The thousands of fans who attended the recently concluded Labor Day Weekend races at California Speedway and braved the heat were rewarded with some of the most exciting racing to ever take place at the Speedway.

In 2008, NASCAR fans can look forward to much more of the same, but with a few changes in store.

The premier NASCAR series, currently known as the NEXTEL Cup will be re-named as the NASCAR Sprint Cup beginning January 1, 2008. And that won't be the only change as the Car of Tomorrow (COT) will make its California Speedway debut at next year's Auto Club 500.

Originally scheduled to be fully integrated into the series in 2009, NASCAR officials, with the blessing of team owners, have moved that schedule up one full year and the COT will run at the 2.0-mile oval in Southern California in February, 2008.

The COT project is the result of nearly seven years or work at NASCAR's Research and Development Center. The new car was designed and engineered to increase driver safety and to improve competition and enable teams to be more cost-efficient.

Manufacturers' current COT models - the Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry - have a closer appearance to their production car namesakes than the former race car did.

NASCAR will make its West Coast Debut in February 2008 with the Auto Club 500. For more information about the race weekend at California Speedway, please visit www.californiaspeedway.com. To purchase tickets, call 800-944-RACE or log on to www.racetickets.com. Fans are encouraged to come early to races and take advantage of all the attractions in the Opportunity, California FanZone. Opportunity, California FanZone is a multi-million dollar facility enhancement including delicious food at Apex by Wolfgang Puck, the Speedway's official retail store called Impulse, amazing sounds of live bands at the entertainment stage, and shade and leisure areas.

California Speedway is owned by International Speedway Corporation, a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States, currently promoting more than 100 events annually. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.iscmotorsports.com.