will see the NASCAR Camping World Series East return to Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway for the 26th time in series history. Trevor Bayne earned his first career victory at the .625-mile oval in 2008.

* Music City Motorplex in Nashville, Tenn., will welcome back the NASCAR Camping World Series East for the third year in a row on Saturday, July 18. Kobyluck took home the guitar trophy in 2008 with his win on the .625-mile oval.

* Adirondack International Speedway in Beaver Falls, N.Y., will play host to the NASCAR Camping World Series East for the eighth year in a row on Saturday, Aug. 1. Kobyluck has won three of the seven previous races at the half-mile oval, including last year.

* The second road course race of the year will take place at Lime Rock Park on Saturday, Aug. 15 in Lakeville, Conn. Kobyluck, who swept both road course events in 2008, is the defending race winner at Lime Rock, a 1.53-mile course which has held 16 NASCAR Camping World Series East races since 1993.

-credit: nascar