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| February 29, 2008 | NEWEST - PRIOR WEEK - ARCHIVES |
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| "It's The Norm" - Las Vegas Entertainment Events | |
NASCAR RACES INTO TOWN
It's that time of the year again, what I like to call "Thunder Week in Las Vegas!" It's when the boys (actually men) of NASCAR come to play in our little backyard. Well, to be honest, our huge back yard, The Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And, to think Bruton Smith (he owns the track) has called a press conference for 2:30 p.m. today (Friday) to announce something. You want to know what he'll be announcing? I'll lay you 150 pennies to one he'll be telling those gathered in the media center that he's moving one of two races he recently purchased back east to Las Vegas - which will give us two NASCAR Sprint Cup series races. Yeah, it's about time! Anyhow, the haulers are in the stable, the drivers are on the track practicing today and getting all prepared for the big NASCAR Nationwide (formerly Busch) series Sam's Town 300 on Saturday and the NASCAR UAW-Dodge 400, Sunday.
It's not too hard to remember a few years back when all there was at the track (LVMS) was a little oval bullring (not bad for a bullring), a fairly decent road course and an old and worn out drag strip. Then around 1994, Richie Cline, a guy with a vision, approached two of our more daring casino owners - William Bennett and Ralph Engelstad - with an idea to build a speedway. They agreed to put up the money (about $150 million I believe) and the green flag was given to get started. Richie had to do a lot of wheelin' and dealin' first, however: there was a railroad spur that ran right through the property (it had to be moved) and there were a few other obstacles. But the three men got what they needed - a permit from the county and approval of the United States Air Force in early 1995 to build the speedway. A lot of the planning was done right at the Imperial Palace, where Cline ran the Auto Collection (and still does). Richie also traveled all over the country looking at other speedways and various facilities, before the final blueprint was approved.  On September 15, 1996, the first major race was held on the new 1 1/2 mile banked speedway. It was the Indy Racing League Las Vegas 500 K. Cline had boasted that the new speedway would be the finest ever constructed - and he was damn near right. He had separate washrooms for ladies and men with various lotions available, hand towels (not paper) and other stuff not normally found at a speedway. Of course not all the bathrooms were ready for that first event. But, somehow, Richie Cline and his people pulled it together. I forget exactly how many people showed up for the first race, but it was a fairly large crowd. And, of course, the traffic was already a problem. That first race was won by Richie Hearn. |
The next race was on Nov. 3, 1996, when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series came to town for the CarQuest 420 K won by Jack Spraque. And on March 16, 1997, the fabulous NASCAR Busch series (now Nationwide) came to town for the first time. I remember watching and rooting for Dick Trickle (brother to Chuck Trickle of Las Vegas) to win the first Las Vegas 300 - and he almost did! Jeff Green, however, won the inaugural event. The crowd on that bright sunny day was overwhelming - I believe it was announced as 70,000. The 1998 Sam's Town 300 was won by one of my personal favorites, Jimmy Spencer (who now co-hosts the stuff leading up to the big races on Speed channel). And, the traffic remained a major problem. The next race was on Nov. 3, 1996, when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series came to town for the CarQuest 420 K won by Jack Spraque. And on March 16, 1997, the fabulous NASCAR Busch series (now Nationwide) came to town for the first time. I remember watching and rooting for Dick Trickle (brother to Chuck Trickle of Las Vegas) to win the first Las Vegas 300 - and he almost did! Jeff Green, however, won the inaugural event. The crowd on that bright sunny day was overwhelming - I believe it was announced as 70,000. The 1998 Sam's Town 300 was won by one of my personal favorites, Jimmy Spencer (who now co-hosts the stuff leading up to the big races on Speed channel). And, the traffic remained a major problem. Richie, Bennett and Engelstad proved themselves to NASCAR and were awarded a Winston Cup (now Sprint) race for the weekend of Feb. 27-March 1, 1998. Like in the Kevin Costner movie "Field of Dreams," "if you build it they will come," and the public responded with a total of somewhere around 130,000 for the entire weekend. That first race, The Las Vegas 400, was won by Mark Martin. And the traffic was now a real major concern. In mid-1998, Bruton Smith made an offer the three visionaries could not refuse, and purchased the speedway. That's when Chris Powell came aboard as general manager of the track and Jeff Motley took over public relations. From the day the ink dried on the purchase contract, Smith has poured a lot of green into the site - to make it one of the finest speedway facilities anywhere in the world for both competitors and spectators. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway will continue to grow under the leadership of Bruton Smith and his staff. It has already metamorphosed itself a couple of times since that first clump of dirt was turned back in 1995. On April 7, 2000, the first NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals were held on the new 1/4 mile drag strip named "The Strip." There are now two NHRA events every year. Speedway Motorsports just finished, almost, a complete rebuild of the speedway - taking away the old banked speedway and converting to a super high banked track; adding two terraces, the Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt; construction of a completely new media center, and of course the Neon Garage.  The problem with inflow and outflow of traffic has improved greatly over the years, and is now considered a minor problem - there is not the long, long, long wait to get in or out. There's just a slow movement now-a-days. So, now you know some of my memories (and forgotten history of the Speedway). There have been a lot of winners and losers. But one thing is certain - Las Vegas is always a winner, and the 160,000 people who'll be attending the UAW-Dodge 400 this Sunday will attest to that fact! Richie Cline, Bill Bennett and Ralph Engelstad should be recognized somewhere at the speedway for what they envisioned. After all, they got the ball rolling! That's it for this week. I'm outa here and you'll find me at the speedway!
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