New look for weekly series'

NASCAR Short Track Competition Includes 67 tracks in 29 U.S. States and Canada

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 14, 2004) -- The 2004 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series will be contested at 67 of North America's best short track facilities, with thousands of hometown drivers competing for short track racing's most prestigious prize -- the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship. In keeping with the series' time-honored format, NASCAR has divided the tracks into eight geographic regions to set the stage for the 2004 racing season.

Veteran series observers will notice a new look to the lineup, which, for the first time, includes two race tracks in Canada -- Delaware Speedway in Ontario and Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec -- along with the return of Nashville's Music City Motorplex and California's Shasta Raceway Park -- two longtime NASCAR tracks which re-joined to the series after a hiatus from NASCAR racing. In addition, NASCAR has changed the former Southeastern Coastal Region to form an all-new East Coast Region, which includes tracks along the coastlines of New Jersey, New York, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

"These facilities represent the very best speedways in short track racing," said Chris Boals, director of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. "There are more than 900 weekly short tracks operating in the United States and Canada today and only a select group of those tracks -- less than 10 percent of the total tracks -- are able to join this series. 'Flying the NASCAR banner' is a prestigious accomplishment for these tracks and their communities. We're proud to be associated with the tracks, teams, fans and sponsors throughout the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series."

In order to establish a fair and balanced competition for the series' championships, NASCAR divides the tracks into eight regions based on geography and other factors. Drivers at each track compete against the drivers in their region for a regional championship -- worth up to $45,000 in post-season prize money to the winner. NASCAR uses its Competition Performance Index (CPI) formula to rank drivers in each region on a weekly basis and determine the regional winners. At the end of the season (which concludes Sept. 19), the racing records of the eight regional champions are compared to determine an overall series champion. The overall NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series champion receives a bonus award of up to $125,000, bringing the total championship prize to $170,000.

The 2004 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series regional track alignment is as follows:

Atlantic Region:
Ace Speedway -- Altamahaw, N.C.
Big Daddy's South Boston Speedway -- South Boston, Va.
Bowman Gray Stadium -- Winston-Salem, N.C.
Caraway Speedway -- Asheboro, N.C.
Concord Motorsport Park -- Concord, N.C.
Greenville-Pickens Speedway -- Greenville, S.C.
Hickory Motor Speedway -- Hickory, N.C.
Lonesome Pine Raceway -- Coeburn, Va.
Motor Mile Speedway -- Radford, Va.

East Coast Region:
Jax Raceways -- Jacksonville, Fla.
Langley Speedway -- Hampton, Va.
Myrtle Beach Speedway -- Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Oglethorpe Speedway Park -- Savannah, Ga.
Old Dominion Speedway -- Manassas, Va.
Riverhead Raceway -- Riverhead, N.Y.
Southampton Motor Speedway -- Capron, Va.
Wall Township Speedway -- Wall Township, N.J.

Heartland Region:
Columbus Speedway -- Columbus, Ohio
Delaware Speedway -- Delaware, Ontario, Canada
Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway -- Dubuque, Iowa
Kalamazoo Speedway -- Kalamazoo, Mich.
Kil-Kare Speedway -- Xenia, Ohio
Lorain Speedway -- South Amherst, Ohio
Peoria Speedway -- Peoria, Ill.
Rockford Speedway -- Rockford, Ill.*

*Please note: Rockford Speedway features two nights of NASCAR-sanctioned racing, on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Midwest Region:
Adams County Speedway -- Corning, Iowa
Elko Speedway -- Elko, Minn.
Farley Speedway -- Farley, Iowa
LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway -- LaCrosse, Wis.
Lakeside Speedway -- Kansas City, Kan.
Nebraska Raceway Park -- Greenwood, Neb.
Park Jefferson Speedway -- Jefferson, S.D.
Raceway Park -- Shakopee, Minn.

New England Region:
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway -- Scarborough, Maine
Claremont Speedway -- Claremont, N.H.
Grandview Speedway -- Bechtelsville, Pa.
Lee USA Speedway -- Lee, N.H.
Seekonk Speedway -- Seekonk, Mass.
Stafford Motor Speedway -- Stafford Springs, Conn.
Star Speedway -- Epping, N.H.
Thompson International Speedway -- Thompson, Conn.
Waterford Speedbowl -- Waterford, Conn.

Northeast Region:
Autodrome St. Eustache -- St. Eustache, Quebec, Canada
Big Diamond Raceway -- Minersville, Pa.
Chemung Speedrome -- Chemung, N.Y.
Holland International Speedway -- Holland, N.Y.
Jennerstown Speedway -- Jennerstown, Pa.
Lake Erie Speedway -- North East, Pa.
Monadnock Speedway -- Winchester, N.H.
Motordrome Speedway -- Smithton, Pa.
Spencer Speedway -- Williamson, N.Y.

Northwest Region:
Colorado National Speedway -- Erie, Colo.
Evergreen Speedway -- Monroe, Wash.
Madera Speedway -- Madera, Calif.
Magic Valley Speedway -- Twin Falls, Idaho
Rocky Mountain Raceways -- West Valley City, Utah
Shasta Raceway Park -- Anderson, Calif.
Stockton 99 Speedway -- Stockton, Calif.
Watsonville Speedway -- Watsonville, Calif.

Sunbelt Region:
Cajon Speedway -- El Cajon, Calif.
Irwindale Speedway -- Irwindale, Calif.
Lanier National Speedway -- Braselton, Ga.
Mesa Marin Raceway -- Bakersfield, Calif.
Music City Motorplex -- Nashville, Tenn.
San Antonio Speedway -- San Antonio, Tex.
The Bullring at Las Vegas -- Las Vegas, Nev.
Tucson Raceway Park -- Tucson, Ariz.

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