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| March 14-20, 2002 | ARCHIVES |
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| "It's The Norm" - Recent Entertainment Events in Las Vegas | |
Guest Columnist: Jaymelynne Raudenbush When growing up auto racing always surrounded me. It was everywhere I went. My grandfather Norm Johnson (the real columnist) raced cars and on occasion still does. So it's kind of safe to say it's in the blood (which could explain the many speeding tickets I've accumulated). On weekends that’s all there was on TV. Racing, which now doesn't bother me a bit, is actually amazing and very exciting. Being 21 now I look at it with a completely different aspect. I can't wait for the races to get here (which unfortunately is only once a year). And waiting for the start is something else. It also helps when the drivers and pit crews are not to bad looking either. On a serious note, however, there is more to it then just that! The UAW DaimlerChrysler 400 was held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I was pleased to have been given the experience of what racing is really all about from the media aspect. Thursday February 28, was my first experience, it was the Winston No Bull 5 event in the Storm theatre at Mandalay Bay. Winston matched up five drivers with five civilians with a chance, for both, to win an extra $1-million bonus in Sundays race. The Winston Cup drivers were Tony Stewart No. 20 Home Depot; Bobby Hamilton No. 55 Square D; Matt Kenseth No. 17 DeWalt Tools; and my two personal favorites Jeff Burton No. 99 Citgo and last but certainly not least Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the No. 8 Budweiser. Thursday I was able to meet two of the nicest guys (which is few and far between these days) Dale Junior and Jeff. Although I wasn't able to talk to either of them as much as I wanted (especially Dale Jr.) there's always next time. I was amazed how each driver handled the media so well. At times it seemed like Junior got a little nervous (twiddling his fingers is usually a pretty good sign) but he still handled them with grace. Friday March 1, Todd Bodine won the pole for Sundays big 400-mile race in Travis Carter's un-sponsored car. Bodine won the Bud Pole award and accomplished that in a record setting time of 32.241 seconds (172.850 mph). "That was pretty awesome for a un-sponsored car," Bodine said. "Who knew when we tested here in January that the sponsorship would go away. The money coming out here to race was already spent on rooms and the flights were already reserved, so the only thing we hadn't already spent was the money for tires. So it wasn't like we spent extra money," Bodine added. Freshman Ryan Newman qualified second and started the race right next to Todd. Las Vegas native and favorite Kurt Busch started the race in the third slot. Junior started in the back of the pack at the 35th position. |
I was able to walk around the garage area, which might not sound like fun to most of you, but it was an absolute blast for me. It's great to see the drivers and pit crews working together, really hard to have the fastest and best car out on the track. It gives you a better understanding of why they are so dedicated to their work. While walking around the garage area you can usually spot the girls which some drivers and pit crews call "pit lizards", who are looking for dates with hopefully a driver or at least a crewmember. It's not the best but to them I guess it's okay. I, on the other hand, hope I wasn't considered among them! I'm sure I wasn't, because my grandfather sorta made sure of that. Saturday March 2, the NASCAR SAM'S TOWN Busch event (200 laps 300 miles.) was raced with Jeff Burton running in the lead and taking the checkered flag for his second Busch series win in Las Vegas (first back in 2000). Jeff is the youngest to win the Busch Series in Las Vegas. Sunday March 3 was the race that got the most hype and which naturally brought in a lot of fans. During the 400-mile Cup race, Tony Stewart had the car to beat but was hurt with a late inning pit stop. Sterling Marlin in No. 40 Coors Dodge led the last 16 laps after passing Jeremy Mayfield's No. 19 Dodge. Marlin took the checkered flag with Mayfield finishing second followed by Ryan Newman in third. My favorite, Junior moved up 19 positions from a 35th starting position to grab 16th place. The
weekend was a bit windy but it was still a lot of fun and a great experience
that I will never forget. I had a great time.
To sum it up in two words "Completely Awesome."
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