The Friday weather started out unexpectedly cool and cloudy for the opening day of the three-day NASCAR weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Ontario California. The forecast had been changing daily, downwardly. But, this being Southern California, the sun could make an appearance.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide are the program for the second NASCAR weekend of the 2010 season. Sprint Cup has 46 entries, including two Rookies and 11 drives required to make the field based on time – Go or Go Home. Nationwide drivers number 49, with 17 Go or Go Home drivers and three Rookies – not including the only female driver this weekend, DANICA PATRICK/No.7 Go Daddy Chevrolet. Diminutive Danica will run selected NNS races this year, after making her stock car debut in the ARCA race during SpeedWeeks.
Grands Marshals, Honorary Race Officials, and Honorary Starters have all been named for the weekend. ANDY GARCIA, actor/producer/director/composer/musician. will be the Grand Marshal for the Auto Club 500 Sprint Cup race. He will be saying “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.” Actress KATE WALSH will be the Grand Marshal for the Stater Bros. 300 Nationwide race, and she will say “Drivers, Start your Engines” as that field includes the only female driver this weekend, DANICA PATRICK/No.7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
Form WWF wrestler, STEVE AUSTIN, will wave the Green Flag Sunday for the Cup race.
Auto Club Speedway is remaining politically neutral in the choices for the Honorary Race Officials. No Democratic candidate has officially filed to run for Governor of California. The two Republican candidates will be Honorary Race Officials. Current California Insurance Commissioner, STEVE POIZNER will ride in the Official NASCAR Pace Car Sunday which leads the 43-car field to the Green Flag. MEG WHITMAN, former eBay President and CEO, will wave the Green Flag for Saturday’s Stater Bros. 300.
I’m told that the choice for which candidate worked which race had to do with availability. The press releases sent out made no political references, rather focusing on the accomplishments and achievements of each person. The releases were carefully written so they each had the same number of words, and were sent out in the order of the person’s appearance at the track.
The selection process for these positions is done by the Auto Club Speedway staff, and there is an actual employee who heads up these efforts – AARON GIANNINI, Director of Entertainment Integration. For the political choices, there is also input from the Community Affairs staff. Another cool part of Giannini’s job might be getting the military flyovers organized. Sunday it will be the Navy’s Blue Angels – U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron. The F/A-18 Hornets Delta formation will occur Sunday right after the National Anthem. These flyovers are said to be done as a recruiting tool.
Saturday’s Nationwide Series Stater Bros. 300 race starts 2:30 PM local time, shown live on ESPN2.
Sunday’s Sprint Cup Auto Club 500 race starts at noon local time, shown live on FOX.