Thursday, March 12, 1998 | 10:19 a.m.
Long after the smoke has cleared from the NASCAR Las Vegas 400, complaints about transportation tie-ups and crowded conditions continue.
More than 110,000 people attended the inaugural Winston Cup series event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 1 -- the largest crowd ever to assemble in Nevada.
But it could have been larger according to race fans who ran into roadblocks on their way to the Speedway.
One of those who didn't make it to the race was Diane Bauer, a New Hampshire attorney who traveled to Las Vegas with her husband and eight co-workers specifically to attend the Las Vegas 400.
Bauer said the group waited three hours among a crowd of several hundred Sunday morning for a Citizens Area Transit bus outside a scheduled stop in front of the Flamingo-Hilton hotel-casino.
"The buses kept coming from 7:30 on, but they filled up quickly, and we were fairly back in line. Then, at about 9:30 the buses stopped," Bauer said.
Afterward, Bauer said, she and her co-workers tried unsuccessfully to rent a car or limousine or to hail a taxicab. But she was told there were no rental cars, limos or cabs available.
"Finally, we all walked to Harrah's -- tickets in hand -- and watched the race at a sports bar, which we could have done in New Hampshire," said Bauer, a resident of Pembroke, a small town just outside Concord. "It was very frustrating to be 15 miles from a race that we had just traveled nearly 3,000 miles to see."
Another in the group was Phoenix engineer Jodilyn Peck, Bauer's sister-in-law.
"It was a pretty big letdown for us," Peck said. "But we had travelled from Phoenix, and this was to be our first NASCAR event. I really felt bad for Diane and the others who traveled from New Hampshire to see this race."
Both Peck and Bauer described a surrealistic scene in front of the Flamingo-Hilton Sunday morning of anxious race fans banging on the windows of CAT buses, offering money to passing motorists to drive them to the Speedway, and even standing in front of traffic to hail a ride.
"On the news everything was portrayed as wonderful ... and we understand this was an inaugural race, so the media wanted to make it sound good, but it wasn't so wonderful for us," Peck said.
Despite these and a few other complaints, David Parks, assistant director of the Regional Transportation Commission which operates the CAT bus system, said "overall I think we did very well."
"This was a first time for something of that scale, and considering how many unknowns we were dealing with, I think it worked out well," said Parks, who explained that lessons learned by CAT bus administrators would be incorporated during the next race.
"We are looking at the possibility of using more satellite parking areas for the next race," Parks said. "This worked very well at the Sawyer State Building."
Jack Long, Speedway consultant, noted that the stands were full when the green flag was waved signaling the start of the Las Vegas 400, so practically all race fans did make it to the Speedway on time.
"We still have some work to do," Long said. "But I'd have to say that with the various cooperation of the (Nevada) Highway Patrol and the CAT bus system, we accomplished our objective. We're very happy with our support, particularly with the CAT bus system."
Some who made it to the race also had reason to complain.
"We were absolutely appalled at the lack of restroom facilities for both men and women at the Speedway," said James Bunyard, a commercial real estate broker in San Angelo, Texas. "The lines were very long. You had to wait 15 or 20 minutes -- which seems like a lot longer when you have to go."
Despite Bunyard's complaint about a "lack of restroom facilities," there are a total of 978 toilets and urinals at the Speedway, which is well within county codes for a facility of that size, according to Rita Mincavage of the Clark County Building Department.
"There were longer lines at some rest rooms than there were at others," said Long, who explained that each complaint would be investigated to try to see if changes should be made before the next major racing event.
Even if changes are made before the next major event at the Speedway, Peck said she's not sure whether she will travel to Las Vegas for another NASCAR race.
"I should think that Las Vegas being the city it is -- which has a reputation for putting on big events -- would try to be a little more organized next time."
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