THE NASCAR COUNTDOWN IS UNDERWAY
The countdown has begun for the most exciting weekend of motor racing on the annual calendar three-delicious days of NASCAR madness, mayhem and mega-speed mileage.
An incredible invasion of auto-fanatics from across America—maybe as many as 150,000—are in town with 2000 international journalists and TV crews for the penultimate pit party with such race greats as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and fighting-feuding Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart, It should be the 7th straight sell-out for the 11th annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Nextel Cup race on Sunday: 267 laps for 400 miles, with a purse of $6,459,779! The Sams Town 300 Busch Series 200-lap race over 300 miles is on Saturday, with the winning purse standing at over $1.6 million
Our local race heroes, Vegas hometown speedsters Kurt Busch, 29, and 22-year-old brother Kyle will once again be battling at speeds heading towards 200mph in an attempt to get a checkered flag victory out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Another Vegas driver, Patrick Carpentier will be competing in the pack. For the past three years NASCAR has been held the 2nd weekend of March but officials moved it forward to take away a “dead weekend” after last week’s rain-sodden, much delayed race in Fontana, California.
Here are the key facts for the two races in which just 17 drivers will do double-duty racing in both: A total of 43 cars will race on Saturday with last year’s winner Jeff Burton still holding the race record of 135.118 mph and Kevin Harvick hitting 181.11 mph for the qualifying record. It will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Jimmie Johnson has won the last three Sunday Sprint Cup races although the 1998 race record of 146.530 mph set by Mark Martin still stands. The qualifying record was last year by Kasey Kahane at 184.856 mph. It will be broadcast on Fox network TV starting at 12:30 p.m. with the flag going down at exactly 1:46 p.m. Speedway general manager Chris Powell told me that speeds should be faster this year as it’s the 2nd year of the new higher banked track and the surface has now worn in although he admits next year will be even faster!
As in the past three years I’ll “chopper” out there to handle the emcee duties on the pre-race show with my friends, the Blue Man Group from The Venetian, and both the Red Bull helicopter stunt show and skydive team jumps.
The National Anthem will be sung by Mandalay Bay’s Mamma Mia star Carol Linnae Johnson. Having introduced the 43 cars and drivers and their pole positions —and we’re not talking a sin-city strip joint pole, folks—we’ll have the USAF Thunderbirds flyover and then I turn the order “gentlemen start your engines” over to the national FOX telecast. Fasten your seatbelts and come on out you motorheads!
The weather forecast is for “near perfect conditions” with sunny skies and mild temperatures. Luxe Life will have the full photo-report right here on Monday. With 145,000 fans set to attend, it will still be the largest single-day sports event crowd on the annual Nevada calendar.
Here for Luxe Life readers is the racing rundown for you to keep as your guide to the weekend activities:
Friday, Feb. 29 (Gates open at 9 a.m.)
5:30 a.m. - NSCS registration opens.
6 a.m. - NSCS garage opens.
8 a.m. - NNS garage and registration opens.
8:30 a.m. - Track services meeting.
9:30 a.m. - NNS rookie and spotter meetings, drawing for qualifying order.
10:30-11:50 a.m. - NNS practice.
11 a.m. - NSCS rookie and spotter meetings, drawing for qualifying order.
11:30 a.m. - NSCS Hot Pass in effect.
Noon-1:30 p.m. - NSCS practice.
1:45-3:30 p.m. - NNS final practice.
3:10 p.m. - NSCS Hot Pass in effect.
3:40 p.m. - NSCS qualifying (two laps, all positions).
5-9 p.m. - Kurt Busch and show-car display—Palms Hotel & Casino
6 p.m. - NSCS and NNS garages and registration closes.
7 p.m. - Jamie McMurray—TI Hotel & Casino,
8.30 p.m. - Kenny Wallace and Mike Bliss autograph signing at hard Rock Hotel.
9 p.m. - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones perform at the Pearl in the Palms when Kurt Busch teams rock and racing
Saturday, March 1 (Gates open at 8 a.m.)
6 a.m. - NNS garage and registration opens.
7:30 a.m. - Track services meeting.
8:30 a.m. - NSCS garage and registration opens.
9:05 a.m. - NNS qualifying (all positions).
10 a.m. - NSCS Hot Pass in effect.
10:30-11:15 a.m. - NSCS practice.
11:15-11:45 a.m. - TV exhibition run—Blue Man Group will perform in the Neon Garage.
11:30 a.m. - NNS driver and crew chief meeting with the media
11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m. - NSCS final practice.
1 p.m. - NNS driver introductions.
1:30 p.m. - NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 (200 laps, 300 miles).
2:30 p.m. - NNS registration closes.
3 p.m. - NSCS garage and registration closes.
5:30-8 p.m. - Richard Petty Driving Experience rides.
Sunday, March 2 (Gates open at 7 a.m.)
7:30 a.m. - NSCS garage and registration opens.
8:30-10:30 a.m. - Speedway Children’s Charities Track Walk.
9:30 a.m. - Track services meeting.
10.- 10:30am Kurt Busch signs autographs at souvenir hauler—Blue Man Group will perform in the Neon Garage.
11:30 a.m. - NSCS driver and crew chief meeting
12:30 p.m. - NSCS Hot Pass in effect
1 p.m. - NSCS driver introductions—Blue Man Group will present a 15-minute show on the pre race stage prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series UAW-Dodge 400.
1:30 p.m. - NASCAR Sprint Cup Series UAW-Dodge 400 (267 laps, 400 miles).
2:30 p.m. - NSCS registration closes.
5:30 p.m. - 600 Racing events.
Incidentally, to kick off the NASCAR 2008 season Bikini Bay boutique in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood has a large selection of licensed NASCAR swimwear.
The bikini separates are designed for mixing and matching so shopper-fans can choose from their favorite drivers in a wide variety of colors and styles.