Bristol Dragway announced today that the 2007 Bristol drag racing season will open with the Seventh Annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals May 18-20. Dragway officials said all of this weekend's scheduled events will be postponed until after the NHRA national event to give the new launching pad additional curing time.

"After discovering an issue with the surface of the dragway on opening day back in March, we took the aggressive measure of digging up 210 feet of material and replacing it instead of trying to patch it," explained Jeff Byrd, president and general manager of Bristol Dragway.

"The cure time for the new surface was estimated to be 21 days. Yesterday, May 1, was the 21^st day since the pour. After a careful evaluation, the engineers working on the project recommend giving the concrete another 10 days to cure. As difficult as it is to postpone this weekend's Street Fights and Sunoco Thunder Valley Shootouts, we must agree with our engineers to make certain we give our racers the best possible racing surface.

"We regret postponing Street Fights and the Sunoco Thunder Valley Shootouts this weekend but we are reworking our schedule to make up for these lost dates."

Gates open for the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at 7:30 a.m. and on Sunday, May 20 at 9:30 a.m. The first rounds of professional qualifying are Friday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., followed by rounds three and four at 12:30 and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Final eliminations get under way at noon on Sunday.

Tickets are available for the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Grandstand ticket pricing is as follows: Friday -- Sections A - D $25 Adult / $5 Junior; Sections E - U $30 Adult / $5 Junior; Thunder Terrace $30 Adult / $5 Junior, Saturday -- Sections A - D $45 Adult / $15 Junior; Sections E - U $55 Adult / $25 Junior; Thunder Terrace $55 Adult / $25 Junior, Sunday -- Sections A - D $45 Adult / $15 Junior, Sections E - U $55 Adult / $25 Junior, Thunder Terrace $55 Adult / $25 Junior. Weekend combos are: Sections A - D $85 Adult / $40 Junior, Sections E - U $110 Adult / $60 Junior, and Thunder Terrace $110 Adult / $60 Junior.

Thunder Valley Club tickets also are available and are $300 for adults and $100 for children for the weekend. Bruton's Club suite seats are available for the weekend for $425 per person.

To purchase tickets, please call the Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway ticket office at 423.989.6900 or visit www.bristoltix.com.