Coast Resorts to sponsor LVMS races

Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1999 | 9:39 a.m.

Michael Gaughan long has known what many local business owners are just beginning to realize: There is value in promoting a company or product in the motor sports arena.

Gaughan's Coast Resorts will sponsor the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Winston West Series races next month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Gaughan, chairman of Coast Resorts, said Monday that the decision to sponsor the races was a sound business decision.

"We will get some very good national TV exposure from the truck race and hopefully fill some rooms," Gaughan said. "I think the race track is just one more good thing for the town.

"In the long run, the race track is going to be good for Las Vegas. There aren't too many cities that have that kind of a facility and we have one of the prettiest ones on the circuit. Anything we can do to help out the Speedway, we will."

The Orleans 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race will be held Friday evening, Sept. 24, and televised live by ESPN. The Gold Coast 150 Winston West Series race will be run on Saturday evening, Sept. 25.

"We're delighted to have Michael Gaughan and Coast Resorts involved with Las Vegas Motor Speedway," LVMS general manager Chris Powell said. "Michael and Coast Resorts have been the track's strongest backers since its inception."

Last week, it was announced that Las Vegas-based website Vegas.com will sponsor the Indy Racing League event at LVMS next month. The Vegas.com 500 will cap the race weekend on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 11:30 a.m., and will be televised by ESPN2.

Coast Resorts and Vegas.com are not the only local businesses promoting themselves via motor sports: Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall sponsored the NASCAR Busch Series race in March at LVMS and will remain as the title sponsor in 2000; Harrah's sponsors a car owned by racing legend A.J. Foyt in the IRL; and the Rio Suite Hotel and Casino sponsors a car in the U.S. Formula 2000 series.

This is not Gaughan's first venture into motor sports sponsorship. The Orleans is the primary sponsor of Gaughan's son Brendan's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series truck and Winston West stock car, and sponsored last year's Winston West race at LVMS.

Brendan Gaughan said Monday he will attempt to qualify for both the truck and Winston West races at LVMS next month.

The elder Gaughan, a former off-road racer, said he wasn't surprised when local casinos boasted of record weekends when LVMS hosted the inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup race in 1998. Prior to the race, some casino owners believed race fans would spend money at the track, but not at the gaming tables and slot machines.

"I knew they would spend money -- I've been around them before," Gaughan said of race fans. "The other races aren't as big (as the Winston Cup race), but we should support them, too.

"They'll bring people to town and these people all spend some money."

Powell said Monday that he hoped the Speedway would attract "100,000 to 120,000 people" for next month's three-day race weekend.

Gaughan said he wouldn't be surprised if some of the bigger hotel/casinos got into motor sports promotions in the near future.

"I think in time you'll see the bigger hotels start to get more involved in racing," Gaughan said.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway continues to look for title sponsors for its Winston Cup race next March and its inaugural National Hot Rod Association national event in April.