Events: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series SONY HD 500
Sunday, September 4th, 250 Laps (500 Miles),
Posted Awards - $5,820,067; First Place - $224,765
NASCAR Busch Series AMERIQUEST 300
Saturday, September 3rd, 150 Laps (300 Miles)
Posted Awards - $1,493,210; First Place - $91,635
NASCAR West Series RELOCATE HERE 200 presented by the County of San Bernardino
Friday, September 2nd, 100 Laps (200 Miles)
Posted Awards - $229,295; First Place - $13,000
Location: Fontana, California
Track: Two-mile D-Shaped Oval; 75-feet wide with a 15-foot apron
Front Stretch: 3,100 feet
Back Stretch: 2,500 feet
Banking: 14 degree of banking in the turns; 11 degree of banking in the tri-oval; three degree of banking down the back stretch
Pit Road: 2,200 feet long with 44 individual pit areas
Garages: Three garages with 100 spaces
Grandstands: 92,000
Infield RVs: Approximately 1,800 Infield RV spaces;
Tickets: Sunday, September 4th - $105 and $65
Saturday, September 3rd - $50 and $40
Friday, September 2nd - $20, children 12 & under free
NASCAR WEEKEND RACE FACTS
Event: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series SONY HD 500
When: Sunday, September 4th, 5:10 p.m. (PT)
Television: NBC-Live, 4:00 p.m. (PT), Local - KNBC Ch. 4,
Also broadcast in High Definition on KNBC-HD
TV Announcers: Bill Weber (Play by Play)
Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach (Analysts)
Allen Bestwick, Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Matt Yocum (Pit Reporters)
Radio: MRN Radio Network 4:15 p.m. (PT), Local - KMPC 1540 AM , KTDD 1350 AM
XM Radio Ch. 144
Radio Announcers: Joe Moore, Adam Alexander (Booth Announcers)
Dave Moody, Dan Hubbard (Turn Announcers)
Steve Post, Danielle Frye, Alex Hayden (Pit Reporters)
Defending Pole Sitter: Brian Vickers
Record: Brian Vickers, 38.417 Sec. (187.417 mph), September 5, 2004
Defending Race Winner: Elliott Sadler, No. 38 M&M's Ford, 250 Laps - 500 miles
Record: Elliott Sadler, 3 Hrs. 53 Min. 47 Sec. (128.324 mph), September 5, 2004
Event: NASCAR Busch Series Ameriquest 300
When: Saturday, September 3rd, 5:35 p.m. (PT)
Television: NBC-Live 5:00 p.m. (PT), Local - KNBC Ch. 4
TV Announcers: Bill Weber (Play by Play)
Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach (Analysts)
Allen Bestwick, Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Matt Yocum (Pit Reporters)
Radio: MRN Radio Network 5:00 p.m. (PT), Local - KMPC 1540 AM , KTDD 1350 AM
XM Radio Ch. 144
Radio Announcers: Joe Moore, Adam Alexander (Booth Announcers)
Dave Moody, Dan Hubbard (Turn Announcers)
Steve Post, Danielle Frye, Alex Hayden (Pit Reporters)
Defending Pole Sitter: Casey Mears
Record: Casey Mears, 39.368 Sec. (182.890 mph), September 4, 2004
Defending Race Winner: Greg Biffle, No. 60 Charter Ford, 150 Laps - 300 Miles
Record: Greg Biffle, 2 Hrs. 1 Min. 46 Sec. (147.819 mph), September 4, 2004
Event: NASCAR West Series RELOCATE HERE 200 presented by the County of San Bernardino
When: Friday, September 2nd, 8:00 p.m. (PT)
Television: HDNet-Live; SPEED-Enhanced Replay, October 7, 10:00 a.m. (PT), check your local cable listings
Defending Pole Sitter: Clint Bowyer
Record: Mark Reed, 39.649 Sec. (181.593 mph), April 26, 2001
Defending Race Winner: Ken Schrader, No. 99 Pontiac, 100 Laps - 200 miles
Record: Brendan Gaughan, 1 Hr. 18 Min. 47 Sec. (152.316 mph), April 28, 2001
MRN Radio California Affiliates - KMPC 1540 AM, Santa Monica; KDFO 800 AM, Bakersfield; KMJ 580 AM, Fresno; KESP 970 AM, Modesto; KTCT 1050 AM, San Francisco; KTDD 1350 AM, Riverside; KTPI 1340 AM, Lancaster; Armed Forces Radio Network, March AFB
International Broadcast - The Sony HD 500 will be broadcast to over 115 countries and in 23 different languages. Both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series races will be broadcast live to air in some of the countries, while others air it at a later time or use NASCAR's highlight program of the event only. The Sony HD 500 will be covered in all 115 countries in one form or another. In fact, NASCAR has over 30 international broadcast partners and will broadcast over 4,000 hours of worldwide programming in 2005.
Twice as Nice in California - The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and Busch Series will be running together for the ninth time at California Speedway. This is the second time the NASCAR Busch Series has visited the state of California for competition twice in one year. With the exception of last year, the last time the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competed two times in one year at the same track in California was in 1987, when they competed at Riverside International Raceway. Rusty Wallace, who will be making his final California Speedway start on September 4, won the November event and then came back to win the track's final event in 1988. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series has enjoyed 21 years of racing at three venues in the same year in California, dating back to the inaugural NASCAR race in California in 1951 at Carrell Speedway (Gardena) followed by Oakland Stadium, Riverside International Raceway and California Speedway makes four.
Threes a Crowd Pleaser - The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and Busch Series will be joined by the Grand National West Series on Labor Day weekend at California Speedway. This is the sixth time the three series have competed on the same weekend at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval. The SONY HD 500 and the Busch Series 300 will mark the eleventh NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series events, respectively, at the speedway, while the Relocate Here 200 is the tenth event.
SONY HD 500 Past Winners and Pole Sitters: Last year, Elliott Sadler took home his first win at California Speedway for the Inaugural Labor Day weekend race. He also set a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series California Speedway record for the closest margin of victory of 0.263 seconds by nosing out Kasey Kahne for the win.
Here is a look at the pole winner and race winner from the Inaugural Labor Day race here:
DATE RACE POLE WINNER
Sept. 05, 2004 POP SECRET 500 Brian Vickers (187.417) Elliott Sadler (128.324)
The Top 5: Here is a look at the top five finishers for last year's race:
2004: Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman
California Speedway NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Past Winners: With ten NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races there has been only one multiple winner, Jeff Gordon. Here is a look at past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup California Speedway pole sitters and race winners for the spring event:
DATE RACE POLE WINNER
June 22, 1997 California 500 pres. by NAPA Joe Nemecheck (183.015) Jeff Gordon (155.012)
May 03, 1998 California 500 pres. by NAPA Jeff Gordon (181.772) Mark Martin (140.220)
May 02, 1999 California 500 pres. by NAPA Jeff Burton (rain- points) Jeff Gordon (150.276)
April 30, 2000 NAPA Auto Parts 500 Mike Skinner (186.061) J. Mayfield (149.578)
April 29, 2001 NAPA Auto Parts 500 Bobby Labonte (182.634) R. Wallace (143.118)
April 28, 2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 Ryan Newman (187.432) J. Johnson (150.088)
April 27, 2003 Auto Club 500 Steve Park (186.838) Kurt Busch (140.111)
May 02, 2004 Auto Club 500 Kasey Kahne (186.940) Jeff Gordon (137.268)
Feb. 27, 2005 Auto Club 500 Kyle Busch (188.245) Greg Biffle (139.697)
Ameriquest 300 Past Champions and Pole Sitters: Greg Biffle dominated the Target House 300 on Labor Day weekend leading 72 laps and making a sweep at California Speedway in 2004 after a pitstop strategy to conserve fuel in February put him into the lead and ultimately gave him the race win. The following results shows the pole and race winner for the Busch Series Fall event here:
DATE RACE POLE WINNER
Sept. 04, 2004 Target House 300 Casey Mears (182.890) Greg Biffle (147.844)
The Top 5: Here is a look at the top five finishers for last year's race:
2004: Greg Biffle, Casey Mears, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray
California Speedway NASCAR Busch Series Past Winners: In all ten NASCAR Busch Series races at California Speedway, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle have been the only multiple winners. Kenseth won back-to-back in 1999 and 2000 then earned his third win in 2003. Biffle swept the 2004 races. Here is a look at past California Speedway's spring race pole sitters and winners:
DATE RACE POLE WINNER
Oct. 19, 1997 Kenwood Home & Steve Park (175.157) Todd Bodine (145.083)
Car Audio 300
July 19, 1998 Kenwood Home & Robert Pressley (174.073) Earnhardt Jr. (148.576)
Car Audio 300
May 01, 1999 Auto Club 300 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (rain- points) Matt Kenseth (119.960)
April 29, 2000 Auto Club 300 Jeff Green (178.258) Matt Kenseth (126.375)
April 28, 2001 Auto Club 300 Bobby Hamilton Jr. (179.198) H. Parker Jr. (155.957)
May 27, 2002 Auto Club 300 Jack Sprague (rain- points) Scott Riggs (131.403)
April 26, 2003 CaliforniaSpeedway.com 300 Kevin Harvick (183.941) Matt Kenseth (129.419)
May 01, 2004 Starter Bros. 300 Jason Leffler (182.223) Greg Biffle (138.978)
Feb. 26, 2005 Starter Bros. 300 Tony Stewart (185.941) Mark Martin (117.251)
Relocate Here 200 presented by the County of San Bernardino Past Champions and Pole Sitters: The NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series returns to California Speedway for the tenth time. The Relocate Here 200 presented by the County of San Bernardino is slated to begin at 8:00 p.m. (PDT) on Friday, September 2nd, following the first NEXTEL Cup practice session of the weekend. Last year, Ken Schrader claimed his third West Series victory at California Speedway with a win by the closest margin of victory for the series at the Fontana oval, beating pole sitter Clint Bowyer by only 0.259 seconds. Steve Portenga pulled away from the field in 2003 to win by the largest margin of victory for the series at California Speedway, beating Ken Schrader to the checkered flag by 2.429 seconds. Eric Norris dominated the field in 2002, leading a record 83 laps en route to the win, even though the race was cut short to 91 laps due to inclement weather. Brendan Gaughan captured the 200-mile race in 2001, topping Jon Wood, in a race record 152.269 mph. Over the years, NEXTEL Cup regulars like Johnny Benson, who won the 2000 race, and Ken Schrader, who won in 1997 and 1998, have dominated this race. Ricky Craven won in 1999. Kevin Harvick, who cut his teeth on the West Coast tracks, won the July 1998 race here. Here is a look at the pole winners and race winners of the NASCAR Grand national Division, West Series at the speedway:
DATE RACE POLE WINNER
June 21, 1997 Auto Club 200 David Green (179.250) Ken Schrader (110.311)
May 2, 1998 Auto Club 200 Ken Schrader (179.623) Ken Schrader (138.621)
July 18, 1998 California 200 Kevin Harvick (173.779) Kevin Harvick (138.621)
May 1, 1999 California 200 Austin Cameron (180.664) Ricky Craven (113.593)
April 29, 2000 Pontiac WideTrack Ken Schrader (180.424) Johnny Benson (116.845)
Grand Prix 200
April 28, 2001 Pontiac WideTrack Mark Reed (*181.593) B. Gaughan (*152.316) Grand Prix 200
April 27, 2002 Pontiac WideTrack Eric Norris (181.333) Eric Norris (135.708)
Grand Prix 200
April 26, 2003 Pontiac WideTrack Johnny Borneman (173.544) Steve Portenga (140.074)
May 1, 2004 King Taco 200 Clint Bowyer (173.339) Ken Schrader (122.595)
* indicates record
More Television: SPEED has expanded it's coverage for 2005, here's a look at all NASCAR related programming centered around the SONY HD 500 race weekend:
DATE SHOW CHNL TIME (PT)
Thurs., Sept. 1 2004 Nextel Cup Revisited SPEED 9:00 a.m.
Fri., Sept. 2 NASCAR Live! SPEED 1:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 2 Trackside (Live) SPEED 4:00 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 2 Trackside (Replay) SPEED 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 3 Trackside (Replay) SPEED 8:00 a.m.
Sat. Sept. 3 NASCAR Nextel Cup Final Practice (Taped) SPEED 11:00 a.m.
Sat., Sept. 3 NASCAR Busch Qualifying SPEED 12:00 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 3 NASCAR Live! SPEED 1:30 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 3 NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying SPEED 2:00 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 4 NASCAR This Morning SPEED 8:00 a.m.
Sun., Sept. 4 NASCAR Victory Lane (Live) SPEED 9:00 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 4 NASCAR Victory Lane (Replay) SPEED 11:00 p.m.
Mon., Sept. 5 NASCAR Victory Lane (Replay) SPEED 6:00 a.m.
Mon., Sept. 5 NASCAR Victory Lane (Replay) SPEED 3:00 p.m.
Mon., Sept. 5 Inside Nextel Cup SPEED 5:00 p.m.
Mon., Sept. 5 Inside Nextel Cup (Replay) SPEED 8:00 p.m.
Mon., Sept. 5 Inside Nextel Cup (Replay) SPEED 11:00 p.m.
