Monday, March 1, 1999 | 10:32 a.m.
It does not have the prestige of the Daytona 500 or the Brickyard 400, but the Las Vegas 400 has quickly become of the most popular stops on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit.
"This is one race we look forward to coming to all year," said former Winston Cup champion Rusty Wallace. "Las Vegas is so different from many of the other places we race because there's so much to do once you leave the track -- unlike a lot of the other places we race."
And this year, five drivers have a million extra reasons to look forward to Sunday's Las Vegas 400 at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Series sponsor Winston designated this year's Las Vegas 400 as a "No Bull 5" race, where the top five finishers from last month's Daytona 500 are eligible for a $1 million bonus if they can win in Las Vegas.
The drivers competing for the million-dollar bonus are Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Kenny Irwin, Mike Skinner and Michael Waltrip.
Additionally, one fan will have the opportunity to come away from Las Vegas $1 million richer as a part of the program. Five fans were selected from a nationwide contest and will be paired with each of the five drivers at a ceremony Thursday afternoon at the Fremont Street Experience.
"We all enjoy coming to Las Vegas a lot," Waltrip said. "Now, with having a shot at the million-dollar bonus, it makes it even more fun."
Waltrip will be among 53 drivers attempting to qualify for 36 spots in the field for Sunday's Las Vegas 400, the third stop on the 34-race Winston Cup schedule. The final seven spots in the 43-car field will be filled with provisional starters, based on 1998 car owners points and, possibly, one past Winston Cup champion.
The inaugural Las Vegas 400 drew a state-record crowd of more than 107,000 paying fans and a total of 130,000 people were on the grounds Sunday afternoon. With the addition of approximately 20,000 temporary bleacher seats, this year's race-day attendance could swell to nearly 150,000.
All reserved seats for the Las Vegas 400 have been sold, but Speedway officials said that as of this morning "a few" general admission tickets remain for seating in the temporary bleachers in turn three.
In an attempt to ease traffic flow into and out of the Speedway on Sunday, LVMS officials introduced a revamped traffic plan designed to encourage fans to take mass transportation to and from the track.
The biggest change being instituted will be the dedication of two of the three lanes on Las Vegas Boulevard North to commercial vehicles, including taxis, CAT buses and shuttles, limousines and hotel shuttles.
Only one lane on Las Vegas Boulevard will be used for grandstand ticket holders -- those with tickets for seats in turns three and four. All other grandstand ticket holders are encouraged to take Interstate 15 north and exit at Speedway Boulevard, and leave by the same route.
Fans holding tickets in turns three and four and who use Las Vegas Boulevard to access the Speedway will be parked in a newly created parking lot behind the track's backstretch.
Those who have VIP passes, suite holders and the handicapped also are being asked to use Las Vegas Boulevard to access the Speedway.
The creation of the commercial traffic lanes -- and the addition of access roads from Hollywood Boulevard to the track -- was designed to address perhaps the most common complaint from fans who attempted to take public or private mass transportation to last year's race.
Numerous fans told of having to wait on the Strip or downtown for hours for buses and shuttles that never returned from the track. The new traffic routing plan allows for a constant flow for commercial vehicles, according to Speedway general manager Chris Powell.
"Because of these commercial lanes, the buses can go in, up Hollywood (Boulevard), drop off passengers and make a loop and get back to downtown and pick people up -- which is what they had a problem doing last year.
"I would rather give up a lane to bring buses in and get them back downtown to pick people up than to have those buses sitting in gridlock and not able to pick up people who stood patiently in line down on the Strip (as they did last year)."
While Sunday's 267-lap Las Vegas 400 is the featured event this weekend, it is not the only race being staged at the 1,600-acre facility.
Winston Cup Weekend at LVMS kicks off Friday evening with the NASCAR Winston West Series The Orleans 150 stock-car race, scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. on the 1.5-mile speedway.
The NASCAR Busch Series will run the Sam's Town 300 at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Speedway and the World of Outlaws winged sprint cars will hold races Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on the 1/2-mile dirt track adjacent to the Speedway.
All reserved seats for the Las Vegas 400 have been sold, but Speedway officials said that as of this morning "a few" general admission tickets remain for seating in the temporary bleachers in turn three.
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