Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Las Vegas should cringe at F-1’s Indy sellout

Friday, May 12, 2000 | 10:31 a.m.

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

The news out of Indianapolis this week had to be unsettling for the members of the Clark County Commission -- provided someone took the time to read it to them.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway sent out a press release, which was picked up by the Associated Press, announcing that all reserved tickets for the Sept. 24 Formula One race at IMS had sold out. That is believed to be in excess of 200,000 tickets which, combined with ongoing general admission ticket sales, likely will push the crowd for the lone United States F-1 race to more than 225,000.

Couple the live gate with an estimated international television audience of more than 350 million viewers and the U.S. Grand Prix has the makings of the biggest auto racing event in history.

That's the same event, lest anyone has lost track, that the brain surgeons on the Clark County Commission rejected in September 1998. Tommy Baker, a local businessman at the time, had proposed to build an F-1 track and golf course on a parcel of land at the south end of the Strip.

F-1 boss Bernie Ecclestone had given his blessings to the venture, and promised to give a coveted race date to Las Vegas if the facility received approval from the County Commissioners.

Lawyers for one gaming conglomerate that owns a hotel-casino across the street from the proposed site, objected on the grounds that the noise of the race cars would be a nuisance to their patrons. (As if the roar of the engines could be heard over the din of a thousand slot machines belching coins into metal hoppers.)

Those same representatives also argued that since earlier F-1 races (on a temporary circuit in the Caesars Palace parking lot) in Las Vegas as well as other American races had failed, a Las Vegas F-1 race would not have the same impact on the local economy as the annual NASCAR Winston Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Clark County Commission bowed to the wishes of the special interests and picked local golf course developer Billy Walters to build a golf course -- sans a racing circuit -- on the site.

While Walters' golf course is shaping up to be a very nice facility, it won't have the same drawing power as a Formula One race which would have attracted more than 200,000 people -- many of whom are international jet-setters with Gucci bags full of disposable income.

You know, the same international tourists the gaming industry is constantly trying to lure to Las Vegas with expensive television and print ads.

Instead, they will be traveling to Indiana at the end of this summer to be part of what will be a record crowd for a Formula One race.

And spending their money in Indianapolis.

* NASCAR: Robby Gordon, who was on his way to winning last year's Indianapolis 500 before he ran out of fuel on the penultimate lap, will attempt to drive in both the Indianapolis 500 (for car owner John Menard) and the Winston Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 28.

"A few people have asked me how endurance will come into play over the weekend," Gordon said. "I guess after seeing how worn out Tony (Stewart) was last year at the end of the 600, I can understand the question.

"But I'm used to running long races. Hydration and good shape are the keys. I drive the Baja 1000 every year and that takes 17 hours of dusty, pounding, dirty work without ever leaving the driver seat. At least I'll get a couple hours of fresh air between races."

Gordon told the Sun earlier this year that he had no interest in running at Indy following the death of CART star Greg Moore last year at California Speedway and the paralyzing injuries suffered by IRL driver Sam Schmidt in January.

* CART: Player's Forsythe Racing driver and Las Vegas resident Patrick Carpentier said he had intended to return from a two-race absence in Saturday's Firestone Firehawk 500 at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan, and was shocked when CART's Dr. Terry Trammell would not release him to drive.

Carpentier has missed the past two FedEx Championship Series races after suffering a slight fracture in his left wrist in a fall at his Summerlin home.

"I really expected that I'd get the go-ahead from the doctor, because I didn't have any trouble when I moved my wrist, and there was no pain when I lifted weights during my rehabilitation," Carpentier said.

"My wrist did feel a bit different when the doctor removed my cast ... but when he told me he couldn't clear me to come back right away, it caught me off guard. I'm extremely disappointed, but all I can do is abide by his judgement. He simply didn't want me to take some unnecessary risks that might aggravate the injury and delay my return even longer."

Carpentier, who finished fifth in the season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, will make his return in the May 27 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway. ...

Walker Racing rookie driver Shinji Nakano has been released and cleared to drive in the Firestone Firehawk 500. Nakano was injured in a private testing accident in Milwaukee on March 31.

* IRNLS: Walker Racing, which campaigns a car for rookie Sarah Fisher in the Indy Racing Northern Lights Series, switched from a Riley & Scott chassis to Dallara for a test session last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Fisher, 19, completed 207 laps in a Dallara/Oldsmobile and reached a top speed of 218.50 mph. Fisher competed in a Riley & Scott chassis in the MCI WorldCom 200 in March at Phoenix and the Vegas Indy 300 in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"The Indy 500 is just so competitive that a team needs to use every advantage it can, and we are just trying to see which chassis performs better at the Speedway," Fisher said. "We're trying the Dallara to just utilize a different strategy.

"With the speeds at Indy being as close as they are, you have to try every angle you can." ...

Actor Anthony Edwards of the television series "ER" will drive the 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora Official Pace Car in the 84th Indianapolis 500 on May 28.

* NHRA: Angelle Seeling had an eventful weekend during the Advance Auto Parts NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta.

Seeling not only won her second straight Pro Stock Motorcycle final and moved into the points lead, the 29-year-old got engaged prior to Sunday's finals.

"He wanted to hold out until the winner's circle (Sunday) but he was a little scared that we may not make it there because it was so tough," Seeling said of her fiance. "I mean, we weren't even qualified on Friday night and then we come out and qualify and win the race. It was an awesome weekend." ...

Nine-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force won his 84th career national event last weekend in Atlanta and is within one victory of tying Bob Glidden's all-time record of 85.

Force, who trails Jerry Toliver by 30 points in the championship, will attempt to match Glidden's record in next weekend's Matco Tools Spring Supernationals in Englishtown, N.J.

* BACKMARKERS: Lex Dudas, a former director of operations at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has been promoted to general manager of operations for the American Speed Association and the ASA ACDelco Series. Dudas previously had served as the ASA's director of corporate planning and development. ...

The NHRA Bracket Racing Series drag-racing points season kicks off Saturday night at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with competition in Pro, Sportsman, Street, Motorcycle and Junior Dragsters categories. Gates open at 1:30 p.m. for Junior Dragsters and 4 p.m. for bracket racers. Qualifying is set to begin at 5 p.m. with eliminations at 7:30. ...

IMCA dirt racing returns to the LVMS half-mile dirt oval Saturday night with IMCA Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Legends Cars and Thunder Stox. Spectator gates will open at 6 p.m. with heat races starting at 7:30.

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