Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: 21st century will see racing undergo change

Friday, Dec. 17, 1999 | 2:19 a.m.

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

While NASCAR enjoyed a growth in popularity during the 1990s that was unprecedented in major-league sports, the new millennium could bring even more drastic changes to America's fastest-growing spectator sport.

Greg Penske, senior vice president of Western operations for International Speedway Corporation, said he sees NASCAR facilities in the 21st century operating more like stadiums, offering in-seat service and developing brand-name food courts and sports bars.

"I see a future where seats have small televisions that give fans their choice of views from in-car cameras, sounds from the radios and the ability to switch back and forth," Penske said. "Instead of thinking of things that will never happen, you have to think like they will.

"We have to continue to grow the sport, offering more to the people who come to the track for a race."

But the big opportunities for growth, Penske said, might come in the infields of race tracks.

"Each motorhome spot could have a pedestal with a television hook-up, Internet access and the ability to order food or merchandise delivered right to your door," Penske said. "You could tap into concerts or drive-in movies right at your site.

"One of the great things about NASCAR is that we have our fans at the event for three or four days. I see infields turning into small cities, where people don't need to leave the track for any reason."

Penske said he also sees new opportunities for other companies to share in the benefits of infield access.

"What a great place for companies to test new products," Penske said. "What better place for feedback on everything from Rollerblades to bicycles.

"I can see movie companies testing the early director's cut or premiering a film for 20,000 people at the track, and the fans getting merchandise from the film. It's that kind of out-of-the-box thinking that we need to be doing."

* NASCAR: Greg Steadman has been promoted to crew chief for the No. 43 STP Pontiac driven by John Andretti. Steadman replaces Robbie Loomis, who left Petty Enterprises last week to join Jeff Gordon's team. ...

Fans taking in the CarsDirect.com 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next March, especially those seated low in the main grandstand, will be greeted with improved sight lines.

Construction crews began demolition of the second floor of the pit-road building this week as part of a two-phase plan to remove most of the top floor of the two-story building.

"We're removing the second floor of the building to improve the line-of-site from the front grandstands to the backstretch," LVMS general manager Chris Powell said.

Phase one of the project will remove the second floor of the building, excluding the media center, from the turn-one end to the elevator located outside the media center entrance. The second phase of the project will remove the remainder of the second floor, excluding the media center, and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

* CART: Despite considerable speculation to the contrary, it now appears nobody in CART powered by a Ford or Mercedes engine, which includes defending Indy champion Kenny Brack, will be competing at the Indianapolis 500 next May.

The Indianapolis Star News reported Thursday that only CART owners Derrick Walker, Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske seem likely to buy or lease the Indy Racing League's cars and engines. The IRL runs Oldsmobile and Nissan engines.

"It's clear Ford does not support this concept, nor does Mercedes, and Ford is one of our partners," Bobby Rahal told the Star News. "We have to respect our sponsors, Miller beer and Shell, but there has not been much comment from them about Indianapolis. Nobody's sponsor is saying this is what we have to do."

Brack jumped from the IRL to CART at the end of this past season and will drive for Rahal next season.

Ganassi, who has won each of the past four CART championships, campaigns cars driven by 1999 champion Juan Montoya and Las Vegas resident Jimmy Vasser. ...

The FedEx Championship Series played to more than 2.5 million spectators during the 1999 season, enjoying an attendance increase of 6.4 percent over 1998. Sponsors Report, published by Joyce Julius and Associates of Ann Arbor, Mich., compiled the figures.

A total of 2,524,160 fans attended FedEx Championship Series events during the 20-race 1999 campaign. The figure represents an increase from 1998's cumulative attendance figure of 2,371,909 in 19 events.

* IRL: After shaking down his 2000 G-Force/Aurora for the first time this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Al Unser Jr. said it won't take much getting used to his new IRL car.

After driving in the CART FedEx Championship Series for the past 17 years, Unser said he was surprised at the power generated by the IRL car.

"It doesn't feel too bad -- it feels like an Indy car -- so I have good impressions about it," Unser said. "I thought that it would be a little bit less powerful than what it actually is (but) it definitely pins you in the seat and does all the right things that a single-seat, open-wheel race car should do."

Unser, who was filming a commercial for Firestone Tires at LVMS this week, added that he was looking forward to racing on the 1.5-mile superspeedway in Las Vegas next April.

"This is the first time I have ever been around Las Vegas Motor Speedway and it's very, very smooth," he said. "I can understand why (the IRL cars) run so fast here. I'm very, very impressed with it and the speeds are going to be high." ...

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and current IRL team owner A.J. Foyt and 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti were named co-drivers of the century by a six-member panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press.

Foyt is the only driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

* NHRA: Construction crews laid the first layer of asphalt on Las Vegas Motor Speedway's new dragway this week in preparation for next April's NHRA national event.

"Paving the racing surface is a significant step in the construction process," Devin Horihan, director of development at LVMS, said. "We are right on track to open the dragway just before the first scheduled event in the spring."

Las Vegas Paving, which also paved the 1.5-mile superspeedway at LVMS, is responsible for the project, which encompasses 3,100 feet of blacktop.

* BACKMARKERS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway renewed its sanctioning contract with the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) for the speedway's half-mile dirt oval.

In addition to the regular IMCA Modified class, LVMS has added the IMCA Sunoco Late Models to the 2000 schedule. It is the first track in Nevada to host IMCA Late Models on the dirt.

Opening night for the 14 race schedule will be Friday, Feb. 11 -- the only Friday night event of the season. All other races will be on held Saturday nights.

Adding a class is not the only difference at the dirt track. Possibly the most visible change will be the elimination of the 1/3-mile dirt track. All races will be held on the high-banked, half-mile track.

In addition to IMCA Sunoco Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Legends and Thunder Stox will run on the dirt each week.

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