The Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday is one of those special events that is more than just another race for the drivers.

Besides the Formula One course winding through the center of the glamorous principality of Monte Carlo, the race schedule is the most unusual on the world-hopping F1 circuit, with practice opening today – a day earlier than usual – and a day off Friday before qualifying and the race on the weekend.

“It is great, especially on the first laps on Thursday when you have to get used to everything again,” said current F1 points leader Fernando Alonso, winner of three of the first five races this season. “It is a special feeling.

“By Sunday, once we have run in free practice and we are really comfortable with the track, then things feel more normal. But it is still a unique race for the drivers and the teams,” added Alonso, noting the drivers need unusual concentration when on the tight track. “Every team brings a special package for Monaco, and we need to have a special mentality in the car.”

Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella, winner of this season’s opening race and fourth in the points, also has a special feeling for Monaco, particularly since he can join the fans who anchor their boats within eyesight of the race circuit.

“I used to live in Monaco and now I bring my boat down for the race, which means all my family can come and stay as well,” Fisichella said. “I actually drive the boat from Italy up to Monte Carlo, spend time relaxing in the days before and then, during the race weekend, when the day is over, it is great to go back on the boat and spend time with my family.”

McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, coming off a runaway win two weeks ago in Spain and trailing only Alonso and Toyota’s Jarno Trulli in the standings, is another driver who enjoys the Monaco experience.

“Monaco is a race that everyone really wants to win,” he said. “However, it is a completely different challenge for us. It is the shortest and slowest track we race on, with much slower speeds.

“However, even without the fast speeds, high Gs and braking points, it is very tough on both the cars and the drivers. There is constant cornering and, because of the twisty track, you need to concentrate 100 percent, as any small error will mean the end of the race.”

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Historic approach: Doug Fritz, president of Richmond International Raceway and part of the effort to attract the proposed NASCAR Hall of Fame to Virginia’s capital, says history should play a part in the decision.

“Just look at the history of Richmond and the racing industry,” Fritz said, noting the city was holding races in 1946, before NASCAR was formed. He also pointed out Richmond made sense as the site for the building because of its location on Interstate 95 and its thriving tourist industry – due to its history as the Confederate capital and proximity to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown.

Virginians Racing for the Hall of Fame, a public-private partnership leading the Richmond effort to lure the hall, must submit its proposal to NASCAR by the end of the month. At least three other cities, Charlotte, N.C., Daytona Beach, Fla., and Kansas City, Mo., are vying for the hall.

Fred Agostino, president of VRHOF, said the group’s proposal to NASCAR would include several potential locations for the hall, one on the property of the track and the others within a few miles of it.

“We’re not putting all our eggs in one basket,” he said, adding that the hall the group is proposing would cost an estimated $103 million, have 68,000 feet of exhibit area and would require a 20-acre tract of land.

Fritz dismissed suggestions Richmond was an underdog.

“We believe we have a much better shot than a long shot,” he said.

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Historic sponsor: More than 30 authentic Formula One cars will return this fall to the historic 3.37-mile grand prix course at Watkins Glen International to help commemorate the first open-wheel race at the upstate New York track since a CART event in 1981.

The vintage race will be held Sept. 25, just prior to the IndyCar Series and Menards Infiniti Pro Series events.