December 6, 2009
By Kim Roberson
Kim Roberson
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Hello from sunny Las Vegas!
Note, It's sunny and not warm, because I believe it has been almost as chilly here this weekend as it was back at home in Virginia (minus yesterday’s snow).
What a fun weekend NASCAR provided for fans!
I know a lot of folks were not happy with the move of the Champions Week events from New York City to Sin City, but when it comes to access for fans, I don’t think it has been this good in quite a while. I should know, since I spent the weekend as a fan and not chasing drivers for interviews or stories as I usually do when covering NASCAR in person.
Photo Sirius Radio for NASCAR
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Tony Hands Out Stewie Awards
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The first major event for the fans was Thursday and the top 12 drivers taking their “Victory lap” on what was dubbed the “Blacktop Carpet”, otherwise known as the Las Vegas Strip outside of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
While officials in the Big Apple had frowned upon burn outs and actually called for an end to the parade of cars through Manhattan’s streets because of the traffic tie-ups it caused, tires were squealing as the parade took off down the strip. As a matter of fact, as thousands of cameras clicked photo’s of Champion Jimmie Johnson’s burn out -- he stalled his car and apparently fried his engine.
The Champion’s Victory lap ended with the Lowe’s car on the back of a flat bed truck, being hauled away to be put in the back of a hauler and carried back to Charlotte, North Carolina.
OK, so even the 48 team can have a few hiccups -- even if they did wait until two weeks after the end of the season for it to happen.
The gathered fans and drivers didn’t seem to mind, and even got a good laugh out of the whole situation.
Fans who lined the front of the MGM were treated to autographs from their favorite drivers and pictures with the Champ as he gave his right hand and Sharpie a good work out. Behind the smiles and cameras were people young and old -- little boys and girls in team gear, and men and women old enough to be their grandparents sporting “Daytona 500 Champion” sweatshirts and baseball caps. In the back of a photo on the front page of the Las Vegas Review Journal, you could even see “Jack Sparrow” -- or a man playing the character from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series -- on his cell phone or his cellular phone as he watched the cars drive by.
Friday night, Tony Stewart held his third annual “Stewie awards” at the Rio Hotel and Casino with co-hosts Matt Yocum, Ford Martin and Ray Evernham (the latter two being live at the MRN studios in Concord, North Carolina. After all, it was a school night and Ford had class on Friday). The stage was set up in the middle of the casino, and hundreds of fans packed not only the casino floor, but the second floor balconies to watch the show live for the first time. (The previous two years were held at Sirius headquarters in New York, where an invitation was the only way to watch the show in person.)
“The energy that was here at the Rio was amazing. The fans, Tony and Matt were outstanding.” commented Steven Cohen, Senior Vice President of Sports Programming for Sirius XM Radio. “The combination of Tony wanting to (do the show) and NASCAR making a great decision by making the decision for bringing NASCAR to Vegas, it was a natural to be able to do this out in front of a live audience. The fans here were amazing -- sitting here with two levels of people, folks hanging over the balconies, four or five deep around the stage. Tony loved it. Matt loved it. We all loved it. This is the way to celebrate a NASCAR season.”
Like New York, NASCAR set up stops across the city for fans to go see various Cup cars and receive give-aways, however unlike fighting the crowds and traffic in the Big Apple, fans were able to get to each location via car, bus, or their own two feet if they so desired. (Although getting to the first and last stops would have been quite a hike on foot).
My sister and I decided to stop and get our pictures in front of the Las Vegas sign, which also happened to be one of the stops on the fan tour. When we were told that if we got a stamp on a piece of paper at each stop we would be given a “prize”, we decided to make an adventure out of it.
After all, it was that or find ways to donate money to the Las Vegas casino scene.
We had a lot more fun searching for the Cup cars across Las Vegas.
It took us the better part of six hours to collect all nine of the stamps -- with a stop at In-N-Out burger for a late lunch (number two animal style with ketchup please), two stops at Wizard of Oz slot machines, played “NASCAR Roulette” at the Fashion Mall (where we won key chains with Ford logo’d poker chips and a 1:64 scale Ford Fusion), and a made side visit to the Wynn Hotel to see where the Champion’s Banquet was going to be held.
By the time we got our last stamps at Carl Edward’s Aflac Ford Fusion in front of Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, the sun had set, and it was nearing 40 degrees outside. Our reward for walking over eight miles and getting nine stamps was a customized poker chip. At the various stops, besides the poker key chains, we ended up with Champion’s week cozies, two drawstring backpacks, a poster of Jimmie Johnson, a talking plush Aflac Duck, and some samples of Ritz crackers. Not a bad haul for a day spent cruising around Las Vegas -- and the best part was it didn’t cost us a dime, and we had a great time doing it.
Even though I didn’t attend the Champion’s banquet, I had a blast being a NASCAR fan in Las Vegas. I got to see the drivers, got to interact with several thousand fellow fans, and spent a day on a treasure hunt across Sin City.
I can’t wait to come back and do it all again next year.
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