MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The Hooters Pro Cup Series announced the 2008 schedule prior to the running of the Robert H. Brooks Memorial Aarons 250 at USA Intl Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 3.

The schedule mixes plenty of familiar venues with three facilities that were not on the 2007 schedule. In 2008, the HPCS will return to the Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile and Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway before making its first appearance at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.

I think its great, Jeff Agnew said of the new tracks to the schedule. Its good for the series, and its good for the drivers,

While there are some changes, the series will keep its traditional starting spots for both the Northern and Southern Divisions. The Aarons Southern Division will begin the season at USA Intl (Fla.) Speedway on Sat., March 15, while the Sears Auto Center Northern Division will kick off its season at South Boston (Va.) Speedway on Saturday, April 19.

But thats where the similarities end. For the first time, the series will have two combination events during the regular season. The first North/South combo will be when the series returns to historic Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile. The race, scheduled for May 31, 2008, will also be a companion event with the Indy Racing League.

The second combo race of the season will be at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on August 20, 2008. The Bristol event will also be the first time that both divisions complete the regular season at the same track, meaning both divisions will crown a champion at the Mecca of Short Tracks.

The HPCS will also return to the original concept of the Championship Series, running four races in the memory of the Forever Champions. But for the first time, Rockingham Speedway will be the site of the final Hooters Pro Cup event of the season.

Were certainly excited about next season, said Tony Cox, USAR Series Director. Weve kept many of our strong venues and added some new ones that should help the series continue to grow. From a venue and fan-attendance standpoint, this is the strongest schedule weve ever had as a series.

The schedule will feature 15 different tracks stretched across 11 states. In 2008, competitors will be able to compete in a maximum of 16 races, which is one less than 2007. But that shouldnt affect many teams, if any. In 2007, only one team competed in the maximum 17 races.

Weve watched the numbers all year long. Most of our full-time teams seem to be able to handle between 12 and 16 races, said Tony Cox, USAR Series Director, and the schedule reflects that. The competition level jumped to an all-time high this year, mainly because of the changes we made last year. We believe the tweaks made to the new schedule will pay dividends next season as well.