NORFOLK — Members of the military community will be honored guests tonight at Norfolk Scope, when Arena Racing USA presented by Interstate Batteries hosts the Veterans Day 250, the third event on its 2006-07 schedule.

Saturday’s lineup includes A, B, C and D Mains — 50 laps each. The front-runners from the Mains advance to the 50-lap Top Dog shootout, the final race of the evening.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the action gets under way at 7. Drivers will be available to meet and greet fans before and after the program.

Upper-level adult tickets are $12 in advance ($15 on race day), while lower-level adult tickets are $15 in advance ($18 on race day). All tickets for kids, 12 and under, are just $5 (in advance or on race day). Seniors (55+) and students receive a $1 discount. For Saturday’s event, all active-duty and retired military members are admitted free with military or family ID.

Tickets are available at the Scope box office, Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 757-671-8100.

Ken Simmons of Chesapeake will try to extend his season-opening hot streak on Saturday night. Simmons has posted victories in the first two Top Dog races and holds a six-point lead over the defending series champ, Chesapeake’s Travis Miller, in the current standings, 67-61.

Drivers earn points toward the $10,000 series title by their finishes in the Mains and Top Dog features. The winner of the A Main gets 30 points. The winner of the evening’s Top Dog race gets five points.

While the Top Dog finale is the glamour race at any Arena Racing USA event, good finishes in the Mains form the foundation for a run at the championship. In 2005-06, Chesapeake’s Derek Miller claimed a series-best five Top Dog victories, but his brother, Travis, won the title on the strength of nine A Main triumphs.

Beginning with Saturday’s event, the ‘06-’07 rookie class will be integrated into the regular lineup and will be eligible to advance to the Top Dog feature. For the season’s first two events, the newcomers were separated from the veterans for heat races and Mains, giving them a chance to adapt to the fast-paced nature of Arena Racing USA, which, to borrow a phrase from Sterling Marlin, is akin to “flying a fighter jet in a gymnasium.”

Season tickets for the 13 remaining Hampton Roads events are on sale through the Arena Racing USA office. To find out how you can skip right past the box office lines and save up to 40 percent, call 216-4426 (toll-free at 877-216-4426) or visit the series’ Web site at www.ArenaRacingUSA.com.

You say sitting on the front row just isn’t close enough to the action? Well, Arena Racing USA has an extra-special seat for you — behind the wheel! That’s right! Instead of just watching the action, be a part of it!

There are a limited number of openings remaining in the 56-car field for the Hampton Roads series. Give Arena Racing USA a call and find out how easy it is to launch a racing career.