MIS and AAA will partner in a two-part display located in Michigan Hall of Cobo Center's lower level. The MIS display will feature the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship trophy, along with the championship winning No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet Tony Stewart showcar, the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Kevin Harvick showcar and the Chevrolet SSR official pace car. The AAA Display will feature the #6 AAA Ford Mark Martin showcar.

In addition to the display in Michigan Hall, MIS will have a ticket booth located in Cobo Arena with tickets on sale to all 2006 MIS events, including both NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races which will be held June 18 and August 20.

To add to the excitement of this year's show, MIS and AAA will be the presenting sponsors of "Racing Day at the Auto Show" on Thursday, January 19.

During Racing Day at the Auto Show presented by MIS and AAA, the upstairs lobby of Cobo Hall may look more like the NASCAR garage area at MIS. The area will feature several showcars, including the No. 8 Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., the No. 24 Chevrolet driven by Jeff Gordon and the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, along with the public debut of the 2006 MIS Chevrolet SSR pace vehicle.

MIS will also give out 2006 Speedway calendars to the first 5000 patrons to visit the MIS display in Michigan Hall on January 19.

"The NAIAS is pleased to give thousands of racecar enthusiasts this new opportunity to enjoy themed attractions as well as special appearances," said Richard Genthe, Senior Co-Chairman for the NAIAS. "Race fans will also be able to meet a few of their favorite auto racing drivers at the event."

Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing is scheduled to attend Racing Day at the Auto Show on January 19, and sign autographs for fans from 11:30 A.M- 1:30 P.M. in the Chevrolet Racing display. Also, Dennis Setzer, winner of last June's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at MIS, is scheduled to appear at Racing Day at the Auto Show and sign autographs in the Chevrolet display from 2 P.M. -- 4 P.M. Other select drivers from various racing series are also expected to be on hand during Racing Day at the Auto Show on January 19.

"Our events at MIS have really become a celebration of Detroit and the automobile industry, so we are very proud of being involved in the 2006 North American International Auto Show as MIS celebrates motorsports in the Motor City," said MIS Director of Marketing Keith Karbo.

"AAA is extremely proud to be a co-sponsor with the Michigan International Speedway of 'Racing Day at the Auto Show'," said Mike Yost, AAA Auto Club Group Director of Motorsports Programs. "Our relationship with MIS dates back to 1996 -- it has been a strong and important partnership for both organizations. As we do each season, AAA and MIS look forward to welcoming race fans to MIS and the AAA Motorsports Fan Plaza for an exciting weekend of racing."

Michigan International Speedway -- home of the state's largest single-day, paid-admission sporting events since 1992 -- is a track rich in racing tradition.

Groundbreaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967. More than 2.5 million yards of dirt were moved to form the D-shaped oval. Charles Moneypenny, who had designed the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, designed the Michigan oval.

The original layout included infield and exterior roads, which could be configured into a 3-mile or two 1.9-mile road courses. The road courses were designed by Formula One great Stirling Moss The last interior road course race was held in 1984, and the last time the exterior road course was used was in 1973.

The prime mover in the venture was Lawrence H. LoPatin, a Detroit-area land developer who built the speedway at an estimated cost of $4 million to $6 million.

Cale Yarborough won the first NASCAR race at the speedway on June 15, 1969, in a thrilling duel with LeeRoy Yarbrough.

Since then, MIS has hosted a number of historic races and many legendary drivers. Richard Petty, Mark Donohue, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Gordon Johncock, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker, Bruce McLaren, Jeff Gordon, Neil Bonnett, Davey Allison, and Rick Mears have all celebrated victories in Winner's Circle at Michigan International Speedway.

In 1973 - when the oil crisis and rising gas prices threatened all of racing - Roger Penske envisioned turning MIS into a premier motorsports facility. After purchasing the deed to Michigan International Speedway off the Lenawee County courthouse steps for an estimated $2 million, Penske went right to work to improve the speedway to his standards.

During Penske's ownership, the grandstands were expanded from 25,000 seats to over 125,000, added several buildings to the property, including three garages, 26 pit terrace suites, the administration building, two ticket offices, a maintenance building, Motorsports International (now Americrown) and CompTire buildings and warehouses, a sign shop and entertainment shop.

Other improvements over the years include building timing and scoring stands, corporate suites, chalets, pavilions, concession stands, restrooms, first aid stations, an infield hospital, pedestrian bridges, roadways, offices, maintenance facilities and garages. Approximately 400 acres have been purchased for additional free parking.

In July of 1999, PMI merged with the country's leading force in motorsports -- International Speedway Corp. ISC was founded by another visionary -- Bill France -- who built the world-famous Daytona International Speedway and founded NASCAR, the country's most popular racing series.

In August of 2000, the Speedway unveiled a new logo and announced it would add the "International" back to its name, which had been changed to Michigan Speedway in 1996 to align itself with the three other Penske-owned facilities (California, Nazareth and North Carolina). The new logo was designed by ISC Creative Supervisor Jerry Stanley. Today, Michigan International Speedway is considered one of the country's premier racing facilities, and yet, it still focuses on constant improvements. In 2000, a new 10,800-plus seat grandstand was built in Turn 3, providing a magnificent view of the entire Speedway and surrounding Irish Hills. In 1995. During the last resurfacing, MIS became the first track to use a polymer-enhanced asphalt especially formulated for high-banked racing -- and harsh Michigan winters. Previous surfaces were milled off and used to pave access roads leading to parking areas.

In 2005, MIS took on the largest renovation in its storied history by adding 870 additional seats with a new Club Level seating area called the Champions Club.