The Marlboro 500, held at Michigan International Speedway for the past ten years, will move to the newly constructed California Speedway in Fontana on Sunday, September 28. The race, the 17th and final stop of the PPG CART World Series, will be run on the two-mile, four-turn superspeedway and will serve as the site where the $1 million winner of the 1997 PPG Cup will be crowned.

"We have had a very successful relationship with Marlboro for more than ten years," said Roger S. Penske, chairman of Penske Motorsports, Inc., the owner of the California Speedway. "We are happy that we can continue working as a team with one of racing’s most influential sponsors to bring CART racing back to the Southern California market."

The Marlboro 500, presented by Toyota, will feature CART drivers including Al Unser, Jr., Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Jimmy Vasser and Paul Tracy. Considered one of the most dramatic and thrilling races in the history of the PPG CART World Series, past winners include such legendary drivers as Rick Mears, Unser Jr., Andretti and Nigel Mansell. For Unser Jr., it marked his first superspeedway win and for Andretti and Mansell it is their only 500-mile victory.

"The Marlboro 500 has a storied history in the CART World Series," said Ina W. Broeman, Director, Event Marketing, Phillip Morris USA. "We believe that by moving the race to Southern California at this new state-of-the-art facility we will be able to create a thrilling end-of-season finale. This also gives us the unique opportunity to kick-off the season with the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami and end it with the Marlboro 500."