8 hr at NOLA

[Shawn Treadway]

I'm not sure if this has been brought up, but why are we racing an 8hr endurance race as the first race of the season? Also, why is this race at a track that is about 8 hours east (give or take) and where sunset of race day will be at 6p.m.?
If the endurance race starts at 10:30a.m., and on time, it will end at 6:30p.m. That is half an hour AFTER the sun goes down.
BTW, the next day is the Daylight Saving Time Change. So, at the most, we'll get about 7 hours of racing. This leaves me asking, why are we paying for an 8hr when we probably won't be racing an 8hr? Will we get a refund or will it be scheduled as a 7hr and we pay for a 7hr?
This is not a rhetorical question. Feedback would be appreciated.

[Walter Walker]

Shawn,

To answer your question, NOLA is the best venue for an 8Hr race. I understand your concerns. We'll be starting a little earlier than normal on Saturday and running a tight schedule. I'm confident we will get it all in.