speedway-tickets.com

NASCAR SPRINT 2009 RACING SCHEDULE Feb 7th Daytona International Speedway Feb 15th Daytona International Speedway Feb 22nd Auto Club Speedway March 1st Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 8th Atlanta Motor Speedway March 22nd Bristol Motor Speedway March 29th Martinsville Speedway April 5th Texas Motor Speedway April 18th Phoenix International Speedway April 26th Talledega Superspeedway May 2nd Richmond International Speedway May 9th Darlington Raceway May 16th Lowe's Motor Speedway May 24th Lowes Motor Sprrdway May 31st Dover International Speedway June 7th Pocono Speedway June 14th Michigan International Speedway June 21st Infineon Raceway June 28th New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 4th Daytona International Speedway July 11th Chicagoland Speedway July 26th Indianapolis Motor Speedway Aug 2nd Pocono Raceway Aug 9th Watkins Glen International Aug 16th Michigan International Speedway Aug 22nd Bristol Motor Speedway Sept 6th Atlanta Motor Speedway Sept 12th Richmond International Speedway Sept 20th New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sept 27th Dover International Speedway Oct 4th Kansas Speedway Oct 11th Auto Club Speedway Oct 17th Lowe's Motor Speedway Oct 25th Martinsville Speedway Nov 1st Talledega Superspeedway Nov 8th Texas Motor Speedway Nov 15th Phoenix International Raceway Nov 22nd Homestead- Miami Speedway Metro Pulse®-Chicago Sports September 2008 With expectations for both of our baseball teams at an all time high given their performances up to this point, an entrepreneur is inaugurating a fantasy camp that promises to bring us back to the good old days with some of the original athletes that brought us these memories of our youth. Along the way , you will learn some baseball skills and reignite your competitive juices, and share it with your kids if you wish. Keith Schuth, noted local sports photographer and owner of CAA Sports Marketing, has created The Crosstown Fantasy Camp (Crosstownfantasycamp.com). The purpose is to be able to play with the former greats from BOTH The Cubs and White Sox (details on site), and receive instruction on playing skills and experience real game action with them . The 7 day event runs from April 19th thru the 25th 2009 in Ft Myers Florida. In addition to escaping the Chicago scene for some real sun in April, the event has the added advantage of being located next to glorious amounts of shopping, to entertain your better half while you are learning to steal home if you are having problems convincing her about the event. There are autograph signing and picture opportunities with the greats and a great time is promised to all who attend. Mr. Schuth can be reached at 630 852 8114 at his office, or 630 926 5207 on his cell. There are a limited amount of spaces available, so don’t dawdle. You can also email him at Keith@crosstownfantasycamp.com. Tell him Metro Pulse sent you. The Blue Man group show at the Briar Street Theatre is teaming up with the Chicago Cubs to present a special offer. If you mention an ad in the Chicago Sun-Times and present a cubs ticket stub from this year at the box office when you buy tickets, you will receive a free cubs hat AND Blue Man group T- shirt . There are some restrictions that apply , and it is only good at the BOX OFFICE ONLY. Schedule is subject to change, but the ad gives no cutoff date, so call the box office at 773- 348- 4000 for clarification. Watch for ‘Dirty Dancing’, which is opening at the Cadillac Palace Theatre on Sept 28th, tickets on sale now at BroadwayinChicago.com. Ticket prices range from the premium seats for $147.50 if available down to $32.50 for the rear upper balconies. Orchestra seats scale from front to back at $92.50 to $64.50. As the September stretch run to the baseball playoffs begin, we in Chicago enter this final regular season phase with growing apprehension. It is bizarre enough that we ( The Cubs) are playing against a team (Tampa Blue Rays) that had a losing season last season but is vying for the best record in baseball with the Cubs, who have not won a World Series since 1908 or even appeared in one since 1945. Statistically, The Cubs have never looked better offensively as they stack up this season up to the beginning of Sept.. In an obvious nod to the rage that is the Cubs, superstation WGN is actually PREEMPTING 2 broadcasts of the heavily promoted premiere of the teen oriented remake of 90210 on Sept 2nd and Sept 16th, to allow for Cubs games played in Chicago to air locally at those times, delegating the 90210 broadcasts till after the abbreviated half an hour local news that directly follows the game. This means 10:30 PM or later for these shows to air. Remember , WGN promoted the blazes out of this premiere for months before this switch of airtimes.. Only in Chicago will this happen, the rest of the country will air the 90210 broadcast at the designated times as listed in their respective markets. Adding to the September chagrin and uneasiness is the fear of a collapse by both the Sox and Cubs, who BOTH have tough road schedules and division opponents in their final regular season games, not to mention the spectre of injuries. I can’t wait for October, one way or the other. The second half of the baseball season is waiting for records to fall. From Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves flirting with a .400 average for the first time in a long time, to Bobby Thigpen’s record of 57 saves in a season, set in 1990, to be broken by Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez. He had 34 saves at the All –Star break, at a pace to easily overtake the record. On the flip side , The Phillies Ryan Howard is on pace to break his own record of strikeouts in a season , which is 199. At the break, he had 117. And the Seattle Mariners may end up with the dubious distinction of being the first baseball team with a 100 million dollar plus payroll losing 100 games in a season, Currently, they have a payroll of 117 million and 52 losses. And the 40/40 club of homers and stolen bases may have 2 new entrants in Cleveland’s Grady Sizemore, who had 21 homers and 20 stolen bases at the break, and Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, who had 21 and 21 respectively. For the record, the only major leaguers who have accomplished this feat are Barry Bonds in 1996, Alex Rodriguez in 1998 and Alfonso Soriano in 2006.. In addition, baseball is waiting for the 250,000th home run to be hit. For those of you statistically inclined ,baseball-reference.com is a great source for this information. On a somber note for Cubs fans, who we hope get their elusive championship crown this year, Barack Obama publicly stated to ESPN that in the event of a White Sox- Cubs World Series, ‘Oh that’s easy. White Sox’ to the question of who he would root for. (ref Suntimes 082608 pg 7). The 70’s group The Raspberries sang ‘Go all the Way. Now Chicago native Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam has penned a fantastic Cubs anthem aptly named ‘All The Way’ Billboard.com is reporting that none other than Cubs Legend Ernie Banks asked him. He first played it at a live show in late August at the historic Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. The Chicago Cubs are appearing to change the look of a parking garage that was promised to local residents in exchange for a 1,791 seat expansion of the bleachers. Sam Zell , who knows a thing or two about real estate, has redesigned the concept to include more retail and office space and plans to include a world class stadium club on top of the structure in lieu of a rooftop garden. In addition, there will be underground amenities for the team, including batting cages, pitching mounds and workout facilities. The original plan called for 400 parking spots, this amended design calls for 250 spots. The team feels they can provide the other 150 spots on less valuable land in the neighborhood to satisfy the requirement. Speaking of valuable sports land, the NFL has mandated that tailgating by fans without tickets in parking areas at NFL stadiums will end at kickoff. The “Fan code of conduct’ is strident in its tone in clarifying the penalties if this code is not followed. The NFL is launching its own secondary resell web site for all team tickets in partnership with Ticketmaster this fall. It also stated that season tickets resold thru ANY secondary resell site to fans who end up being unruly could result in forfeiture of those tickets. This is a slippery slope in that the resellers have no way of insuring that the buyers will be responsible and not cause problems, or their friends. It would be a tragedy to have a season ticket holder lose a family heirloom over such a situation, but it could. In attempting to address unruly, drunk fans, The NFL is saying that violation of proper rules of conduct which include abusive language and gestures, throwing items on the field, abuse of rival fans, public intoxication, as well as tailgaters who won’t leave, can result in permanent denied access to the tailgaters to the stadium and revocation of season and/or seizure of individual tickets without refunds to fans already at the game. The NBA instituted a similar policy in 2005 in response to complaints from fans that had unpleasant experiences at the games. The Washington Nationals have gotten kudos for their new baseball stadium, which opened to much fanfare in March 2008 as the first certified green major professional sports stadium, the first to incorporate water-conserving plumbing and energy – conserving lights. However, they shot themselves in the foot by prominently displaying signage in the ballpark for Exxon-Mobil, the oil giant. Not only is the company featured on the left field wall with this signage, but it is frequently featured on the scoreboard as it moves thru sequences. Even though the stadium has received recognition for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” by the US Green Building Council, a group calling itself “Strike Out Exxon” has maintained that it gives Exxon-Mobil a false positive image boost in regards to its environmental practices, which they maintain is the ‘Worst environmental company on the planet”. For all the success the stadium garners in the green sense, Exxon is riding its coattails by furthering the perception it was involved and benefits from the added exposure. This enrages the “Strike out Exxon” group, who had 50 protesters show up on June 20th, and 5 or more protesters for the next 8 games to highlight their point. The protests will continue thru to the last home game in Sept. (ref NYT 07 27 08 pg 13). The ‘NEW’ Memorial Stadium in Champaign Illinois is to be unveiled Sept 6th. The 120 million dollar renovation will be shown to all at the Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois home opener on Sept 6th, and a 40 page commemorative program and an oversized commemorative ticket will be given out at the home opener to all attendees. Hall of Famer Dick Butkus and many other Illini greats will attend and the team will play in Butkus era uniforms in the opener. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health sent out actors who could look and act like drunks to 16 unnamed professional sports stadiums to see if their acts would preclude the further serving of alcohol to them. In an overwhelming amount of instances, it did not, making the study conclude that maybe the venues themselves were to blame for rowdiness and violence issues. Although the concession stands were a little hesitant in some cases to serve to obviously impaired fans, the vendors in the stands could care a less. Drink for thought Eh? The University has made the drinking issue a focal point in its studies for the last 10 years. The Chicago Blackhawks enter the 2008-9 season with the team having become the ‘POP STAR’ of the NHL. With the young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, as well as the free agent signings of goalie Cristobal Huet and defensemen Brian Campbell, they are riding high in this first full season under 3rd generation family owner Rocky Wirtz. The 2nd NHL outdoor hockey game against the archrival Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field on Jan 1st 2009 is only stoking the demand. A recent fan convention for the Hawks drew 8,000 fans for a team last in the playoffs in 2001-2 season and the team reports a surge in season ticket sales, from 3400 to over 10,000 in 1 season from last season to this upcoming one. Important dates to remember this upcoming season. The home opener vs the Nashville Predators is Oct 13th. the Red Wings come in twice on Jan 1st outdoors at Wrigley Field and April 12th at the UC. Watch for a pair of primo front row center ice seats to be auctioned off at each home game as per a multi-year agreement between the Blackhawks and the Chicago Board Options Exchange or “CBOE’. This is the same organization that auctioned off a block of Cubs seats on the field by the home bullpen at Wrigley Field this past spring. Sears Centre in Hoffmann Estates Illinois has announced the 2008-9 schedule for it’s indoor LaCrosse team ‘The Chicago Shamrox’. Opening night is Dec 27th at 7PM vs. the Rochester Nighthawks. The 16 game schedule includes eight (8) home games at the center. © 2008 Metro Pulse, Inc.

An oval track is a dedicated motorsport circuit, primarily in the USA, which differs from a road course in that it only has turns in one direction, which is almost universally left. Oval tracks often have banked turns as well. Despite the name, tracks do not have to be precisely oval, such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to be classed as oval tracks.
Martinsville Speedway, a symmetrical oval, following a race.
Martinsville Speedway, a symmetrical oval, following a race.

The racing held on these tracks is referred to as 'oval racing', and is a type of motorsport, primarily American, that involves running multiple cars wheel-to-wheel in a race around the track.

Major forms of oval racing include stock car racing, sprint car racing, and forms of open-wheel racing currently sanctioned by the Indy Racing League or IRL.

For many years the premiere oval race in the United States was the Indianapolis 500 (an open wheel race), but among some pundits this has been largely superseded by the Daytona 500 (a stock car race).[1]

Track classification

Oval tracks are classified based upon their size, surface, and shape. Their size can range from only a few hundred feet to over two and a half miles. Track surfaces can be dirt, concrete, asphalt, or a combination of concrete and asphalt. Some ovals in the early twentieth century had wood surfaces.

By size

The definitions used to determine track sizes have changed over the years. It should be noted that while some tracks use terms such as "speedway" or "superspeedway" in their name, they may not met the definitions set in this article.

Short track motor racing

A short track is an oval less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) long. Short tracks are often used as a starting point for drivers seeking careers in oval track racing.

Speedways

Speedways (also known as "intermediate tracks") 1 to 2 miles in length. Since their size makes allows them to compromise high speeds with sightlines, they have become commonplace in major racing series that utilize oval tracks.

Superspeedways

Superspeedways are at least 2 miles in length [1], featuring only left turns. The most famous superspeedways are Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway. These tracks were built in 1909 and 1959 respectively. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built as a facility for the automotive industry to conduct research and development.[2] Daytona International Speedway was built as a replacement for the Daytona Beach Road Course, which combined the town's main street and its famous beach, the track holds the Daytona 500, NASCAR's most prestigious race.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The longest and fastest superspeedway is the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Built in the 1960s, it is 2.66 miles (4.20 kilometers) long, and holds the current record for fastest speed in a stock car, 228 miles per hour (367 km/h). [3]

Other superspeedways used by NASCAR include the Auto Club Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Pocono Raceway.
Shape

While many oval tracks conform to the traditional symmetrical design, asymmetrical tracks are not uncommon. Pocono Raceway, for example, has the shape of a scalene triangle with rounded corners. Darlington Raceway was built with an egg-shape to accommodate a near by minnow pond.

Tri-ovals

Tri-ovals have become preferable to track builders as they offer superior sightlines. However, the recent construction boom of 1 ½ mile tri-oval shaped tracks has given these tracks a “cookie-cutter” label.[4] A tri-oval with a "double dogleg" is often called a "quad-oval".

Rovals

A "Roval," sometimes referred to as a "Combined road course," is an oval track racing facility that features a road course in the infield (or outfield), that may or may not be directly linked to the oval circuit. A roval allows the facility to be used for road racing (Formula One, sports cars, motorcycles, etc.) Some forms of racing never race exclusively on ovals, and therefore would not have the ability to otherwise compete at some of the most famous speedways in the world.

Rovals typically consist of the oval portion of the track, utlizing the same start/finish line, and same pit area, but a mid-course diversion to a winding road circuit in the infield. At some point, the circuit leads back to the main oval, and completes the rest of the lap. On some of the faster ovals, a chicane is present on long back-straighaways, to keep speeds down, and create additional braking/passing zones.

Rovals combine the high speed characteristics of ovals and technical precision of road courses, and allow road racing the unique experience of being held in the "stadium style" atmosphere of an oval superspeedway. Since 1962, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona has been one of the most notable roval races. However, due to the limitations of infield dimensions, and the common lack of topography, rovals often compromise the road racing experience. While the oval’s sightlines are popular, some fans may feel that the racing itself is lackluster.[2] In many cases, the grandstand seating around the oval offers the least popular view of the road racing, as fans are drawn to observe from the more challenging infield portion.

Notable rovals (U.S.)

* Daytona International Speedway (home of 24 Hours of Daytona)
* Talladega Superspeedway (former; infield road course abandoned and converted into infield access roads)
* Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of United States Grand Prix and Red Bull G.P.)
* Atlanta Motor Speedway
* Lowe's Motor Speedway
* Texas Motor Speedway
* California Speedway
* Michigan International Speedway
o Former; an unusual 1.9-mile clockwise infield road course was used in the 1970s, and by SCCA Club Racing in the 1980s. It was abandoned in the 1990s.
* Texas World Speedway
o The original combined road course at TWS featured a sizeable "outfield" portion. After falling into disrepair, the oval was abandoned and portions of it were removed to expand the road course areas for ameteur events,
* Homestead-Miami Speedway
* Phoenix International Raceway
o A combined road course was built in the early 1990s, but was abandoned. An outfield road course is no longer connected to oval

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	speedway-tickets.com NASCAR SPRINT 2009 RACING SCHEDULE Feb 7th Daytona International Speedway Feb 15th Daytona International Speedway Feb 22nd Auto Club Speedway March 1st Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 8th Atlanta Motor Speedway March 22nd Bristol Motor Speedway March 29th Martinsville Speedway April 5th Texas Motor Speedway April 18th Phoenix International Speedway April 26th Talledega Superspeedway May 2nd Richmond International Speedway May 9th Darlington Raceway May 16th Lowe's Motor Speedway May 24th Lowes Motor Sprrdway May 31st Dover International Speedway June 7th Pocono Speedway June 14th Michigan International Speedway June 21st Infineon Raceway June 28th New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 4th Daytona International Speedway July 11th Chicagoland Speedway July 26th Indianapolis Motor Speedway Aug 2nd Pocono Raceway Aug 9th Watkins Glen International Aug 16th Michigan International Speedway Aug 22nd Bristol Motor Speedway Sept 6th Atlanta Motor Speedway Sept 12th Richmond International Speedway Sept 20th New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sept 27th Dover International Speedway Oct 4th Kansas Speedway Oct 11th Auto Club Speedway Oct 17th Lowe's Motor Speedway Oct 25th Martinsville Speedway Nov 1st Talledega Superspeedway Nov 8th Texas Motor Speedway Nov 15th Phoenix International Raceway Nov 22nd Homestead- Miami Speedway Metro Pulse®-Chicago Sports September 2008 With expectations for both of our baseball teams at an all time high given their performances up to this point, an entrepreneur is inaugurating a fantasy camp that promises to bring us back to the good old days with some of the original athletes that brought us these memories of our youth. Along the way , you will learn some baseball skills and reignite your competitive juices, and share it with your kids if you wish. Keith Schuth, noted local sports photographer and owner of CAA Sports Marketing, has created The Crosstown Fantasy Camp (Crosstownfantasycamp.com). The purpose is to be able to play with the former greats from BOTH The Cubs and White Sox (details on site), and receive instruction on playing skills and experience real game action with them . The 7 day event runs from April 19th thru the 25th 2009 in Ft Myers Florida. In addition to escaping the Chicago scene for some real sun in April, the event has the added advantage of being located next to glorious amounts of shopping, to entertain your better half while you are learning to steal home if you are having problems convincing her about the event. There are autograph signing and picture opportunities with the greats and a great time is promised to all who attend. Mr. Schuth can be reached at 630 852 8114 at his office, or 630 926 5207 on his cell. There are a limited amount of spaces available, so don’t dawdle. You can also email him at Keith@crosstownfantasycamp.com. Tell him Metro Pulse sent you. The Blue Man group show at the Briar Street Theatre is teaming up with the Chicago Cubs to present a special offer. If you mention an ad in the Chicago Sun-Times and present a cubs ticket stub from this year at the box office when you buy tickets, you will receive a free cubs hat AND Blue Man group T- shirt . There are some restrictions that apply , and it is only good at the BOX OFFICE ONLY. Schedule is subject to change, but the ad gives no cutoff date, so call the box office at 773- 348- 4000 for clarification. Watch for ‘Dirty Dancing’, which is opening at the Cadillac Palace Theatre on Sept 28th, tickets on sale now at BroadwayinChicago.com. Ticket prices range from the premium seats for $147.50 if available down to $32.50 for the rear upper balconies. Orchestra seats scale from front to back at $92.50 to $64.50. As the September stretch run to the baseball playoffs begin, we in Chicago enter this final regular season phase with growing apprehension. It is bizarre enough that we ( The Cubs) are playing against a team (Tampa Blue Rays) that had a losing season last season but is vying for the best record in baseball with the Cubs, who have not won a World Series since 1908 or even appeared in one since 1945. Statistically, The Cubs have never looked better offensively as they stack up this season up to the beginning of Sept.. In an obvious nod to the rage that is the Cubs, superstation WGN is actually PREEMPTING 2 broadcasts of the heavily promoted premiere of the teen oriented remake of 90210 on Sept 2nd and Sept 16th, to allow for Cubs games played in Chicago to air locally at those times, delegating the 90210 broadcasts till after the abbreviated half an hour local news that directly follows the game. This means 10:30 PM or later for these shows to air. Remember , WGN promoted the blazes out of this premiere for months before this switch of airtimes.. Only in Chicago will this happen, the rest of the country will air the 90210 broadcast at the designated times as listed in their respective markets. Adding to the September chagrin and uneasiness is the fear of a collapse by both the Sox and Cubs, who BOTH have tough road schedules and division opponents in their final regular season games, not to mention the spectre of injuries. I can’t wait for October, one way or the other. The second half of the baseball season is waiting for records to fall. From Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves flirting with a .400 average for the first time in a long time, to Bobby Thigpen’s record of 57 saves in a season, set in 1990, to be broken by Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez. He had 34 saves at the All –Star break, at a pace to easily overtake the record. On the flip side , The Phillies Ryan Howard is on pace to break his own record of strikeouts in a season , which is 199. At the break, he had 117. And the Seattle Mariners may end up with the dubious distinction of being the first baseball team with a 100 million dollar plus payroll losing 100 games in a season, Currently, they have a payroll of 117 million and 52 losses. And the 40/40 club of homers and stolen bases may have 2 new entrants in Cleveland’s Grady Sizemore, who had 21 homers and 20 stolen bases at the break, and Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, who had 21 and 21 respectively. For the record, the only major leaguers who have accomplished this feat are Barry Bonds in 1996, Alex Rodriguez in 1998 and Alfonso Soriano in 2006.. In addition, baseball is waiting for the 250,000th home run to be hit. For those of you statistically inclined ,baseball-reference.com is a great source for this information. On a somber note for Cubs fans, who we hope get their elusive championship crown this year, Barack Obama publicly stated to ESPN that in the event of a White Sox- Cubs World Series, ‘Oh that’s easy. White Sox’ to the question of who he would root for. (ref Suntimes 082608 pg 7). The 70’s group The Raspberries sang ‘Go all the Way. Now Chicago native Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam has penned a fantastic Cubs anthem aptly named ‘All The Way’ Billboard.com is reporting that none other than Cubs Legend Ernie Banks asked him. He first played it at a live show in late August at the historic Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. The Chicago Cubs are appearing to change the look of a parking garage that was promised to local residents in exchange for a 1,791 seat expansion of the bleachers. Sam Zell , who knows a thing or two about real estate, has redesigned the concept to include more retail and office space and plans to include a world class stadium club on top of the structure in lieu of a rooftop garden. In addition, there will be underground amenities for the team, including batting cages, pitching mounds and workout facilities. The original plan called for 400 parking spots, this amended design calls for 250 spots. The team feels they can provide the other 150 spots on less valuable land in the neighborhood to satisfy the requirement. Speaking of valuable sports land, the NFL has mandated that tailgating by fans without tickets in parking areas at NFL stadiums will end at kickoff. The “Fan code of conduct’ is strident in its tone in clarifying the penalties if this code is not followed. The NFL is launching its own secondary resell web site for all team tickets in partnership with Ticketmaster this fall. It also stated that season tickets resold thru ANY secondary resell site to fans who end up being unruly could result in forfeiture of those tickets. This is a slippery slope in that the resellers have no way of insuring that the buyers will be responsible and not cause problems, or their friends. It would be a tragedy to have a season ticket holder lose a family heirloom over such a situation, but it could. In attempting to address unruly, drunk fans, The NFL is saying that violation of proper rules of conduct which include abusive language and gestures, throwing items on the field, abuse of rival fans, public intoxication, as well as tailgaters who won’t leave, can result in permanent denied access to the tailgaters to the stadium and revocation of season and/or seizure of individual tickets without refunds to fans already at the game. The NBA instituted a similar policy in 2005 in response to complaints from fans that had unpleasant experiences at the games. The Washington Nationals have gotten kudos for their new baseball stadium, which opened to much fanfare in March 2008 as the first certified green major professional sports stadium, the first to incorporate water-conserving plumbing and energy – conserving lights. However, they shot themselves in the foot by prominently displaying signage in the ballpark for Exxon-Mobil, the oil giant. Not only is the company featured on the left field wall with this signage, but it is frequently featured on the scoreboard as it moves thru sequences. Even though the stadium has received recognition for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” by the US Green Building Council, a group calling itself “Strike Out Exxon” has maintained that it gives Exxon-Mobil a false positive image boost in regards to its environmental practices, which they maintain is the ‘Worst environmental company on the planet”. For all the success the stadium garners in the green sense, Exxon is riding its coattails by furthering the perception it was involved and benefits from the added exposure. This enrages the “Strike out Exxon” group, who had 50 protesters show up on June 20th, and 5 or more protesters for the next 8 games to highlight their point. The protests will continue thru to the last home game in Sept. (ref NYT 07 27 08 pg 13). The ‘NEW’ Memorial Stadium in Champaign Illinois is to be unveiled Sept 6th. The 120 million dollar renovation will be shown to all at the Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois home opener on Sept 6th, and a 40 page commemorative program and an oversized commemorative ticket will be given out at the home opener to all attendees. Hall of Famer Dick Butkus and many other Illini greats will attend and the team will play in Butkus era uniforms in the opener. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health sent out actors who could look and act like drunks to 16 unnamed professional sports stadiums to see if their acts would preclude the further serving of alcohol to them. In an overwhelming amount of instances, it did not, making the study conclude that maybe the venues themselves were to blame for rowdiness and violence issues. Although the concession stands were a little hesitant in some cases to serve to obviously impaired fans, the vendors in the stands could care a less. Drink for thought Eh? The University has made the drinking issue a focal point in its studies for the last 10 years. The Chicago Blackhawks enter the 2008-9 season with the team having become the ‘POP STAR’ of the NHL. With the young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, as well as the free agent signings of goalie Cristobal Huet and defensemen Brian Campbell, they are riding high in this first full season under 3rd generation family owner Rocky Wirtz. The 2nd NHL outdoor hockey game against the archrival Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field on Jan 1st 2009 is only stoking the demand. A recent fan convention for the Hawks drew 8,000 fans for a team last in the playoffs in 2001-2 season and the team reports a surge in season ticket sales, from 3400 to over 10,000 in 1 season from last season to this upcoming one. Important dates to remember this upcoming season. The home opener vs the Nashville Predators is Oct 13th. the Red Wings come in twice on Jan 1st outdoors at Wrigley Field and April 12th at the UC. Watch for a pair of primo front row center ice seats to be auctioned off at each home game as per a multi-year agreement between the Blackhawks and the Chicago Board Options Exchange or “CBOE’. This is the same organization that auctioned off a block of Cubs seats on the field by the home bullpen at Wrigley Field this past spring. Sears Centre in Hoffmann Estates Illinois has announced the 2008-9 schedule for it’s indoor LaCrosse team ‘The Chicago Shamrox’. Opening night is Dec 27th at 7PM vs. the Rochester Nighthawks. The 16 game schedule includes eight (8) home games at the center. © 2008 Metro Pulse, Inc. An oval track is a dedicated motorsport circuit, primarily in the USA, which differs from a road course in that it only has turns in one direction, which is almost universally left. Oval tracks often have banked turns as well. Despite the name, tracks do not have to be precisely oval, such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to be classed as oval tracks. Martinsville Speedway, a symmetrical oval, following a race. Martinsville Speedway, a symmetrical oval, following a race. The racing held on these tracks is referred to as 'oval racing', and is a type of motorsport, primarily American, that involves running multiple cars wheel-to-wheel in a race around the track. Major forms of oval racing include stock car racing, sprint car racing, and forms of open-wheel racing currently sanctioned by the Indy Racing League or IRL. For many years the premiere oval race in the United States was the Indianapolis 500 (an open wheel race), but among some pundits this has been largely superseded by the Daytona 500 (a stock car race).[1] Track classification Oval tracks are classified based upon their size, surface, and shape. Their size can range from only a few hundred feet to over two and a half miles. Track surfaces can be dirt, concrete, asphalt, or a combination of concrete and asphalt. Some ovals in the early twentieth century had wood surfaces. By size The definitions used to determine track sizes have changed over the years. It should be noted that while some tracks use terms such as "speedway" or "superspeedway" in their name, they may not met the definitions set in this article. Short track motor racing A short track is an oval less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) long. Short tracks are often used as a starting point for drivers seeking careers in oval track racing. Speedways Speedways (also known as "intermediate tracks") 1 to 2 miles in length. Since their size makes allows them to compromise high speeds with sightlines, they have become commonplace in major racing series that utilize oval tracks. Superspeedways Superspeedways are at least 2 miles in length [1], featuring only left turns. The most famous superspeedways are Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway. These tracks were built in 1909 and 1959 respectively. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built as a facility for the automotive industry to conduct research and development.[2] Daytona International Speedway was built as a replacement for the Daytona Beach Road Course, which combined the town's main street and its famous beach, the track holds the Daytona 500, NASCAR's most prestigious race. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis Motor Speedway The longest and fastest superspeedway is the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Built in the 1960s, it is 2.66 miles (4.20 kilometers) long, and holds the current record for fastest speed in a stock car, 228 miles per hour (367 km/h). [3] Other superspeedways used by NASCAR include the Auto Club Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Pocono Raceway. Shape While many oval tracks conform to the traditional symmetrical design, asymmetrical tracks are not uncommon. Pocono Raceway, for example, has the shape of a scalene triangle with rounded corners. Darlington Raceway was built with an egg-shape to accommodate a near by minnow pond. Tri-ovals Tri-ovals have become preferable to track builders as they offer superior sightlines. However, the recent construction boom of 1 ½ mile tri-oval shaped tracks has given these tracks a “cookie-cutter” label.[4] A tri-oval with a "double dogleg" is often called a "quad-oval". Rovals A "Roval," sometimes referred to as a "Combined road course," is an oval track racing facility that features a road course in the infield (or outfield), that may or may not be directly linked to the oval circuit. A roval allows the facility to be used for road racing (Formula One, sports cars, motorcycles, etc.) Some forms of racing never race exclusively on ovals, and therefore would not have the ability to otherwise compete at some of the most famous speedways in the world. Rovals typically consist of the oval portion of the track, utlizing the same start/finish line, and same pit area, but a mid-course diversion to a winding road circuit in the infield. At some point, the circuit leads back to the main oval, and completes the rest of the lap. On some of the faster ovals, a chicane is present on long back-straighaways, to keep speeds down, and create additional braking/passing zones. Rovals combine the high speed characteristics of ovals and technical precision of road courses, and allow road racing the unique experience of being held in the "stadium style" atmosphere of an oval superspeedway. Since 1962, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona has been one of the most notable roval races. However, due to the limitations of infield dimensions, and the common lack of topography, rovals often compromise the road racing experience. While the oval’s sightlines are popular, some fans may feel that the racing itself is lackluster.[2] In many cases, the grandstand seating around the oval offers the least popular view of the road racing, as fans are drawn to observe from the more challenging infield portion. Notable rovals (U.S.) * Daytona International Speedway (home of 24 Hours of Daytona) * Talladega Superspeedway (former; infield road course abandoned and converted into infield access roads) * Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of United States Grand Prix and Red Bull G.P.) * Atlanta Motor Speedway * Lowe's Motor Speedway * Texas Motor Speedway * California Speedway * Michigan International Speedway o Former; an unusual 1.9-mile clockwise infield road course was used in the 1970s, and by SCCA Club Racing in the 1980s. It was abandoned in the 1990s. * Texas World Speedway o The original combined road course at TWS featured a sizeable "outfield" portion. After falling into disrepair, the oval was abandoned and portions of it were removed to expand the road course areas for ameteur events, * Homestead-Miami Speedway * Phoenix International Raceway o A combined road course was built in the early 1990s, but was abandoned. An outfield road course is no longer connected to oval This web site is not affiliated in any way with this venue or event(s), its ownership, management, promoters, brokers or box office. Any mis-perceived affiliation is not intended by the owner(s) of this site. Any and all logos or Trademarks on this page are the exclusive property of their owners. Advertisers who would like to purchase space on this site can contract the owner at metropulseinc@hotmail.com.