Happy Thursday. Today In Nascar History Dec. 3, 1938: Walker Evans, one of the best off-road drivers of all time, is born on this day. Evans, who has 142 victories and 21 championships in off-road racing, made 18 starts at age 56 in the initial season of the Truck Series. He finished 14th in the standings and returned in 1996 to start 23 of 24 races and finish 17th in points. Those are his only starts in NASCAR's top three series. Quote of the Year There's an unwritten rule in NASCAR: Thou shalt not take on Dale Earnhardt Jr. --Terry Blount/espn Countdown to Daytona 73 Bits and Pieces Brooks & Dunn to open awards show in Las Vegas By Official Release
Country music duo Brooks & Dunn have been added to the entertainment lineup for Friday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas, NASCAR announced Thursday. They'll open the show by performing their chart-topping country hit Only in America. The song, part of an opening segment honoring NASCAR's loyal fan base, will be packaged with a video titled The Spirit of the Fans, featuring a powerful narration by long-time television broadcast personality Ken Squier. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have announced that 2010 will be their last year together, highlighted by a farewell tour, "The Last Rodeo." Earlier this year they released their final album, a 30-song double-disc collection title #1s ... and then some. They have sold more than 30 million albums during a career dating to 1991, with 23 songs that reached No. 1 on the country music charts. They have a long-standing connection to NASCAR -- and the sport's fans. In 1997, Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time Cup Series champion who was the musicians' good friend, appeared as a special guest in their video for the hit song, Honky Tonk Truth. The video was comically based on Earnhardt's mustache-driven resemblance to Brooks, with Earnhardt "subbing" in for some air-guitar moves. In 2003, Sterling Marlin's car sported a Brooks & Dunn paint scheme for the Coca-Cola 600. Two months later, the duo performed at Daytona as part of "The Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert" to benefit the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. They returned to Daytona in 2008, heading the pre-race show for the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Brooks & Dunn join an entertainment lineup that is unprecedented in the awards ceremony's history. Comedian/impressionist Frank Caliendo, will serve as the host while two other premier musical acts will add to the ceremony's debut in Las Vegas: singer/songwriter David Gray, a Grammy-nominated artist with album sales exceeding 12 million; and Escala, a female electric string quartet who emerged during last year's Britain's Got Talent television show. Comedian John Pinette returns for his second consecutive appearance at the awards ceremony. Serving as the event's emcees will be Mike Joy and Krista Voda from NASCAR on FOX and SPEED. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live at 9 p.m. ET on SPEED. Roger Penske Donates $25,000 Scholarship For Female Seeking NASCAR Career By NASCAR Media Release
Universal Technical Institute (UTI) Foundation announced Thursday that Roger Penske has donated $25,000 toward the Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarship for one qualified female to attend UTI's NASCAR Technical Institute, in Mooresville, N.C. The Penske award is part of the Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund for women pursuing careers in the automotive industry. Davis, a UTI graduate and NASCAR Sprint Cup official, died tragically in 2008. "The automotive industry needs outstanding people, like Brienne Davis, who are dedicated to top-notch service," said Roger Penske, chairman, of Penske Corporation. "This scholarship was created to provide more opportunities for women committed to pursuing technical excellence through a career in the motorsports and racing industries." "Roger Penske's commitment to education and helping people succeed is an inspiration to us all," said Veronica Meury, vice president and executive director of the UTI Foundation. "This scholarship will help another deserving woman pursue her dream, a successful career in NASCAR." In addition to the $25,000 scholarship, the Foundation, through the support of The NASCAR Foundation and the NASCAR family, will also be awarding three $10,000 Brienne Davis Memorial Scholarships to women who wish to attend one of UTI's : nine automotive campuses across the U.S. The deadline for scholarship applications is Dec. 31, 2009. "Through donations such as Mr. Penske's and those of the participants of the second NASCAR Official Jail & Bail, we are able to help fund the education of young women across the U.S.," said Pam Ford, NASCAR official. "Brienne Davis was a very ambitious woman who touched the hearts of many. By distributing scholarships to aspiring young women, we keep her memory alive." Logano, Hendrick, Martin Win Sporting News awards By Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service/Bill Marx
Joey Logano, at 19, the youngest driver to win a Sprint Cup Series race, is the Sporting News rookie of the year, the magazine announced Wednesday. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick is owner of the year, and Mark Martin is the 2009 Dale Earnhardt Tough Driver. The top driver and crew chief will be announced Thursday. All five awards were voted on by Sprint Cup drivers, crew chiefs and owners. Logano, driving Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 made famous by Tony Stewart, finished 20th in the points standings. He won one race and finished in the top five three times and in the top 10 seven times. Logano's win came in the Lenox 301 in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "It was definitely a big deal to get The Home Depot a win, to get the No. 20 team a win—they'd won at least one every year since they've been going," Logano said. "So that was something really cool to keep going for them. "It was a big momentum builder. I had my tough times in the beginning of the season, but I feel like when we come to these places now, we're a lot better." Hendrick Motorsports had a historic season. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson set a series record with his fourth consecutive championship, and Hendrick drivers—Johnson, Martin and Jeff Gordon—finished 1-2-3 in the final standings, the first time drivers from the same team claimed the top three spots. "Rick has been talking about that 1-2-3 finish in the points," Hendrick Motorsports general manager Marshall Carlson said after the Ford 400, the final race of the season. "It's never been done. And behind the curtain to see how these guys race together in an extremely competitive environment is really phenomenal, and that's a credit to Rick's leadership." All told, Hendrick drivers won 13 races and 12 poles. Only Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to win a race or qualify for the year-end Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Martin was one of the big stories of the year. At the age of 50, Martin raced full time for the first time since 2006 and put together one of the best seasons in a career that began in 1981. He won five races, a series-high seven poles and his bid for his first championship didn't end until the final race of the season. "At Phoenix, when we were leading, I couldn't see a lot of guys in our mirror, because we had a nice lead," Johnson said. "But I looked up on the pylon and saw he was fourth and said, 'There he is.' He's not affected by pressure. He's not affected by situations, and he's going to give a hundred percent every time he's in the car—so the only way you beat him is by giving a hundred percent."
Johnson wins 4th Qtr Driver of the Year Award: #48-Jimmie Johnson was voted fourth quarter Driver of the Year 2009 by a panel of broadcasters and journalists. Johnson, the Driver of the Year in 2006 and 2007, wrapped up his fourth- straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship then took 12 out of the 16 first-place votes and was the only driver on all ballots. He earned 130 points. Kyle Busch, his on-track rival, was second with 53 points. NHRA's Robert Hight was third with 49-points. Kyle Busch, who wrapped up his first championship, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, in addition to his full-time driving duties in the Sprint Cup series, also scored wins in Camping World Series and received one first-place vote. NHRA's Robert Hight who scored a Funny Car Championship for owner, John Force, (Driver of the Year in 1996) had two first-place votes. Dario Franchitti who won his second IndyCar title finished fourth in the voting with 41 points. Top Fuel's Tony Schumacher, last year's Driver of the Year was fifth. A total of 14 drivers scored points in the fourth quarter voting. In its' 42nd year, the Driver of the Year title is unique and the oldest award of its' type. A panel of 20 leading journalists from across the U.S. determines the winner. In quarterly voting, points are awarded on a declining 9, 6, 4,3,2,1 basis. Johnson will receive a trophy and a Tissot wristwatch to be presented at a later date. A secret ballot to name the Driver of the Year 2009 will be conducted this week and results will announced.(DOTY) Championship "Tire Specialist" award announced: Champion Tire & Wheel announced the 2009 Sprint Cup "Consistently Smooth" award goes to Hendrick Motorsports's Lisa Smokstad and Zach Miller. The award recognizes the skill and effort of the team's tire specialist in overseeing the organization and management of their tire and wheel program. Both Lisa and Zach teamed up to handle the championship effort. The tire specialist is a critical piece in the formula for a championship team as it takes over 2,500 tires and wheels to run the full Sprint Cup season. The lead crystal trophy will be presented to Lisa & Zach at the team's shop in Charlotte with #48 team manager Michael Landis, and crew chief Chad Knaus. In addition to the Sprint Cup series recipients, Champion Tire and Wheel will also present Joe Gibb's Racing's, Jason Clements, the Championship tire specialists award for the Nationwide Series, and Scott Haller of Kevin Harvick Racing, the award for the Camping World Truck Series.(Champion Tire & Wheel PR) #42 Pit Crew to be honored: Tuesday night on Eddie D'Hondt's radio show "The NASCAR Insider" heard each Tuesday [5:00 - 6:00 pm/et] on the Power Up Motorsports Channel, Ted Abdon of Mechanixwear announced, at the annual NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards ceremony to be held Thursday in Las Vegas at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino from 1:00 - 2:45 PM/PT, he will present the # 42 Ganassi/Earnhardt - Juan Montoya, NASCAR Sprint Cup team with the "2009 Mechanixwear Pit Crew of the Year" award. This award is elected by the crew chiefs of the entire Sprint Cup Series and the folks from Mechanixwear not only present the prestigious silver Mechanixwear glove award to the team, but they also present them with a check for $100,000 and they fly the entire Juan Montoya pit crew to Las Vegas to receive their award. Abdon went on to say that Mechanixwear will also be renewing their program with NASCAR for the next five years. Johnson to run Rolex 24: Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will kick off his 2010 racing season at Daytona International Speedway in the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31, the prestigious twice-around-the-clock challenge and the ultimate test of driver and machine. For the third straight year, Johnson will co-drive the # 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing entry - the 2009 Rolex Series Daytona Prototype champions - with the team's lead drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty as well as open-wheel veteran Jimmy Vasser. The 2010 Rolex 24 will be Johnson's fifth appearance in the grueling race that kicks off the season for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask #16. Johnson has a best finish of second in both the 2005 and 2008 Rolex 24s.(Daytona Speedway PR) Andretti uncertain of 2010 plans: Veteran barnstormer John Andretti said he is virtually certain to make another attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in May but said the demands of a NASCAR schedule have brought him to a crossroads in his 22-year career. Andretti, the 46-year-old nephew of legend Mario Andretti, competed in 34 Sprint Cup events, finishing 36th in points, in 2009. He placed 19th for Richard Petty Motorsports in his 10th Indy 500. "I'm kind of at a stage in my life where I want to enjoy everything, my family," said Andretti, who has won national series races in stock, sports, open wheel and drag racing cars. "This last year has been pretty taxing on me because I am gone all the time. So I need to really dig deep to see if I want to do it again. I enjoy the team I am with, I like the owner, and that's really what got me to do this [in 2009]. The Indianapolis 500, I would say just go ahead and write that in, but I don't know if I can go on the road and do 34 races. I am not young, but I am compared to Mark Martin, and I enjoy doing it, so it's tough."(Sports Illustrated) Kyle Busch, other drivers running Snowball Derby: Race fans might have thought the 2009 racing season ended on Nov. 22 when NASCAR's three major series competed at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But they were wrong. Racing purists know the racing season is never complete until a champion is crowned in the Snowball Derby, the country's most prestigious short-track race that occurs each December at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. The 42nd Snowball Derby is slated for Sunday, Dec. 6 and will culminate four days of exciting racing action at Northwest Florida's half-mile gem. Several NASCAR stars, including 2009 Nationwide Series champion Kyle Busch, will compete against the country's best Super Late Model drivers, all of whom are seeking to affix their name to the coveted Tom Dawson Memorial Trophy. Hoping to earn a spot in this year's elite 38-car field will be former Snowball Derby champion Steve Wallace and David Stremme, who race on the Nationwide Series. James Buescher and Brian Scott from the Camping World Trucks Series also hope to make the big show. Two other potential future stars with famous last names will try to qualify for the Derby - Chase Elliott, son of former Cup champion Bill Elliott, and Ross Kenseth, son of another former Cup champ, Matt Kenseth. The green flag waves at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in the 42nd annual Snowball Derby. (Gulf Breeze News) Tire test at Auto Club: Goodyear has a tire test scheduled for Dec. 15-16 at Auto Club Speedway in California. #9-Kasey Kahne (Ford) is expected to attend along with the #12-Brad Keselowski (Dodge). #20-Joey Logano (Toyota) and #31-Jeff Burton (Chevy).(FoxSports) Johnson roast the best show in town By Terry Blount/ESPN.com LAS VEGAS -- It wasn't X-rated, but it was close. The Jimmie Johnson roast on Wednesday was adults-only entertainment. No surprise in Sin City, but it might have surprised a few of the 300 fans who paid $250 a ticket to attend the show at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If so, they should have stayed home. A church service, it wasn't. But it was bust-a-gut humor from start to finish. If only the awards banquet could be this good. But NASCAR would have to move the telecast to HBO and have a pre-event warning about adult content. Everything was fair game, from JJ's hair loss to his sex life. One example from Ryan Newman: "Wow. Four championships in a row, Jimmie. I bet you wish you could do that with your wife." Then Newman looked at 82-year-old Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith. "Hey Bruton," Newman said. "You got some pills for Jimmie to help him?" And this from former teammate Brian Vickers, one of Johnson's closest friends: "Jimmie does take a pill every day," Vickers said. "It's Propecia. If he didn't take it, he'd be bald by now. I think that's his secret. It's the hair. He started taking the pill about the same time he started winning championships." And that's the clean stuff. Four-letter words were flying. Many of the jokes, some of which I can't repeat here, were worthy of a Vegas nightclub act. The Chase drivers, along with comedian Kevin Burke (the event host), let loose. But they spent more time roasting each other than they did Johnson. Burke got in a shot at every Chase driver. On Mark Martin: "I'm not saying Mark is old, but the pole sitter for his first race was Ben-Hur. And Mark's new sponsor is Depends." On Kasey Kahne: "Where's Kasey? Oh, sorry, buddy. I couldn't see you sitting behind all the adults. Hey, Kasey, Danica Patrick may be coming to NASCAR, so at least you'll have somebody you can beat in a fistfight." On Tony Stewart: "Tony had to give his monkey to a zoo. You can always tell which one is his. It's the one throwing [crap] at all the other monkeys." On Carl Edwards: "We've all seen Carl shirtless and pant less in ESPN [The] Magazine. So he feels right at home here with so much topless entertainment. But, Carl, lapped traffic here means something completely different." Burke even got a shot in on a non-Chaser -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "Yeah, that was a great free-agent pickup," he said, rolling his eyes. "He is famous for being famous. Junior is now the Paris Hilton of NASCAR." Nothing was off-limits, including Burke addressing the ridiculous rumors from years ago that Jeff Gordon was gay. "Jeff, I know you're not," Burke said. "But you are good-looking enough to be, and if you were, I would be too.'' Gordon made the most of the joke when he took the podium. "Hey, Carl," he said to Edwards. "Good job. I can tell you that marrying a pretty girl and having a baby is a great cover." Edwards saved his digs for the man of the hour, and Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus. "Jimmie, I just have one question," Edwards said. "When you and Chad turn off the lights at night and hit the sack, who is the big spoon and who is the little spoon?" Everyone and everything got roasted, including New York, the previous host city for Champions Week. LVMS president Chris Powell got in his shot: "I just wanted everyone to know the high today will be in the mid-40s and rain is expected the rest of the week. In New York City!" About 500 fans attended the Fanfest earlier in the day at the track, which included brief comment on stage by the Chase drivers. "This beats the hell out of being in New York,'' Stewart told the crowd."I'm not a New York guy. This is a thousand times better than New York." When the drivers took their seats in the Blackjack Club at LVMS, it was time for Johnson to endure the abuse. From Denny Hamlin: "The only thing faster than Jimmie's car is his receding hairline." From Kahne: "Jimmie, you're the man who has it all: money, a gorgeous wife, four championships and a great personality. Well, you do have money, a gorgeous wife and four championships." From Martin: "Jimmie, you're 34. They're already on you about losing your hair and your sex life. I can tell you from experience it's all downhill from here." There was much more in the hourlong roast, but some of it requires proper ID. No, it wasn't X-rated, but an R rating applies. And it was the best show in town. Chase drivers roast Cup champion Jimmie Johnson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway By Bob Pockrass/scenedaily.com LAS VEGAS – NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers gave it their best shot on the race track and for the fourth consecutive year, they couldn't touch Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson. So they did their best with words Wednesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, just a short drive from the Wynn Las Vegas, the site of the 2009 awards banquet Friday night. They were more successful in cracking jokes during a roast of Johnson than they have been in challenging him for the Sprint Cup title the past four years. Their roast, as well as the jokes pointed toward all the Chase For The Sprint Cup drivers by host Broadway star Kevin Burke, bordered on R-rated and included jokes ranging from Johnson's performance in the bedroom to his performance in a bar room. Strangely (or really not), there weren't many jokes about Johnson's performance on the track. That was only something the drivers praised. Here were some of the best – printable – jokes from drivers on Johnson: • From Brian Vickers: "If it wasn't for … Propecia, or something, he would be bald. His hair looks amazing. It's won his four championships in a row. It's got to be the hair because that's about the time you started winning [when it grew back]." • From Kasey Kahne: "Jimmie, you're the man who has it all – money, a gorgeous wife, four consecutive championships, a winning personality. Well, money, a gorgeous wife and four consecutive championships." • From Kurt Busch: "When I go to Baskin-Robbins and I look at vanilla, it says 'Jimmie Johnson' right underneath it." • From Greg Biffle: "I'm not going to say a [expletive] thing about Jimmie because I'm sick and tired of hearing his name." And from Burke, here are some of his best lines about drivers not named Johnson as he reminded people, "It's a roast": • On Mark Martin: "I don't want to say Martin is too old to be driving, but let's face it, the polesitter in [his] first race was Ben Hur." • On Kasey Kahne: "You've got to be excited that Danica Patrick is joining NASCAR. At least there's somebody you can beat in a fistfight." • On Brian Vickers: "Red Bull gives you wings. It would be nice if they gave you an engine, wouldn't it?" • On Greg Biffle: "What can you say about Greg Biffle that hasn't been said about vanilla pudding? He's Al Gore minus the charisma." • On Denny Hamlin: "Why doesn't Denny hit the wall? Because [Brad] Keselowski isn't sitting on it." • On Carl Edwards: "He is the love child of Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Elway." • On Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who wasn't there): "Dale Jr., great free-agent pick. … Let's be honest, the guy is famous just for being famous. He's the Paris Hilton of NASCAR." That joke got a cool reception from the crowd. Burke then added: "If they want to kill you, you know you're doing a good job." The roast attracted about two hundred people at $250 at ticket, with the money going to Speedway Children's Charities. Change of scenery welcomed by NASCAR Vegas begins a new chapter for Champion's Week By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
The NASCAR community has only begun to descend on Las Vegas, but it's already clear that this Champion's Week will be very different from those that preceded it. In New York, for instance, the show-car "Victory Lap" around Midtown had to be discontinued because of complaints from locals and increasing fees from the city. In Las Vegas, the parade hasn't only been revived; it's been embellished with pit stops and burnouts. Welcome to Vegas, where the collars will be a little looser, the events will be much more spread out, and the costs will be unquestionably lower than what NASCAR has experienced in recent years in Manhattan. For the first time since 1981, when Bill France Jr. moved the postseason awards ceremony from Daytona Beach to New York, NASCAR's banquet has a new home. Say goodbye to skyscrapers, to the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria, and to the twinkling lights of Fifth Avenue at Christmastime. Say hello to sprawling casinos, to the opulence of the Wynn hotel, and to so much neon that you can probably see it from space. Whether it will be a better experience for those participating in Champion's Week is yet to be determined. New York, especially in early December, carried with it a cachet that may be impossible to surpass. But people are already looking forward to warmer weather, to lower hotel room costs, and to wide-open spaces that will allow everything from golf to events at -- egad! -- an actual NASCAR race track. Some are clearly welcoming the change. "There's going to be that atmosphere that everybody feels when they go to Vegas, that is let loose, let your hair down and have fun," said former Las Vegas resident Kurt Busch. "... New York was a lot of fun as well. We were going to be bundled up in coats and slacks and mittens. We're going to go out to Las Vegas. I put together a golf tournament on Tuesday when the drivers are starting to show up. Nobody has thought about a golf tournament around banquet week. So I hope that this will be fun and a tradition that may start up." "I do understand the reasons we were in New York, and I'm going to miss that from being ... in the Big Apple," added four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who made a media stop in New York last week. "But I think from working the banquet like I have the last three years and being the champion and running around town, we're going to have a lot more free time and better use of time in Las Vegas. With the holiday shopping and all that goes on in the city, we spend a lot of time riding in an SUV from obligation to obligation. Maybe it'll allow me to have a little bit more sleep between all the fun that we're having." Still, breaking with 28 years of tradition hardly comes easily. France brought the postseason awards to New York to help court sponsors, knocking on doors at various corporate headquarters and shaking plenty of hands the first few years his sport came to town. Among the NASCAR community, at least, celebrating the champion in New York -- a city that's never had a race track, and where the series often struggles to make a dent -- began to feel less awkward with time. Drivers like Johnson and Jeff Gordon made homes there. Many competitors, especially those with spouses who enjoyed Manhattan shopping, began to look forward to the trip. But everyone always wondered if New York felt likewise. The squeeze of inflated hotel room rates became suffocating, especially as the recession set in. Walk a few blocks from the Waldorf-Astoria, and you'd hardly know that NASCAR was in town. But nothing summed up the sometimes indifferent relationship between New York and NASCAR better than the fate of the Victory Lap, which was the sport's most obvious and public display of power. The cost of blocking off all those streets was nearly $1 million. There were plenty of stock brokers and attorneys who shot cell phone photos as the cars rumbled down Broadway. There were plenty more who groused about being held up on their way to work. You won't hear much of that in Las Vegas, where NASCAR has a more than willing partner in the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), which used a site fee reportedly between $500,000 and $1 million annually to secure a three-year contract. There's also Las Vegas Motor Speedway, whose management team played a key lobbying role in helping convince NASCAR to move the event. "You look at the Victory Lap, the drivers driving the cars down Fifth Avenue or whatever it was, and the expense involved that NASCAR had to foot," said speedway president Chris Powell. "Now you have a partner in the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority that is helping foot the bill, and the bill is not nearly as high as it was in New York. It made perfect sense. There were so many upsides to bringing the whole week to Las Vegas. The only thing you really lost is it's not New York. It's not New York in December, and there was a certain amount of cachet that went with that. But 28 years later, I think this is a proper move to make." Powell and his boss, Speedway Motorsports Inc. mogul Bruton Smith, had been lobbying NASCAR to consider moving the event for several years. At Smith's urging, Powell wrote a letter to NASCAR chairman Brian France, and also talked with the CEO and vice chairman Jim France on a number of occasions, including last year in the lobby of the Waldorf. In 2007, Powell hosted LVCVA president Rossi Ralenkotter at the event in New York. All the while, Powell preached the message -- that New York was cost prohibitive and indifferent, that the Waldorf was growing too small, that Las Vegas could do the event the way it was meant to be done. "Ten years ago it would have been ruled out, dismissed out of hand," Powell said. "Three and four years ago we started getting feedback that there was interest. We started to hear there was an open mind in Daytona." It all came together quickly. As recently as last year's banquet, NASCAR officials talked openly about New York's importance to the sport and keeping the event in Manhattan in the immediate future. But everyone in the sport was feeling the effects of the down economy, and the idea of spending $500 a night on a shoe-boxed sized room wasn't very popular anymore. In early 2009 the idea of moving Champion's Week to Las Vegas began to pick up steam. By April, the deal was done. "Las Vegas will be a nice, refreshing thing, a shot in the arm a little bit this time of year for us and for the industry," Brian France said. "It's going to save a lot of money, starting with that, which is important in this economy. But also the fact that the city of Las Vegas is so welcoming, the Wynn hotel has been incredible. My anticipation is it's going to be a fun week and attendance is going to be at an all-time high, in part because we have the capacity to expand because the venue lets us do that, and in part because I think people just want to come to Las Vegas in December." NASCAR is taking advantage of the multitude of venues that Las Vegas has to offer. The Wynn will serve as event headquarters and host the awards ceremony itself, which is scheduled for Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern and will be televised by Speed. The Venetian will host the after party as well as Thursday's National Motorsports Press Association/Myers Brothers Awards. The MGM Grand will act as the starting and ending point for the Victory Lap. Wednesday, the speedway will host a free fan-fest and a $250 charity roast hosted by Las Vegas personality Carrot Top. Powell believes there's plenty of room for expansion, envisioning things like motorcycle rides through Red Rocks canyon and trade-show-style exhibits for sponsors. And he also thinks it will be evident to visitors that NASCAR is in town. "The city is very excited about it," Powell said. "We've done a pretty good job out here of making people aware that championship week for the past 28 years had been at the Waldorf in New York. The hotel industry here in town is especially appreciative that NASCAR and the speedway and also the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority have worked together to bring the industry to Las Vegas. This is a town that has been hard-hit by this economic downturn, probably as bad as any city in the country outside of Detroit. So it is a wonderful thing to bring Champion's Week to Las Vegas, without question. It has reverberated in the community." In that respect, Las Vegas has already achieved something that New York never did. Waid's World A NASCAR BLOG BY Steve Waid NASCAR's move to Vegas became, ultimately, a necessity Hello, Sin City. Goodbye, Big Apple. NASCAR's Awards Ceremony shifts this week to Las Vegas after a 27-year tenure in New York. It might seem radical to leave the media metropolis of the world for a desert city built on glitz and gambling, but in the end, it makes sense for NASCAR. Years ago, when the sanctioning body moved its championship celebration from Daytona to New York, it was also deemed a radical move. But it had to be done. At the time, NASCAR's Cup champion was crowned at a Daytona hotel during Speedweeks in February. The event was open to the public – chicken and salad for everyone! Few cared, most of all the media. Daytona might have been where NASCAR was born, but it's not where it ultimately had to be. The shift to New York was intended to put NASCAR into the very nerve center of the national media and to bring it into the core of mass-market America, rather than shelve it in a small city where waves lapped onto the shore. The New York move proved to be reasonably successful for many years. What made it so? NASCAR's ability to generate a good amount of positive public relations. In time, the champion was hustled from one national TV or radio show to another because that was reasonably easy to achieve. Additionally, he and his team made personal appearances at various New York landmarks. There was a photo session in Times Square and even a parade lap around the Square in which the champion and the contenders rumbled over closed streets. This angered morning rush-hour commuters, and eventually the parade lap went by the wayside. In the end, however, two primary developments put NASCAR's annual banquet on the path to Las Vegas. First, the glamorous Waldorf-Astoria, where the celebration was held, proved to be too small even with all its amenities. Its massive and impressive Grand Ballroom was soon overflowing. It could not even accommodate members of the championship team, who were served in adjacent salons and had to watch the proceedings on TV. Fans? Forget them. They had no presence at the ceremony nor any hope to have one. Second, and most important, over time it became clear New York didn't really care about NASCAR. To be honest, why should it? The bustling city, at that time of year, has so much more going for it, so much more to lure others and their money that it doesn't need stock-car racing. In New York, at the beginning of the holiday season, prices rise like a rocket leaving Cape Canaveral. The cost of hotel rooms, food and everything else became ridiculously expensive. Gotham probably doesn't mind that NASCAR is gone – minus some ancillary media events that continue to this day. NASCAR ultimately never drew the media attention it sought in New York. But it will continue to have a presence there, as it should. NASCAR isn't going to Las Vegas for media attention, although the belief here is that it will get it, at least proportionally. It is there for more practical reasons. Las Vegas is a part of NASCAR's Cup schedule, and that makes a difference because, at the least, there is a foundation of fans in place. Las Vegas wants NASCAR and paid for it to come, which New York never did. It's in a city that has a facility – in the Wynn – that is capable of handling the expected large attendance comfortably, so we are told. It's in a city in which NASCAR has now found the means for fans to participate, at least partially, in the awards ceremony and its related events. It's in a city that has felt the blow of these economic times, so it has bargains to offer when it comes to lodging and food. Make no mistake, the NASCAR population has felt the same impact and welcomes lower prices. Las Vegas counts on income from gambling, and it will gets its fair share from NASCAR folks. Of course, final proof that the move to Las Vegas was the right one remains to be seen. The reviews will come in shortly. Hello, Sin City. It's up to you.
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,
Your Nascar Momma Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 | 
No comments:
Post a Comment