West Cars Will Hit the Road in Fontana!!

BS Ranch Perspective:

I guess the adding of Toyota tot he Nascar Nextel Cup is a good change, However It will show either that the Japanese have a better understanding of Engineering when it comes to engine design and how to make a engine go faster and faster, following the guidelines of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Rules and regulations!

The addition of a Road Race back in California besides Sears Point!! is most exciting news, I would rather watch the cars turn right every now and again and not just slight right to pass an apponent!! This along with the Addition of Toyota to the race feild is really exciting news, I just hope that they also keep the oval here in California too, this brings so much Revenue to the city and the county, it is a great Family Function. We love the races!!

But most of all, If you ask me Change is always scary but a necessary thing, and sometimes it is a great thing, we will see what will happen next year when the cars warm up here in Fontana and many other cities across this Great Country of Ours! God Bless America and God Bless You!!

BS Ranch

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West cars will hit the road in Fontana

Louis Brewster, Staff Writer

Article Launched:11/15/2006 12:14:06 AM PST

FONTANA - Auto road racing, absent the past year, will return to California Speedway next year as part of the reconfigured NASCAR Grand National West Series.

The series, which has competed on the track's fast two-mile oval since the opening in 1997, will debut Aug. 11 as part of a yet unannounced doubleheader.

Last used by the Grand American Road Racing Association in 2005, the road course is a 2.8-mile, 21-turn course that utilizes the frontstretch and turn one of the oval.

Track president Gillian Zucker said the speedway "is very close to announcing a partner." Although she did not specifically mention the other series, she said it would be one "that would be exciting for Southern California race fans."

According to a NASCAR press release, the event will be held in conjunction with the Ferrari Challenge.

In past years, the West Series race was part of the NASCAR weekend that included Nextel Cup and Busch Series races. The most recent West race, sponsored by San Bernardino County, was a Friday night race in support of the Nextel Cup Sony HD 500.

Thanks to a daring three-wide pass, Mike Duncan won the Relocate Here 200 in September. However, the 100-lap race took more than two

hours to complete and was slowed considerably by seven cautions periods for 33 laps, both race records, and one red flag period.

That was enough to warrant a change from the oval to the road course.

"We've been working on it," Zucker said. "From the point of view of the number of cautions, it was not an enjoyable competition to watch. However, we wanted to give the series an opportunity to compete.

"There seemed to be some questions about whether it was in the best interest of the series to compete on the oval."

The switch to the road course will appease both sides.

"They will get the opportunity to compete on the road course at a world-class facility," Zucker said. "This will give fans an opportunity to see the drivers show off their skills."

The newly-structured Grand National will include the Busch East Series and the West Series and each division will have 13 races for developmental drivers, with the top drivers invited to the annual Toyota Showdown.