High-speed entertainment takes center stage this weekend at the city where fireworks, bright lights, dancing girls and Elvis are normally the attractions. It’s Viva Las Vegas and the Nevada gambling and nightlife makes it one of the most favorite stops on the yearly agenda for the NASCAR drivers, families and crews.
I haven’t attended a NASCAR media tour in the past five years where there hasn’t been at least one story told about some sort of lucky win for a driver or reporter. There have even been a couple of wild tales told about the adventures of some drivers and their crews on the famous Las Vegas strip.
The 1.5-mile speedway opened in 1998 and is still a youngster as far as NASCAR tracks go. There is only one race a year at the track now, but owner Bruton Smith would like to have a second date there and he is pushing the idea of moving the annual award’s banquet from New York to Las Vegas.
There are plenty of affordable hotel rooms, lots of entertainment and ballrooms or other facilities big enough to open the award celebration up to fans. Of course, New York has some big arenas and facilities that could hold the show too, but how many NASCAR fans would make the trip to the Big Apple just for the banquet?
Smith argues those fans would flock to Las Vegas to get some gambling in and treat the awards as a show during their getaway.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway may seem a little different to drivers and fans this weekend. The track has undergone a renovation that has added banking to the racing surface and the infield area has been remodeled to make it more fan-friendly.
The list of winners is a short one at Las Vegas and no single driver can claim dominance at the track. The only dominator at Las Vegas seems to be Jack Roush. His drivers have won five of the nine Nextel Cup races at Las Vegas.
Roush was just about to claim his sixth winner’s trophy last year when Jimmie Johnson snatched it away on the last lap. Roush drivers led 209 of the 270 laps and Matt Kenseth collected to bonus points for leading the most laps after leading 146 laps of the event.
The only lap Johnson led was the last one to collect the win.
The top-five finishers of the 2006 Las Vegas race were Johnson, Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon.
Eleven drivers traded the lead 22 times during the 270-lap event. The only other drivers leading more than one lap were Mark Martin (57), Tony Stewart (54) and Greg Biffle (6).
There were seven caution flag incidents and the race took just over three hours and two minutes to complete.
Greg Biffle was the Bud Pole Award winner for the 2006 race. His qualifying speed was listed at 172.403 miles-an-hour.
The best marks for drivers heading into the Las Vegas race go to former teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Burton. They are the only two drivers to score top-five finishes in the two Nextel Cup events run this season.
Matt Kenseth has collected the most bonus points so far. Kenseth has 15 points for leading the most laps at California and the one lap he led at Daytona.
Kenseth, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are the only drivers to lead at least one lap in the first two races of the year.
Georgia Boys: David Ragan was the only Georgia driver to venture south of the border for the Busch Series race at Mexico City. The Unadilla driver started 35th and finished 14th in the road course race.
Ragan and Reed Sorenson are both signed up to compete in the Busch and Nextel Cup races at Las Vegas. Ragan is ranked fifth in Nextel Cup points. Sorenson is ranked 30th on the point chart after two races.
Race Fundraiser: The Atlanta chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities is hosting another Festival of Suites for Nextel Cup qualifying and the Craftsman Truck race next weekend. Around a half-dozen drivers, including David Ragan, Bill Elliott and Joey Clanton, are expected to drop in and greet fans donating to the fund.
The charity collected over $212,000 from race fans to distribute to 22 Georgia groups working with children last year.
Contributors will be treated to watching Nextel Cup Qualifying and the American Commercial Lines 200 truck race from the Press Box and suites above the speedway. Gourmet food and beverages will also be served.
Tickets for the event are $150. For more information on making your donation contact Pat Thompson at 770-946-3921.
Crankin’ Up At The Capitol: NASCAR stars and Georgia lawmakers will be mixing it up on the streets around the Capitol next Thursday. Governor Sonny Perdue has invited Daytona 500 Champion Kevin Harvick and around a half-dozen of his friends to kick off race week activities for Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The March 15th event will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the State Capitol Building and several race cars will be displayed on Mitchell Street.
Other drivers scheduled to appear with Harvick and Governor Perdue include Rusty Wallace, David Ragan, Joey Clanton, Bill Lester and Chase Miller.
Saturday’s Allan Vigil Ford 120 will air from the Cumming Fairgrounds Quarter-Midget track, 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m., on Newstalk 750 WSB Radio and www.wsbradio.com. For more race information visit our Fastcar Newsdesk at www.captainherb.net.
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