Columnist Ron Kantowski: More mud in LVMS’ eye

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000 | 10:24 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's column appears Thursday. His inside notes column appears Tuesday. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

Mention the phrase "rumblin', stumblin', bumblin' " and it conjures images of some defensive tackle lumbering toward the goal line with a recovered fumble or intercepted pass.

But ESPN's Chris Berman might have had Las Vegas Motor Speedway in mind when he came up with his catch phrase.

This week, the rumblin' at LVMS was generated by the World of Outlaws sprint cars. Trouble is, the roar of the engines wasn't heard until Wednesday, as more stumblin' and bumblin' by the speedway forced postponement of Tuesday's WoO card.

Giving LVMS the benefit of the doubt, most of its high-ranking officials are working hard to make the track a better place than it was under the previous ownership. But all too often, it winds up looking like Barney Fife.

For instance, this week somebody made the call to add sand to the "Magic Mud" that forms the constitution for the Outlaws' dirt track. In theory, that would allow the track to retain more water and produce a more tacky surface, which is the way the sprint cars like it -- to a point.

Only LVMS continued to water the dirt as usual. And when the rains hit over the weekend, the Magic Mud was transformed into a not-so-mystical quagmire.

Some of the drivers said track conditions were nearly perfect for racing -- hydroplanes. Apparently, there were so many moguls on the front straight that Steve Kinser's crew was thinking about attaching skis to the Quaker State car before sending it out to qualify.

It's a shame, because LVMS recently has shown signs of getting its act together. Its first NHRA drag racing weekend was a huge success and went off with so few hitches that the NHRA rewarded it with a second race date.

Still, there's work to be done before LVMS sheds its shoot-itself-in-the-foot image. To wit, there is this letter that appeared in noted auto racing authority Robin Miller's "Ask the Expert" column on the Indianapolis Star website this week:

What's the matter with Las Vegas? They keep losing events. How can a superspeedway stay open with only one event a year?

Well, J.F. from Toledo, it can stay open because that one event is a NASCAR Winston Cup date, which generates more cash than even Anna Nicole Smith can spend.

Miller went on to defend LVMS, saying it was all but a lock to host the 2002 CART Champ Car season opener.

Not so fast. There are rumblings the LVMS braintrust, most of which have a stock car background, are skeptical that a Champ Car race would draw the 35,000 paying customers it would take to break even.

Of course, had any of the speedway's doubting Thomases bothered to take in the Marlboro 500 at California Speedway (just three hours from Las Vegas) on Sunday before the rains hit, they would have seen the grandstands and infield all but filled to their 90,000-seat capacity, to watch the CART drivers treat fans to a show that is about 10 times faster and more competitive (59 lead changes) than the one the Winston Cup guys put on at the same track.

Throw in the hospitality tents, where wallets are thicker than Zsa Zsa Gabor's accent, and a CART race in Las Vegas seems like a slam dunk.

Provided LVMS doesn't dribble it away.