STARS SHINE AT NASCAR AS CARL EDWARDS FLIPS FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEKEND VICTORY
It was another star-studded sell-out crowd of 155,000 NASCAR fans for yesterday’s (SUN) high-speed track thrills at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway—and winner Carl Edwards even back-flipped from the roof of his flying Ford to celebrate the $425,000 prize beating out rival Dale Earnhardt Jr. by just half-a-second!
It was Carl’s second-consecutive weekend win having grabbed the checkered flag last weekend in Fontana, California. Star-drivers Jeff Burton placed 5th, Kasey Kahne came in 7th and our hometown hero Kyle Busch finished in 11th place even though he started in the No. 1 pole position.
Jimmy Johnson who wanted to win for a fourth-consecutive time on the Vegas track finished 29th.
I emceed the pre-race show and introduced the 43 superb star- drivers.
Then we brought on the Blue Man Group from their Venetian theater for a 15-minute show and as Mandalay Bay’s Mamma Mia star Carol Linnae Johnson sang the “National Anthem’s” last line the USAF Thunderbirds formation team from nearby Nellis Air Force base roared overhead right on the split-second timing cue for their military salute!
Our merry Mayor of Mirth, Oscar Goodman was also on hand with four luscious leggy showgirls and urged all the fans to hold up two fingers to indicate their desire and his support of a second NASCAR race for Vegas.
We’ll have the secrets of my chat on that subject tomorrow (TUES) with track owner Bruton Smith who was celebrating his leap-year birthday—and old friend, legendary movie star and 1955 Oscar winner, Ernest Borgnine stopped by with congratulations.
Also out at the track, on a perfect weather day, was Luxor headliner, Carrot Top, Smashmouth rocker Steve Harwell, NFL Hall of Fame stars Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, country stars Blake Shelton and Danielle Peck, Pro Bowl Cincinnati Bengals’ kicker Shayne Graham and auto-making legend Carroll Shelby . Monte Carlo magician Lance Burton presented a pre-taped magic segment for the Fox network telecast of the race. Miss ZMax LeeAnn Fields and Miss Sprint Cup Anne-Marie Rhodes also escorted Mayor Goodman on stage.
There were the expected thrills, chills and spills as rubber met the road at speeds in excess of 180mph turning left! It was a combination of the new-banked track at LVMS in its second year and the new ‘car of the future’ models the drivers were working with. The slippery surface caused seven-drivers to slide on the first practice of the three-day weekend.
New Vegas resident Patrick Carpentier spun out of turn 4 and went right across the infield grass to avoid hitting the track wall. However early into the Sprint Cup race yesterday (SUN) his tire blew and he did hit the wall scrapping his continuing on. Another hometown hero Kurt Busch wrecked his car with just 11 laps to go and Jeff Gordon’s crashed Chevrolet, which broke apart, caused a 17-minute red flag delay while officials cleared the track. That left just two laps to go in a side-by-side sprint for Edwards and Earnhardt with Carl beating Dale by just half-a-second. It was Dale’s 64-consecutive loss.
Track owner Bruton Smith summed up: “ The economy might be softening but NASCAR fans still turned out in full support for a very exciting adventurous day of racing. We were perhaps down 10,000 grandstand seats, which is why we didn’t add-on the extra seating tower. But ticket sales to the Neon Garage viewing area and the motor home top-tier parking all increased and more than made up the difference. As I told the NASCAR governors and the Vegas visitor’s authority tourism officials this is the greatest place in America for NASCAR racing. Simply the best—and it adds $200-million in non-gaming revenues to the community every time we come here.”