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| April 11, 2008 | NEWEST - PRIOR WEEK - ARCHIVES |
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| "It's The Norm" - Las Vegas Entertainment Events | |
NHRA RACING & NORMAN KAYE BENEFIT
This is the weekend a lot of "Thunder Sound" seekers have been waiting for. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is in town for its first of two visits to our little village. The pro guys, guys like John Force, Tony Schumacher, Greg Anderson and the Pedregons (Cruz and Tony) will be hitting The Strip (the 1/4 mile drag strip) beginning this afternoon (Friday, April 11) to qualify in their respective classes for the shootout on Sunday. If you've never been to an NHRA professional meet, then you're in for a very special treat, if and when you get to watch and listen to a Top Fuel or a Funny Car roar down The Strip. The noise is unbelievable. The earth beneath your feet feels like an earthquake is taking place (it actually moves and shakes). It's a fantastic experience to say the least.
Antron Brown, who was at the media luncheon for the Ninth Annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals earlier this week, has moved over from Pro Stock Motorcycle to race down the 1/4 mile in a Top Fuel race car sponsored by Matco Tools Racing. There's a vast difference, as he is learning, going from a motorcycle to a race car, and traveling at speeds in excess of 320 mph. "My crew chief, Lee Beard, told me once, during familiarization, that it will be a mind blowing experience when I get up to the top end of the speed chart," Brown said. "And, it was! As a matter of fact I closed my eyes for a brief second and when I opened them I was already across the finish line. That was mind blowing!"  From 1998 to 2007, Brown, 32, rode professionally in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. During that span of time, he won 16 events, failing to qualify only once in 1998. In 2007, his last year on a bike, he was sponsored by the U.S. Army, as part of a two bike team owned by Don Schumacher. Brown's teammate was champion Angelle Sampey. Thus far, after four events, Brown has one victory at Houston, and sits in third place with 279 points. |
John Force, who holds most of the Funny Car Records, is entered this weekend. He's going for another record setting special and, should he accomplish it, it'll probably stand for a long, long time. Force currently has 996 career round victories and should he win all four rounds (it is possible gang), John, 58, will be the first drag racer to ever reach the 1000 victory mark. That's like a NASCAR driver breaking Richard Petty's record of 300 victories - it'll never happen! The Pro qualifying session gets underway Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m and again at noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Pre-race ceremonies on Sunday get underway at 10 a.m. with the final pro eliminations set to begin at 11 a.m. For ticket pricing and to purchase call 644-4444. Norman Kaye. Geeze. What can one say about a man who has done so much and is so loved by so many, and has had more written about his life than most people ever receive?  Not in one's lifetime would so many people be affected as those lives that have been touched in so many ways by Norman (lead paragraph in his own biography). And, gang, that's so true. I remember when I moved here in late 1965 and was looking for a home. I was told that there was only one guy you would want to deal with, "as he wouldn't cheat ya," one friend told me, "and that is Norman Kaye!" I went to Mr. Kaye, who I had met earlier in my life when he was (and still is) a founding member of the world famous Mary Kaye Trio. And, sure enough, he found me a nice little house that I could afford. We remained friends from that day on. That's the kind of guy Norman is. If you shook hands with him you had a deal. He would look you square in the eye and say, "If you ever need anything call me." You could tell he meant it too. Over the years, we would run into each other and talk about the good ol' days - and they were good ol' days, believe me! We had fun in those days. Well, now, Norman Kaye is in need of some help. He suffered a very severe stroke a while back and survived (thank God). His follow up has called for him to stay in a rehab facility before he can go home. Unfortunately, his insurance ran out and now he is on a co-pay basis - his share is $128.00 a day. Who in the heck can afford that kind of out of pocket expense? So Nelson Sardelli (one of the presidents of the F.I.O.R.E. organization) has assembled a group of men and ladies to put on a very special tribute fundraiser to help Barbara and Norman meet those damn bills that never stop coming. It'll be held at The Orleans in its big showroom Sunday, April 20th. As I am writing this, the show will start at 12 noon. As of the last committee meeting, an array of entertainers numbering more than 34 singers, magicians, impressionists and musicians have indicated they will be there to help out. I feel it would be unfair to point out just one or two of the named stars that will be there, without mentioning everyone else. So, needless to say, I will not mention any single person. But, I will tell you this... You will be royally entertained for a price of only $20.00. More on this subject next week. But should you want to learn who will be there, check out this Web site, www.enormousnorm-a-thon.com. Well, gang, that's about it for this week. I'm outa here and headed for The Strip!
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