Daytona 200 going under the lights

From Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Two significant changes will highlight the 2009 Daytona 200 Week By Honda schedule.

The 68th Daytona 200 By Honda, the prestigious season-opening event to the AMA Pro Racing season and the most historic motorcycle event in America, will be held under the lights for the first time on Friday night, March 6. The Daytona 200 By Honda was previously held on Saturday afternoon.

Another significant change to the 2009 Daytona 200 Week By Honda schedule is the Daytona Supercross By Honda, America’s toughest and most demanding Supercross event, will now be held on Saturday night, March 7.

The Daytona Supercross, which was previously held on Friday night, will now be contested on a traditional Saturday similar to all AMA Supercross events on the schedule.

“The Daytona 200 By Honda has evolved throughout the years from the beach, to the Speedway and now under the lights,” Daytona International Speedway president Robin Braig said. “Moving the Daytona 200 By Honda under the lights will add to the uniqueness of this historic event and enhance the festival atmosphere. Night racing in motorsports, especially at Daytona, is widely popular among the fans and these changes to the schedule will help us continue to grow our motorcycle events at ‘The World Center of Racing.’”

The Daytona 200 By Honda was first held back in 1937 on the beach and moved to Daytona International Speedway in 1961. The race was traditionally scheduled on a Sunday afternoon until 2004 when the event was moved to Saturday afternoon.

SPEED Channel will televise the Daytona 200 By Honda live and will also broadcast the Daytona Supercross By Honda.

The remainder of the Daytona 200 Week By Honda schedule will remain consistent as year’s past and will include events such as the AMA Flat Track Championship races at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium on Wednesday night, March 4 and Thursday night, March 5 respectively; AHMRMA Vintage races on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3; and on Feb. 27-March 1, SunTrust MOTO-ST Series, Championship Cup Series and American Sportbike Racing Association practice, qualifying and racing.

Ticket information for any of the Daytona 200 Week By Honda events are available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.