Press Snoop: California notes and filming Herbie.

the latest news from around the world, courtesy of press snoop Lynne Huntting

Although not all the 93,000 grandstand tickets have been sold, there still is a big crowd expected this weekend for the first NASCAR Nextel Cup race on Labour Day weekend. With more than 88,000 seats already sold and an estimated 20,000 more fans in the RV infield area, there will be well over 100,000 people in attendance. Not too shabby.

This is the second Cup race this year for California Speedway and, as one insider put it - in Darlington (60,000 seat home of the Southern 500 Labour Day race for years) there is the Cup race on Labour Day weekend. In California, there are a few more options.

Some of the Cup crews commented that the pits and garage areas seem less crowded than at the April Cup race this year. It's a much later race start so perhaps the race fans are sleeping in, eating out, reading the Sunday paper, or taking their time before the 4:30pm PT race start. Also, one anonymous crew member said one of the team's sponsors said it just couldn't handle hospitality for two big California races this first year. However, as race time drew near, the pits and garage areas filled up considerably.

The weather is quite hot and sunny, with not much in the way of a breeze. The California Speedway fan/misters or mister/fans are quite popular with hordes of people in front enjoying the cool spray. With the amount of exposed flesh I've seen this weekend, it doesn't appear that the fans are much worried about the West Nile virus spread by mosquitoes, for which the track sprayed earlier in the week. And there should be a lot of sunburns on Monday.

California Speedway was originally built by ROGER PENSKE, who owns a three-car Dodge Cup team with drivers RUSTY WALLACE, RYAN NEWMAN and rookie BRENDAN GAUGHAN. One of Penske's mandates was for there to be easy track access and free parking in paved lots inside the track, and that still holds to this date, even though the track is now owned by International Speedway Corporation. I really appreciate having my own entrance to the track, complete with police barricades at the intersection to the road leading to Gate Six, which is for strictly verified pass holders only. It took me 15 minutes from motel to media centre, as it was a straight shot into the track with no agro. Frosting on the cake was my reserved parking pass, which provides convenient, close-by assigned parking spaces. It doesn't get much better than that. To date, in my mind, California Speedway has the best setup for access/egress and media parking.

Recently, I mentioned that Penske had been in the pits during last weekend's Indy Racing League IndyCar race, and had been the first response to one of his crew, who was on fire from methanol, which has invisible flames. Penske appeared to be wearing street clothes, his usual black pants and a white shirt - the dress code for Penske staff. It was pointed out to me that back in the CART days, when Penske was in the race pits, doing hands on strategy, he had a custom-made fire suit designed to look like his dress code. CART did, and still does, require fire suits in the pits during races, no matter which side of the wall one stands. IRL only has mandates for over-the-wall crews.

For NASCAR races, the only requirements are for the over-the-wall crews, which must wear fire suits, gloves and helmets. NASCAR's rule book recommends but not requires such apparel for all. The book says that is the responsibility of each person.

It's not a problem for Penske because he isn't in the NASCAR pits during races. He has a different role in stock car racing. He is "the coach" and spends his time with the spotters during the races.

For Sunday's Cup race, there is only one known car so far, which will be required to drop to the back of the pack from its assigned grid position: SHANE HMIEL, for switching to his back-up car. He had qualified thirty-first. There will be three pace laps, pit row speed is 55mph and pace car speed is 65mph. The race will finish under the lights, for the first time in the history of California Speedway.

On Saturday, during the Busch race, the Walt Disney film crew was busy at work filming Herbie: Fully Loaded with not just the three overhead cameras I saw, but 14 cameras total. The #53 Herbie Volkswagen was seen earlier, at the end of the field for a few laps of a practice session.

For the film, which is due out in a year or so, the Busch filming was a dress rehearsal for Sunday's filming in the Cup race. The movie - fifth in the Herbie series - will feature Cup cars and races. The Busch filming was for set-up shots and to position cars, and to figure where Herbie will be inserted, after the fact. Because it is a race situation on Sunday, the film crew will only be working for ten minutes or so, and then shut down so it doesn't get in the way.

Several of the Cup drivers will have cameos in the race, including DALE EARNHARDT Jr, KEVIN HARVICK, JAMIE McMURRAY, CASEY MEARS and RUSTY WALLACE. MATT DILLON, who plays the villain in the movie, is at the races this weekend, soaking up the atmosphere.

The movie will be a long time in the making, because movie fans are more sophisticated these days and more care has to be taken with the special effects and the movie in general. So said one of the Herbie film crew.

All the shooting has been and will be done at California Speedway, with NASCAR's approval. The movie will star Dillon, MICHAEL KEATON, LINDSAY LOHAN, JUSTIN LONG, BRECKIN MEYER...and Herbie.

Victory Lane and Vintage Oval Racing magazines have a static and live display this weekend of four decades of stock cars. The event will salute the grand marshal, RICHARD PETTY, as well as California's contribution to stock car racing. For two days the cars were on display behind the Busch Series pits. Sunday they were on display on the front straight for several hours, allowing all those with the $45 pit passes to see the cars up close and personal. Right next to the display was a large chequered flag stripe on the track, for fans to sign.

Several of the old stock cars compete on a regular basis in various vintage and historic events, including a special group just for them - Historic Stock Car Racing Group, whose next race is in two weeks at the new Reno-Fernley track in Nevada.

Four of the cars used to be driven by drivers currently racing in NASCAR - DERRIKE COPE and RUSTY WALLACE - as well as two cars raced by JIMMY SPENCER. The Spencer cars have been restored by BILL ELLIOTT and JIM BARFIELD at Bill Elliott Racing. The cars were restored at Elliott's Dawsonville shop, as part of the restoration business Elliott and Barfield now run. Elliott has also restored several of his former race cars, including one for the president of Coca Cola, who races it at Road Atlanta among other venues.

The crew of the Smokin' Joes car, all decked out in original livery, promised me they were now 'on the patch'.

The Legends cars will take exhibition laps prior to the start of the 250-lap NASCAR Nextel Cup Pop Secret 500 race.