(Opp, AL)- When teams and fans arrive for the 33^rd Annual "Rattler 250" March 6-8 at South Alabama Speedway, they will see a vastly different facility than the year before. During the off-season, track owner John Dykes and his staff have been working very hard on improvements at the Opp, Alabama facility.

The first thing fans and teams will notice is the new wall on backstretch. Where once was no wall, now stands a wall the length of the backstretch, protecting the brand new pit expansion behind the new wall. With over 140 Super Late Models and Pro Late Models registered to compete on Rattler 250 Weekend, Dykes and crew set in motion their plan to expand the pit area to the backstretch of the Speedway, which will provide additional pit spaces for 30+ teams.

Another improvement will be the addition of a true pit road. Track officials are putting the finishing touches on a full pit road with entry in turn three, running the full front stretch and exiting back onto the track in turn 2. This upgrade to the track will help facilitate better action in the pits for major events, and make it easier for fans and teams alike to follow the action on pit road.

"This track is very important to us," noted Dykes while taking a break from finishing up the improvements. "Hopefully it’s obvious to everyone that we continue to re-invest in our facility, to make it one that everyone can be proud of and want to come race at." These most recent improvements to the facility come only three years after a full repaving of the racetrack surface.

The Dykes family is excited that the fans and racers will get to the see the improvements on their biggest weekend of the year. The 33^rd Annual Ratter 250 will pay a record purse with 50 plus entries, with one Super Late Model driver having a chance to take home over $25,000 in cash in prizes.

Speedway officials also announced they are honoring their commitment to 2008 VIPER Super Late Model Series champion, Casey Smith. As the reigning series champion he is guaranteed a top 10 starting position in the Rattler. If he fails to qualify for the event by all other means, officials have stated that they will add an additional starter instead of bumping any other car out of the field, thus ensuring that the originally announced 30 car starting field is still open to all cars.

Track officials also announced that they will post a "PAID Entry List" by February 10^th on their website. This list has no impact on the qualifying order already guaranteed by pre-registration, but will help the Speedway, fans and Hoosier Tire officials better prepare for the weekend and assess parking needs.

For more information about Rattler 250 weekend with support from support from Champion Racing Association, be sure to visit, www.southalabamaspeedway.com. For more information on CRA visit www.craracing.net.