The countdown has begun for the most exciting weekend of motor racing. It will be three delicious days of NASCAR madness and mayhem. This year it'll be even faster and more exciting than ever before with all the new track changes and rules! I'm reliably told to expect some track speeds hitting the 190 mph mark!!!
An incredible invasion of auto fanatics from across America -- maybe as many as 175,000 -- are headed to town with 2,000 international journalists and TV crews for the pit party with such race greats as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. It's the sell-out 10th annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Nextel Cup race on Sunday and the Sam's Town 300 Busch Series 200-lap race on Saturday, with the winning purse standing at over $1.5 million.
Our local race heroes, Vegas hometown speedsters Kurt Busch, 28, and 21-year-old brother Kyle will once again be battling at speeds heading towards 200 mph to claim their first home-sweet-home checkered flag victory out at the 1.5 mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. They've come so close in previous years, but always just been pipped at the post!
As in the past three years, I'll do the duties on the pre-race show as emcee. Having introduced the 43 cars and drivers and their pole positions -- and we're not talking a Sin City strip joint -- I turn the order "gentlemen start your engines" over to the national FOX telecast to cover the 400-mile, 267 lap race with its purse of over $6 million. Fasten your seatbelts and come on out you motor heads! LUXE LIFE will have all the updated news regarding entertainment and performers in our Friday edition later this week.
Big changes are waiting for Speedway fans this year. Owner Bruton Smith has made major big-dollar changes there with increased stands to eventually accommodate 200,000 fans, improved pit areas so fans can get a closer look at the action pre-race, and the track banking in the turns will be narrowed but increased from 12 degrees to 20 degrees to produce more exciting racing. "Vegas will be the best speedway complex in the world this week," he told me. "Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world so we have to be the biggest and best." Four of the five largest buildings in the infield have been torn down and replaced with structures closer to the grandstands as Bruton invest $300-million in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway 's super-plans.
The centerpiece is the Neon Garage which will be opened for us the first time on Wednesday and LUXE LIFE will have the photos right here in time for the weekend of prime-time racing. It's a fan's interactive dream come true. The four garage buildings have been constructed in a diamond shape with team haulers parked on the outside and fans allowed in on the inside. The two-level, four-building complex totals 32,000 square feet with a 52,000 square foot roof deck so fans can look directly down into the individual garage stalls as teams work on their cars. My friend Chris Powell, LVMS g.m. told me: "It's a perspective on the sport of auto racing that has never been available to race fans before. Call it adding the entertainment element. Race fans get the opportunity to see their favorite drivers up-close and that strong relation ship is really alive and well at LVMS."
But it's the dramatic change to the added banking of the super speedway and the new pit road that has fans anxiously hoping for bigger thrills chills and spills than the recent Daytona race. The speedway turns change from 12-degree banking to 20 degrees and the new pit road moves almost 200 feet closer to the grandstands. . "That means more side-by-side racing," explained Chris." It makes us the most competitive track on the circuit. Fans get closer and get a crisper view of the exciting action in the pits. Bruton has been a visionary since he began building speedways but the improvements here set the new nationwide standard."
Here for LUXE LIFE readers is the racing rundown for you to keep as your guide to the weekend activities:
Thursday, March 8
No spectator activity at Superspeedway
11 a.m. - Haulers enter
Noon - Pit gates open
12:30 p.m. - NASCAR Busch Series registration opens
1 p.m. - NASCAR Busch Series garage opens
4 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series haulers enter
5 p.m. - Las Vegas Dirt Classic at 1/2-mile dirt track begins (Late Models, CRA Sprint Cars)
6 p.m. - NASCAR Busch Series garage and registration closed
Friday, March 9
Spectator gates open at 8 a.m
5:30 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series registration opens
6 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series garages open
6:30 a.m. - Track services meeting (Petty/Andretti building)
7:30 a.m. - NASCAR Busch Series rookie and spotter meeting, drawing for qualifying order
8:30-9:30 a.m. - NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 practice
9:40-10:10 a.m. - NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 rookie practice
10:20-11:20 a.m. - NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 final practice
10:30 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rookie and spotter meetings, draw for qualifying order
11 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series HOT PASS in effect
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 practice
Noon - Pit gates open
2:40 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup HOT PASS in effect
3:10 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 qualifying (two laps, all positions)
5:05 p.m. - NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 qualifying
5:30 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series garage and registration closed
7 p.m. - NASCAR Busch Series garage and registration closed.
Saturday, March 10
Spectator gates open at 8 a.m
7 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series garage and registration opens
7:30 a.m. - Track services meeting (Petty/Andretti building), NASCAR Busch Series garage and registration opens
8:30 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series HOT PASS in effect
9-9:50 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 practice. 9:50-10:20 a.m. - TV exhibition run
10 a.m. - NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 driver and crew chief meeting (Media Center)
10:20-11:20 - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 final practice
11:30 a.m. - NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 driver introductions (security will clear pit road)
Noon - NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 (200 laps, 300 miles)
1 p.m. - NASCAR Busch Series registration closed
2 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series garage and registration closed
Sunday, March 11
Spectator gates open at 7 a.m
7 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series garage and registration opens
10 a.m. - Track services meeting (Petty/Andretti building)
11:30 a.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 driver and crew chief meeting (Media Center)
12:30 p.m. - Pre-race activities begin; NASCAR Nextel Cup Series HOT PASS in effect (until one hour after race)
1 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 driver introductions (security will clear pit road)
1:30 p.m. - NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles)
Looking forward to seeing you out there. And don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour Sunday morning for Daylight Savings Time. You'll lose an hours worth of sleep but you wont be late for the race!
BETTE'S RESEARCH
The divine Miss M is really gearing up for her expected run at Caesars Palace when Celine Dion takes a "retirement" break this coming December. Bette Midler is doing some serious research around town with her husband, Martin von Haselberg, her tour manager Marty Horn and famous choreographer Toni Basil she was spotted taking diligent notes while watching 'LOVE' at the Mirage. She even went backstage afterwards to meet all the cast and crew and then took in the late show of 'Phantom of the Opera' at The Venetian. She told them she was enthralled with their voices and loved the lavish sets, costumes and special effects. Earlier the same day she'd gone backstage for a meet and greet with the cast and crew of 'KA,' another Cirque show at the MGM Grand, which she'd watched the previous night! You can expect Bette's run at Caesars to include comedy and songs liberally sprinkled with local Vegas references! Incidentally at 'LOVE' the same night as Bette was 'Dreamgirls' director Bill Condon with his family on a Vegas celebration trip for his Oscar wins.
STRIP SCRIBBLES
It was a triple turnout of talent for 'LOVE' during the weekend: Actor Peter MacNicol with his family and actresses Claire Danes and 'Heroe's' star Hayden Panettiere with 'Laguna Beach' boyfriend Stephen Colletti and her parents all loved the show! The night before Michael McDonald, formerly of the Doobie Brothers, attended with his family. ... Vegas' newest resident, Michael Jackson arrived in Japan over the weekend for a meet and greet with fans set for Thursday where VIP's will pay $3,500 to get a handshake and their photo taken in 30 seconds, and on Friday he'll meet the three winning fan/artists he picked for submitting hundreds of portraits of himself.
TONIGHT'S TIP
The official opening party for the Nightclub and Bar Convention that honors the top 100 nightclubs in the country is sponsored by the Palms and Las Vegas Food and Beverage Magazine and takes over all four of its nightspots: Moon, ghostbar, Rain and the Playboy Club. I'm told 14 maybe 18 Vegas clubs will be recognized and honored in the Top 100 making Vegas the best city on earth for nightlife. Sammy Hagar will bring his Waboritas to do a Cabo Wabo concert in Rain as part of the celebrations.
TOMORROW'S TEASE
We'll have the up-close and personal face-to-face with the 12 cast members of Ryan Seacrest's new 'Paradise City' E! TV series that debuted last night with a screening and party at the Hard Rock. My friends, Playboy centerfold Destiny Davis and TV anchor Molly Sullivan along with hypnotist Anthony Cools are just three of the group showing how we live and love in Sin City! And a chance rare exclusive meeting -- plus photos -- with former world heavyweight champion Smokin' Joe Frazier backstage with entertainer Gordie Brown.
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