BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – There has been a change in the opening venue of the season for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.

Originally slated to begin in Arizona, management changes at Canyon Speedway Park have caused the cancellation of events on Feb. 26-27. Local event restrictions at other facilities kept the tour from moving the event to another location.

The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif., will be the site of the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network opener on March 5-6. A new stop for the National Tour, the Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park, will be the seventh California oval to host the series.

Four overall events are scheduled on the California swing with the series returning to Stone Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare for the first time since 2011 on Friday, March 12 and Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford on Saturday, March 13; a track that has been absent from National Tour competition since 2012.

Nine overall events in the month of March, rounds five and six will be the Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals in Mesquite, Texas on Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20, with the series making a first-time visit to Superbowl Speedway in Greenville, Texas for Round 7 on Thursday, March 25 with the month closing out on Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27 at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark.