NASCAR back for two at California Speedway

Empty seats or not, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will make two stops at California Speedway in 2008.
NASCAR announced that the Sprint Cup Series, what will be the name of the top-tier stock car racing series in NASCAR next year, will race at California Speedway on Feb. 22-24 and Aug. 29-31.
The Feb. 24 race will be the second of the season, immediately following the Daytona 500. The Aug. 31 race will be the traditional Labor Day race and 25th of the season. The first 26 races make up the regular season of the Sprint Cup Series. The final 10 races are the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The two California Speedway races will also be the first for NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow at the track. The new car has been racing at smaller tracks and road courses all year and will race at every track in 2008.
“When NASCAR returns in 2008, the series will have a new name and a new car, but those changes are just the tip of the iceberg for fans coming to California Speedway,” said speedway president Gillian Zucker. “We’ll be making more and more improvements to the facility to provide our loyal fans with the best motorsports experience anywhere.”
The track is making a number of renovations. Escalators will be installed at three locations at the track. Expanded misting areas will provide more relief from the heat, particularly for the Labor Day races. New high-definition LCD monitors are also being installed throughout the track.
The new escalators are expected to be completed before the Labor Day races next year. They will provide access from the ground level to the concourse areas adjacent to gates in sections 11-21, 50-60 and 71-81.
The expanded misting areas are also expected to be completed by the Labor Day races. The track plans to install twice as many misters as are currently in place.
Another feature that fans will be sure to notice will be a completely overhauled scoreboard. The track’s current scoreboard will be fitted with new panels featuring the latest Daktronics LED technology. This enhancement is expected to be completed by February.
Over 500 televisions throughout the facility will be replaced with high-definition LCD monitors. Additional improvements will be announced throughout the coming year.