Sunday, December 30, 2007

Grand Prix of Houston Returns April 25-27, 2008

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 31, 2007) - The Grand Prix of Houston will roar back to JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park on April 25 - 27th, 2008, and will once again feature a thrilling double-header weekend with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) on Saturday and Champ Car World Series on Sunday. After a successful debut in 2006, the Grand Prix experienced tremendous growth in 2007 with over 168,259 fans in attendance, and organizers are anticipating even bigger things in 2008.

"We are very excited to announce these dates for the 2008 Grand Prix of Houston," said Michael T. Lanigan, owner and chairman of the Grand Prix. "The month of April offers some of the best weather of the year in Houston, and also gives us a great slot in the racing schedules of ALMS and Champ Car. Having our event on the same weekend each year will help us with our goal of establishing the Grand Prix as an annual Houston tradition as well as one of the premier racing events in the country."

The Grand Prix weekend will feature a full three-days of world-class racing and activities. After a day of practice and qualifying on Friday, the exciting multi-class racing of the American Le Mans Series will take the stage on Saturday, April 26 for the Lone Star Grand Prix Presented by MSR Houston, race #4 of the 2008 ALMS season. The ALMS race will be contested in the early evening, bringing back the popular attraction of nighttime racing at JAGFlo Speedway. The next day, the Grand Prix will reach a thrilling finale when the exotic, 750 horsepower rocketships of Champ Car compete in race #2 of the 2008 Champ Car World Series.

The Grand Prix of Houston will also feature a number of top support series to allow fans to see some of the sport's up-and-coming stars compete throughout the race weekend. Included in the weekend schedule will be the Fast Trac 100 as part of the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio MX-5 Cup, and the MSR Houston Charity race.

In addition to world-class racing, the 2008 Grand Prix of Houston will feature a myriad of activities to create a "three-day festival of speed" for fans of all ages. Popular returning attractions will include live music, the Family Fun & Sports Zone, extreme sports demonstrations, go-kart racing, and the Miss Grand Prix of Houston contest.

Event organizers are also planning a number of new features for 2008, including the Auto Extravaganza, an exhibition featuring a large Corvette show, exotic car exhibits, displays, and vendors. The Auto Extravaganza will be located in the air-conditioned comfort of the Reliant Arena and will be free for all fans.

Fans will have a chance to get in on the action on November 14, when tickets for the 2008 Grand Prix of Houston go on sale to the general public. Ticket prices for the top-level tickets have remained the same, with the popular 3-day SuperTicket giving fans premium seating and pit passes for all three days for $129. The Grand Prix has lowered ticket prices in other areas to give fans more opportunities to experience the event at affordable prices: Grounds Admission tickets for Sunday have been lowered to $20 from $30, and the lowest-priced reserved grandstand seats have been reduced to $35 from $75.

Tickets went on sale November 14 and fans can purchase seats at the Reliant Park box office, online at ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at 713.629.3700. For a more information including a complete list of ticket offerings, fans should visit www.grandprixofhouston.com.