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.
