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NASCAR Busch Grand National Series St. Louis Debut

24 July 1997

        NASCAR BUSCH SERIES MAKES ST. LOUIS DEBUT THIS WEEKEND



DAYTONA BEACH, FL - The NASCAR Busch Series will make its first ever 
appearance in the St. Louis area on Sat., July 26, when the Series visits the 
new Gateway International Raceway for the running of the inaugural Gateway 
300.

Approximately 50 cars are entered for the race, second to only Charlotte for 
largest number of driver entries in the NASCAR Busch Series this season. Nine 
Winston Cup regulars: Joe Nemecheck, Dick Trickle, Terry & Bobby Labonte, 
Kyle Petty, Michael Waltrip, Jimmy Spencer, Ricky Craven, and St. Louis 
native Kenny Wallace are giving up their weekend off in order to participate 
in the event. 

CBS Sports will televise the event at 1:00 p.m. (EDT), from the 1.25-mile 
facility. In three previous events on CBS Sports in 1997, the Series is 
averaging a 2.7 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The Nashville Network (TNN) will air live the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 
Lund Look 275K race from Topeka, Kan., on Sunday, July 27, at 2:00 p.m. 
(EDT). This is the first of three road course stops for the NASCAR Craftsman 
Truck Series in 1997.

Joining the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the 2.1-mile road-course event 
in Topeka is the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series, which makes its first live 
television broadcast appearance of the season on TNN with the Coca-Cola 
Shootout, July 26, at 1:00 p.m. (EDT). (The NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series is 
joined by the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour and the NASCAR REB-CO 
Northwest Tour for the only combination event among the three NASCAR touring 
series. Drives from both the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour and NASCAR 
REB-CO Northwest Tour can enter this event and earn points only in the NASCAR 
Slim Jim All Pro Series.)

While the NASCAR Winston Cup Series will take this weekend off, the Series' 
ratings continued to do the same. Cable ratings for Sunday's TBS coverage of 
the NASCAR Winston Cup race from Pocono climbed to a 4.7 up from 3.8 in 1996, 
according to Nielsen Media Research. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series season 
resumes next weekend for the fourth annual Brickyard 400 race at the famed 
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

By NASCAR Public Relations