The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Penske Motorsports 1999 Schedule Features New Races

27 October 1998

Penske Motorsports 1999 Schedule Features New Races, NASCAR Craftsman Trucks At Michigan and NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Together at California Speedway
    DETROIT, Oct. 27 -- A NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at
Michigan Speedway in July, a combination NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch weekend
at California Speedway in May, and USAC Silver Crown's return to Nazareth
Speedway highlight the 1999 Penske Motorsports, Inc. (PMI)
schedule, according to PMI President Greg Penske.
    "We're very excited about our enhanced schedule and the new opportunities
it creates," said Penske.  "We look forward to hosting over one million guests
next year at our speedways.  Our 1999 schedule brings the very best in
motorsports to a national audience.  Bringing world class motorsports
entertainment to our facilities, which are located near some of the country's
largest markets, further demonstrates the growth of our company."
    Michigan Speedway will host its first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race
as part of the U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota weekend July 23-25.  The NASCAR
trucks and the open-wheel champ cars of the CART FedEx Championship Series
also will be together in late October at California Speedway for the Marlboro
500 Presented by Toyota weekend.  California Speedway and Michigan Speedway
are the only two-mile superspeedways where NASCAR trucks compete.
    California Speedway will host a NASCAR tripleheader weekend -- the Winston
Cup, Busch and Winston West series -- on April 29-May 2 for the California 500
Presented by NAPA.  It will be the first time that Winston Cup and the Busch
Series have visited the track on the same weekend.
    Also new to the PMI schedule in 1999 is the running of the USAC Silver
Crown Series (to be named the Coors Light Silver Bullet Series in 1999) along
with the NASCAR trucks at Nazareth Speedway on July 16-18.  The Silver Crown
Series, USAC's elite series, will compete at Nazareth for the first time since
1983.  Gary Bettenhausen won a 100-mile race in March of 1983 on the dirt
track of the old Nazareth National Speedway, and Jimmy Horton a 50-mile race
in July.  PMI purchased the track in 1986 and began an extensive renovation
project, which included paving the one-mile oval.
    "We think we have put together an exciting and diverse combination of
races, giving race fans a variety of the top motorsports series in the
country," Penske said.  "We're offering some unique combination events in 1999
which race fans won't find anyplace else."
    The 1999 PMI race schedule begins February 20-21 with the NASCAR Winston
Cup and Busch Series races at North Carolina Speedway and concludes Nov. 14
with the inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup race at the Miami-Dade Homestead
Motorsports Complex.  PMI owns and operates California Speedway, Michigan
Speedway, Nazareth Speedway, North Carolina Speedway and holds a 45-percent
interest in the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex.  The South Florida
motorsports facility kicks off the 1999 FedEx Championship Series on March 21.
The NASCAR trucks will run in conjunction with the champ cars on March 20.
    In all, there are 31 races slated for the 1999 PMI schedule covering 11
weekends, highlighted by six NASCAR Winston Cup, six NASCAR Busch Series, four
CART FedEx Championship Series and four NASCAR Truck Series races.
    Penske Matorsports, Inc. (PMI) is a leading promoter and marketer of
professional motorsports in the United States.  PMI owns and operates the
following facilities through its wholly owned subsidiaries: Michigan Speedway
in Brooklyn, Michigan; Nazareth Speedway in Nazareth, Pennsylvania; California
Speedway in San Bernardino County, California; and North Carolina Speedway
near Rockingham, North Carolina.  PMI also holds a 45% interest in Homestead-
Miami Speedway, LLC, near Miami, Florida.  In addition, PMI produces and
markets motorsports-related merchandise and accessories such as apparel,
souvenirs and collectibles through its subsidiary, Motorsports International
Corp.; and a subsidiary of PMI distributes and sells Goodyear brand racing
tires in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States.
    Penske Motorsports' major shareholder is a majority-owned subsidiary of
Penske Corporation, a closely-held, diversified transportation services
company which conducts its business through a number of wholly or
partially-owned companies, including Penske Truck Leasing Company, Detroit
Diesel Corporation, Diesel Technology Company, Penske Automotive Group, Inc.,
Penske Auto Centers, Inc., and Penske Capital Partners.  The Penske group of
businesses has annual revenues exceeding $6 billion and employs more than
28,000 around the world.

                  Penske Motorsports Tentative 1999 Schedule

    DATE           EVENT                          SPEEDWAY

    February 20    NASCAR Busch Series            North Carolina
    February 2l    NASCAR Winston Cup             North Carolina
    March 20       NASCAR Craftsman Truck         Miami-Homestead+
    March 21       PPG Dayton Indy Lights         Miami-Homestead+
    March 21       CART FedEx Series              Miami-Homestead+
    May 1          NASCAR Winston West            California
    May 1          NASCAR Busch Series            California
    May 1          KOOL/Toyota Atlantic           Nazareth
    May 2          NASCAR Winston Cup             California
    May 2          PPG-Dayton Indy Lights         Nazareth
    May 2          CART FedEx Series              Nazareth
    May 23         NASCAR Busch Series            Nazareth
    May 23         NASCAR Modified Tour           Nazareth
    June 12        IROC                           Michigan
    June 12        ARCA                           Michigan
    June 13        NASCAR Winston Cup             Michigan
    July 17        USAC Silver Bullet             Nazareth
    July 18        NASCAR Busch-North             Nazareth
    July 18        NASCAR Craftsman Truck         Nazareth
    July 24        NASCAR Craftsman Truck         Michigan
    July 25        PPG-Dayton Indy Lights         Michigan
    July 25        CART FedEx Series              Michigan
    August 21      NASCAR Busch Series            Michigan
    August 22      NASCAR Winston Cup             Michigan
    October 23     NASCAR Busch Series            North Carolina
    October 24     NASCAR Winston Cup North       Carolina
    October 30     NASCAR Craftsman Truck         California
    October 31     PPG-Dayton Indy Lights         California
    October 31     CART FedEx Series              California
    November 13    NASCAR Busch Series            Miami-Homestead+
    November 14    NASCAR Winston Cup             Miami-Homestead+

    ** Race times and television/cable coverage will be added to the schedule
at a later date.  Other races could be added to the schedule.
    + PMI owns a 45-percent interest in Miami-Homestead Motorsports Complex