Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Tracy confident race will be big success

Friday, July 9, 2004 | 9:34 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Chris Powell, the general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, said he wouldn't know for few days how the addition of the Champ Car World Series would impact attendance for the Sept. 25 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

Paul Tracy, Champ Car's reigning series champion and a Las Vegas resident for more than six years, has a pretty good idea.

"It's going to be a tremendous success," Tracy said Wednesday during a news conference at the speedway.

Tracy, in his 14th season in the open-wheel series, said Las Vegas' reputation as a destination resort would make Champ Car's debut at the 1.5-mile superspeedway a resounding success.

"I think (LVMS is) the perfect venue for our series to showcase not only our product to the Las Vegas crowd, but I think we're going to bring in a lot of people from all over the world," he said.

"I run into Canadians all the time that are here on vacation or here for conventions and I'm sure a lot of people are going to want to come to watch this inaugural event. I think it's going to be a great event and a great opportunity for both (Champ Car and the Truck Series)."

The Champ Car World Series (formerly known as CART) has staged outstanding races at 2-mile superspeedways in Michigan and Fontana, Calif., in the past and Tracy said the less steeply banked LVMS oval should allow the series to put on an equally good show in September.

"It's quite a lot different than any type of track that we've run on before," Tracy said of LVMS. "Michigan and Fontana are 2-mile tracks and this is a mile and a half. It's similar to Texas (Motor Speedway) but it doesn't have the big, NASCAR high banking.

"Actually, this venue is probably the perfect venue for our style of cars; it's going to be fast but not too fast. It's got enough banking that's going to allow us to race but it's not going to be so steep where our cars get ridiculously quick."

Kevin Kalkhoven, co-owner of the Champ Car series, said the series would hold a tire test at LVMS in the coming weeks to help the series decide on what aero package the Champ Cars will use here.

Tracy said he hopes the series uses a package similar to what they ran at Michigan International Speedway and California Speedway from 1998 to 2002. The 2001 race at California Speedway produced a series-record 73 lead changes among 19 drivers in the 220-lap event.

"I'm sure it hasn't been decided what aero package we're going to run ... but they're planning on having (average) speeds of 210 to 215 miles per hour and we'll have an incredible race," Tracy said. "If it's the Handford-style wings like we used to run at places like Michigan or Fontana, you'll see a pack of eight to 10 cars, all dicing for the lead for 300 miles and it's going to come down to the very end, (to) the guy who positions himself.

"Really, it's a very similar style of racing to NASCAR but at a much higher speed."

Lasoski and his family were in their house, which is near the shop, and were not injured. None of the Tony Stewart Motorsports employees were in the shop when the tornado hit, team manager Tony Ross said.

"The most important thing is nobody was hurt and we are very thankful of that," Ross said. "The tornado blew off part of the roof and blew every door off the shop. We don't know the full extent of the damage just yet but we know there is damage to some cars, top wings and trophies and there is a gouge in the hauler.

"It also blew a tree into the main part of the shop. We are really fortunate because it could have been so much worse. Everything that was damaged can be replaced."

The team was able to make it to Tuesday's WoO race at Huset's Speedway in Brandon, S.D., and Lasoski finished third in the main event.

Park managed the fourth-place showing despite having to start at the rear of the field because of an engine change after qualifying.

"We had a slow start to the season, but that has definitely started to turn around," Park said. "We still have things to work on, but we are headed in the right direction."

Park, who drives for Las Vegas-based Orleans Racing, is 67 points out of 10th place in points going into Saturday's race at Kentucky Speedway.

NCTS director Wayne Auton said in a release that it was determined a first-lap accident was "the direct cause" of Edwards' truck failing to meet the minimum height requirement during the postrace inspection and that no penalties would be assessed.

The team's drivers, David Murry and Craig Stanton, are third in GT class points going into next weekend's event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

A complete event schedule can be found at www.nhrasportcompact.com.