California Speedway is situated several miles East of Hollywood, Calif., but there is definitely a "Hollywood" feel both times the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series arrives in town for races at the two-mile track each season. This weekend when the series prepares for the Auto Club 500 most of Hollywood will be preparing for the 79th Academy Awards which take place Sunday night. Despite the all important night, a number of stars make plans to shine at California Speedway.
Academy Award winner Kevin Costner will be on hand to take in the racing action and serve as the Grand Marshal for Sunday's Auto Club 500, while legendary rocker Sammy Hagar will return home to Fontana, Calif., to serve as the Grand Marshal for the Stater Bros. 300 for the NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday. Costner will perform a live concert with "The Kevin Costner Band" on the Fan Zone stage during pre-race activities before assuming Grand Marshal duties during driver introductions. Having a celebrity such as Costner has been a coup for NASCAR and the speedway, says Gillian Zucker, president of California Speedway.
"Having an academy award winner like Kevin Costner as the Grand Marshal solidifies California Speedway's position as the NASCAR playground for Hollywood and continues to demonstrate how popular NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing has become," Zucker said on the speedway's Web site.
A variety of activities are scheduled for the days leading up to the weekend's main event, with everything kicking off at the third annual "Fontana Racefest" on February 22, where more than 20 NASCAR drivers will be on hand for the free-to-the-public event. The festival will feature driver autograph sessions, musical entertainment, a live auction and fun for the kids with live interactive displays, inflatable obstacle courses and a stockcar slide.
The racing action kicks into gear on Friday afternoon with the qualifying session for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The qualifying session will be followed with Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Trucker Series race, the San Bernadino County 300. Competition continues Saturday afternoon when the NASCAR Busch Series takes to the track for the annual Stater Bros. 300.
The weekend will conclude with the Auto Club 500. Fans interested in attending any of the activities are still able to purchase tickets by contacting the track's ticket office.
Qualifying Record: Kyle Busch, (188.245 mph and 38.248 seconds), February 26, 2006
Race Record: Greg Biffle, (3 hours, 34 minutes, 45 seconds/139.697 mph), February 27, 2005
2006 Winner: Kasey Kahne
Total Purse: $6,065,926
