by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Well the "Boys of Thunder" have been here and gone. Of course, I'm writing about the NASCAR Sprint Cup series (formerly Winston and then Nextel) drivers, who tested those new fangled Cars of Today (COT) at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Monday and Tuesday.

Just about any driver that can lift himself inside a Cup car was here for two solid days of testing. Not only were the drivers testing the cars, but Goodyear was testing some new compounds for the coming season. Most drivers were complimentary about the new tires and all were looking forward to the final testing sessions before the season gets underway at Daytona in 15 days.

The surprise (well not really) of the two days was the speed posted by Pablo Montoya on the final day of testing: 186.761 mph in the No 42 Texaco / Havoline Dodge, eclipsing the track record of 184.752 set by Kasey Kahne in 2007. A.J. Allmendinger was second in his Toyota at 185.752, with Casey Mears' Chevrolet third at 185.344. The Toyotas of the Gibbs Racing Team were also very strong during the test, with its drivers, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, posting high numbers.

The schedule for LVMS and the NASCAR Sprint weekend is as follows: Qualifying for the UAW-Dodge 400 will be Friday, Feb. 29, with the race taking place on Sunday, March 2, and the Nationwide (formerly Busch) Sam's Town 300 event racing on Saturday, March 1. More than 155,000 are expected to attend the Sunday race with another 90,000 for the Nationwide event.

The fun time, however, took place Tuesday evening at the new Pole Position Raceway, an innovative indoor kart track that opened in December. NASCAR Champion and a Las Vegan at heart, Kurt Busch, who is also an investor in the Las Vegas track, brought a few of his buddies along to help him celebrate the red carpet, VIP Grand Opening. And, what a party it was too. Vegas Vodka was the official sponsor for the festivities and, hey, it's a very smooth drink. I was informed by one of the three Vegas Vodka Ladies that it (the product) had won several awards.

Among the many celebrities on hand was the original owner / designer of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), Richie Cline. Chris Powell and Jeff Motley, representing the LVMS, were there as were some notable race car drivers from the past and the present, including Sam Schmidt. Schmidt won an Indy race at LVMS before an accident, during a test session, crippled him. NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in attendance were Busch, Robbie Gordon and Jason Leffler, along with ESPN / ABC reporter Jamie Little. Former Indy 500 Champion Al Unser, Jr., who has a home in Las Vegas, was there to keep the competition honest. By that I mean there was a celebrity race with the above mentioned drivers competing in the 45 mph electric karts. They were joined by Indy Pro series driver Al Unser III, X-Games Gold Medalist Ken Block, and four-time World Hill Climb Champion Kerry Peterson. Steve Harwell, lead singer of the band "Smashmouth," and Jason Beam, one of the premier motorsports helmet painters, completed the field. The competition was fierce and you would've thought they were racing for a million bucks, instead of bragging rights. Junior led the race from the first lap to capture the checkered flag, with Gordon finishing second and Unser III taking third. Of course, there was a wee bit of bumping going on in the pack during the 12 laps - but it was all in good fun.

Pole Position Raceway is open Sunday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to midnight and Friday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. For more information call (702) 227-7223 or log on to www.polepositionraceway.com.

Attended the VIP / Media night for the new show at Harrah's on the Las Vegas Strip, "Hats! The Musical." One thing is for sure, the room was filled with ladies wearing their very best red hats. Some were wearing pink and others purple, which of course confused me to no end because I am a guy and I do not wear hats. But the show, I think, is very clever and definitely has a place on the musical stages of our country. Just not sure how long a life it'll have in our village, but with more than 1 1/2 million members of the "Red Hat Society," I would venture it should be around for the rest of this decade. One of my favorite people is featured in this edition, Corrie Sachs. This petite blond, who is married to one of the top bass players in the country, can belt out a song with the best of them and does. The songs in the play have been arranged, written or changed by some of the best in the business, including Melissa Manchester, Pam Tillis, Henry Krieger and Kathie Lee Gifford. I personally liked most of the songs with Dolly Coulter doing a funny Hispanic styled Carmen Miranda (remember her from those crazy movies in the 40s)? This play is worth the price of admission and you will not be disappointed.

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and yours truly will be celebrating his birthday big-time... I think... Nancy Barr is planning something, but what, when and where is a mystery to me... I do know she got into my computer and copied some e-mail addresses... hummmm, could it be a party? Duh! But, alas, I will find out soon enough... Just about every hotel and restaurant in our village will have something special going on for Valentine's. The MGM properties I know for sure have a lot happening especially at the Border Grill and Giorgio (Mandalay Bay), Diego and Fiamma (MGM Grand) and Onda at the Mirage. Bellagio's Jean Philippe Patisserie has also created some very special Valentine treats for the lovers of our world... Been invited to go and see the "3 Redneck Tenors" at the Luxor. Should be an interesting night, but how does one compare three against four (the Las Vegas Tenors)... The Boyd Group of restaurants also have a lot happening on the Red Heart Day, especially at the Arriva Italian Restaurant inside the Gold Coast... Bill Engvall will be making his stand-up comedy debut at Treasure Island on Friday, Feb. 29, with shows at 8 and 10:30 p.m... The Golden Nugget will unveil its Gold Diggers Nightclub on Feb. 8th... Don't forget the Annual F.I.O.R.E. Valentine's Party on Feb. 12 at Take 1 Restaurant (7th and Fremont). Of course this is a special event where Ladies are urged to attend. Nelson Sardelli, one of the Non-Presidents Presidents always makes sure the Ladies get a rose on these special event days. It starts at 11:30 a.m. and usually lasts until about 1:30 or 2 p.m. It's really a bunch of fun, and I'd venture to say about 40 to 50 guys usually attend and bring their Ladies along. But, single Ladies are welcome too... Oh, don't want to forget, Carmine Mandia with Ned Mills will perform his "Tribute to Bobby Darin" show Saturday, Feb. 9th at the Starbright Theatre...

Well, gang, that's about it for this week.

I'm outa here!

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