NASCAR Adjusts Dover Race Weekend Schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2003) – The expected path of Hurricane Isabel for the Mid-Atlantic area later this week has prompted NASCAR to adjust its race schedule for this weekend’s events at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. The start times for the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Winston Cup Series races will remain as scheduled – 1 p.m. ET Saturday (NASCAR Busch Series) and 1 p.m. ET Sunday (NASCAR Winston Cup) – but several changes have been made in an effort to accommodate local, county and state agencies involved in preparations for Hurricane Isabel. All racing activity for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch North Series on Thursday and Friday has been cancelled. Cancellations include the Bud Pole qualifying sessions for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series, plus the NASCAR Busch North Series race. The Busch North Series race will not be rescheduled. The 43-car fields for the NASCAR Winston Cup and NASCAR Busch Series races will be set by owner championship points as per the rule book for each series. “After listening to the latest forecast regarding projected weather conditions in Delaware and discussing contingency plans with state officials as well as officials at Dover, we felt it best to cancel on-track activities set for Thursday and Friday,” NASCAR President Mike Helton said. “Obviously, these schedule adjustments are based on current weather predictions. We will continue to monitor the situation and hopefully no further adjustments will be necessary.” The revised schedule for Saturday begins with both garages opening at 7 a.m. The NASCAR Busch Series will conduct a one-hour practice beginning at 8 a.m., and will be followed by a 1 hour, 15-minute NASCAR Winston Cup practice beginning at 11:15 a.m. The Stacker 200 Presented by YJ Stinger, which will be televised live on TNT, will follow at 1 p.m. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series will conduct a final one-hour practice approximately 30 minutes after the NASCAR Busch Series race. Sunday’s schedule remains intact and culminates with the 1 p.m. start of the MBNA America 400, which will be televised live on NBC.