Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Speedway, Supercross a perfect fit

Monday, June 5, 2000 | 9:45 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089. Regular columnist Dean Juipe is on vacation.

There are two givens when it comes to motor sports in Las Vegas:

* The annual EA Sports Supercross Series event always plays to a full house at 39,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium.

* Las Vegas Motor Speedway could use another major event or two to fill out its sparse racing schedule on the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

So why not combine the two?

With no offense to Sam Boyd Stadium, PACE Motor Sports officials should consider moving its annual season finale to the Speedway, which could turn the infield area between the main grandstand and pit road into a temporary Supercross track.

LVMS officials have hinted they would relish the chance to host the Supercross series, which is the most popular of the "extreme sports."

Members of PACE's marketing team have said in the past that they prefer to hold their races in more intimate venues such as Sam Boyd Stadium.

But wait ... this season alone, when the series averaged 47,445 fans during its 16-race schedule, the Supercross Series paid visits to less-then-intimate arenas such as the Houston Astrodome, Pontiac Silverdome, Daytona International Speedway, Minneapolis Metrodome, Atlanta's Georgia Dome and San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium.

And the larger venues didn't hamper the series' ability to attract fans. Nearly 47,000 fans turned out in Houston; more than 50,000 showed up in Pontiac; 45,000 were present at Daytona; more than 56,000 came out in Minneapolis; more than 60,000 turned out in Atlanta; and a whopping 62,144 showed up in San Diego.

If allowed to host a Supercross event, Las Vegas Motor Speedway would have an advantage that few of the larger venues can provide: Temporary grandstands could be erected in the infield around the course, giving the event an intimate feel with additional seating in the main grandstand.

The Las Vegas market is a natural for the Supercross series, which got its start in Southern California; a PACE official last year estimated that 60 percent of the crowd at last year's event at Sam Boyd came from Southern California and elsewhere.

Despite increasing competition for the entertainment dollar in the Southern California market, the EA Sports Supercross Series has held its own. On consecutive weekends in January, Edison International Field in Anaheim attracted sellout crowds of 45,050 for the first two events of the season.

Just one week later, the series drew its largest crowd of the season in San Diego.

As has been proven with both the NASCAR Winston Cup and national NHRA Drag Racing events at LVMS, Southern Californians aren't opposed to making the four-hour drive to Las Vegas to take in a little racing.

With no chance of obtaining a second Winston Cup race next year, and the possibility of losing its annual Indy Racing League event, Las Vegas Motor Speedway could be reduced to one major racing weekend on its 1.5-mile speedway in 2001.

It would be a wise move for LVMS owner Bruton Smith and general manager Chris Powell to do everything in their power to try to lure this popular event away from Sam Boyd Stadium.

Which the Supercross Series clearly has outgrown.