Initial Venues Set for 2000 World Challenge

GT AND TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIPS JOIN TRANS-AM AND ALMS ON FIVE VENUES

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Speedvision World Challenge GT and Touring Car Championships' initial five venues of its 2000 calendar have been set, all in conjunction with BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am/American Le Mans Series weekends. North America's most exciting production-based sprint-format series begin its 11th season April 1-2 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., the debut of the Speedvision GT and Touring Car to the circuit. The four additional ALMS weekends will be late-season events beginning September 2-3 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth/Dallas, Texas, the first World Challenge race at the new (1997) facility. The World Challenge Series last raced in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 1994 -- the series' fifth contest in Texas, including the Dallas Grand Prix (Dallas and Addison) and the Texas World Speedway in College Station. Following TMS will be a return to Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., for the Petit Le Mans weekend, September 30-October 1. The weekend marks the fifth (and second-consecutive) World Challenge race at Road Atlanta. Next up will be the second-straight run at Laguna Seca Raceway, in Monterey, Calif., October 14-15 -- the third visit to the famed circuit in World Challenge history. The fifth Trans-Am Series/ALMS weekend will also be a west coast venue, November 4-5 in San Diego, Calif., as part of the second running of the San Diego Grand Prix. "Building off a strong 1999 schedule, the 2000 Speedvision World Challenge calendar will be the strongest yet," said Mitch Wright, General Manager of the Speedvision World Challenge Championships. "We're always looking for high-profile events which will offer the best venues and exposure for our competitors, and joining forces with the success of the American Le Mans Series will continue this vision." All weekends will feature separate GT and Touring Car races. The remaining venues/dates on the planned 11-race 2000 Speedvision World Challenge calendar, including the season finale, will be released shortly.