RACE SHUFFLE A NOD TO PAST REALIGNMENT BRINGS LABOR DAY RACE BACK TO BUSTLING SOCAL.

Byline: Louis Brewster Staff Writer

FONTANA - Labor Day weekend racing is not a new concept in Southern California.

Neither is holding a second major NASCAR event in the market, or a date deep into the stock car schedule.

Such traditions have deep roots, which were recalled in June of 2003 when NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. announced the shifting of a Nextel Cup date from Darlington (S.C.) Raceway to California Speedway. It was a bold move, giving the Fontana track the Labor Day date that had been hosted by Darlington since 1951.

Richard Petty, winner of 200 Cup races, agreed with the decision to spread out the series.

``We're running here a bunch of races real close,'' said Petty from his office in Randleman, N.C. ``They're all in the same neighborhood dealing with the same people, and there aren't that many people here compared to what's out there in California.''

Petty remains in the minority among race fans throughout the South, the traditional stock car fan base. Yet, NASCAR's realignment decision was reminiscent of a similar call in 1986 that took the season finale from Southern California and moved it back into the deep South, further strengthening the theory that Winston Cup was largely a regional series.

The big loser in the date shuffle was North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, which will disappear from the Cup schedule next year.

``I've said for several years now that I thought it was in the best interest of our sport to be in as many places as possible,'' driver Jeff Burton said. ``Getting to Phoenix twice and California twice and Texas twice, all of that makes a lot of sense because it spreads us out around the country.

``It's disappointing to lose Rockingham for sure. ... it is one of the most fun places for drivers, but what's in the best interest of the sport isn't necessarily in the best interests of the driver at times and I think this is one of those occasions.''

Change has been part of the NASCAR landscape, almost from the start. Old-timers recall NASCAR racing at Cerrell Raceway in Gardena as far back as 1951 and Lancaster also hosted NASCAR races in the formative years of the series.

Stock-car racing finally caught the attention of Southern California race fans with events at Riverside International Raceway and Ontario Motor Speedway.

From 1974 through 1986 the last Cup race of the season was held at either OMS or Riverside, giving the greater Los Angeles market three races each season.

OMS held the finale from 1974 until its demise in 1980. In 1981, NASCAR awarded Riverside three race dates, adding the finale to its longstanding January and June dates. The following year, Riverside hosted the June race and closed the Cup season in late November.

But responding to cries from the Southeast that the points championship was being decided beyond reach of its fan base, NASCAR moved Riverside to the 28th of 29 spots on the schedule in 1987. Six months later, after its NASCAR June race, Riverside closed forever.

With Riverside's closure, it ended a NASCAR presence in the area that actually started in 1951 when the fledgling sanctioning body had three events in Gardena. Over the next few years, NASCAR also raced in Los Angeles and Lancaster before settling in at Riverside in 1963.

The first major Labor Day race in Southern California was the California 500, a race sanctioned by USAC and CART and conducted at OMS. The inaugural race was in 1970, upon completion of the virtual replica of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway built at a cost of nearly $27 million.

Jim McElreath was the first winner of the open-wheel race which drew more than 130,000, which remains as the single biggest crowd in the state for a sporting event.

Interestingly enough, McElreath took the checkered flag after NASCAR standout LeeRoy Yarbrough suffered mechanical troubles. In that era, it was not uncommon to see either Yarbrough, Cale Yarborough or Bobby Allison driving open-wheel cars in addition to stock cars.

OMS hosted the traditional Labor Day Sunday race for nine of the 11 years the facility existed. USAC moved the race to the season-opener in 1974 and 1975 before returning the California 500 to its traditional date.

The Ontario stop also capped the famed Triple Crown, open-wheel's three 500-mile races. The Indianapolis 500 and the Pocono 500 were the signature races for USAC beginning in 1971 and running through 1980, the final two seasons under CART.

Only Al Unser was able to sweep the three 500-mile races, achieving the feat in 1978.

CAPTION(S):

4 boxes

Box:

(1) NASCAR BUSCH SERIES TARGET HOUSE 300

(2) ON THE TUBE

(3) SERIES STANDING

(4) CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY BY THE NUMBERS