Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Smith an instant hit with Speedway fans

Friday, Dec. 18, 1998 | 9:17 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. His golf notebook appears Wednesday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Bruton Smith's signature barely has had time to dry on the deed to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and already there is a renewed excitement around the 1,500-acre facility north of town.

Smith, the consummate promoter, immediately endeared himself to the local racing fans by announcing he will put previously unavailable tickets to next March's NASCAR Winston Cup race on sale to the general public.

"I understand that tickets have been hard to come by," Smith said earlier this week. "Since we have been here, we have had our people come in from the other speedways and we have found additional tickets ... that were kind of held back, if you would.

"If you hear that we're holding back something, that's not true -- we're not holding back anything."

Smith indicated that the extra tickets, as well as an additional 20,000 seats for temporary grandstands being brought in for the Las Vegas 400, will go on sale in early January "on a first-come, first-served" basis.

Then, less than 48 hours after formally announcing his acquisition of the Speedway, Smith endeared himself to the local media by appointing Chris Powell of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's marketing arm as the track's executive vice president and general manager.

The 39-year-old Powell will be a refreshing change for local journalists, whose attempts to extract information and/or comments from former LVMS chairman Richie Clyne often have been akin to pulling teeth.

Powell, R.J. Reynolds' media relations manager for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, clearly understands the importance of a healthy relationship with fans, sponsors and the media.

"The Las Vegas Motor Speedway intends to be not only fan friendly, but media friendly as well," Powell, himself a former sports writer, said.

Of equal importance, Powell said he intends to get involved in local civic and charitable organizations and enhance the image of the Speedway in the community.

A novice when it comes to running a race track, Powell will have the luxury of relying on a vast pool of experienced track operators from Smith's five other facilities.

"Chris will be able to draw from more than 150 years of motor sports experience from Jeff Byrd, Ed Clark, Eddie Gossage, Steve Page, Humpy Wheeler and our other key managers and staff in our organization," Smith said.

To his credit, Powell said he plans to rely heavily on their expertise.

While Clyne deserves credit for building a top-notch racing facility, he also has come under criticism from fans and the media for some of his management decisions, such as failing to open the track to the public for Friday practice sessions before the Indy Racing League and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events.

If Smith and his Speedway Motorsports Inc., know anything, it's how to stage major-league auto races and put fans in the stands -- and entertain them in the process.

In the self-proclaimed Entertainment Capital of the World, the Smith-LVMS union looks like a perfect marriage.

NASCAR

Darrell Waltrip, hired as an adviser and promoter at the $150 million Kentucky Speedway, has suggested changes in the track's design to make it more closely resemble Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Waltrip has suggested that the 1.5-mile track be banked at 12-14 degrees in the corners rather than the 10-11 degrees that had been planned.

"Our track will be exactly like the one (NASCAR president) Bill France is building in Kansas City and similar to the new Las Vegas Motor Speedway," track developer Jerry Carroll said.

The first section of the track, which will seat 63,000, is scheduled to be completed late next summer with the first major races early in 2000. ...

Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce has signed on as the primary sponsor for Junie Donlavey's Winston Cup team. Mike Harmon will drive Donlavey's Ford Tauruses in 1999. ... Addington Racing and driver Andy Houston have secured Caterpillar to sponsor their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team in 1999. Caterpillar will use the sponsorship to promote its Cat Rental Stores.

CART

Las Vegas resident Jimmy Vasser is faced with making a big adjustment for the 1999 CART season, but it has nothing to do with new teammate Juan Montoya.

Following the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing team's test this week at the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex, Vasser said he was trying to get accustomed to a new seat in his Reynard/Honda.

"It was a great test," Vasser said. "My biggest problem was trying to adjust to my new seat. I have been sitting a certain way for the past four years and now I'm trying to adjust my seating position for safety reasons and sit down a little lower in the car.

"I'm not quite adjusted to that yet." ...

New Team Rahal driver Max Papis completed his first test with the team recently on the road course at Firebird International Raceway in Arizona.

"I was very impressed with with the team and the equipment," Papis said. "I had a very determined group with the MCI team ... and I can see that type of intensity with the Miller Lite operation and Team Rahal overall."

Papis replaces team owner Bobby Rahal, who retired following the 1998 season, in the seat of the Miller Lite Reynard/Ford after spending the past two and a half seasons with the Arciero-Wells CART team.

IRL

Henderson resident Sam Schmidt posted the sixth-fastest time among 14 drivers during a test session last weekend at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla.

Schmidt recorded a fast time of 165.054 mph in his Dallara/Aurora, but was more than 5 mph off the fast time set by Scott Sharp (170.422).

Schmidt, who is close to signing a contract to drive for Treadway Racing in 1999, was driving one of his own cars last weekend; Treadway had yet to get a 1999 update kit for its G-Force chassis.