Wednesday, July 21, 2004 | 9:42 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
Southern Nevada racing fans will have an opportunity to get a preview of the Sept. 25 Champ Car World Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when the 750-horsepower Champ Cars hold an open test at the 1.5-mile superspeedway on Aug. 18.
Champ Car officials are "allowing and encouraging" all of their teams to participate in the test, which will run from 2 to 5:30 p.m. and from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
LVMS spokesmen Jeff Motley said it was the speedway's intention to open the test to the public, free of charge.
Many of the series' 18 drivers are expected to take part in the test because it will mark the inaugural Champ Car World Series event at LVMS and will be one of only two oval races this season on Champ Car's 16-race schedule. It also will be the first opportunity the teams will have to test the aerodynamic package Champ Car will mandate for the Las Vegas race.
LVMS general manager Chris Powell said that tickets sales "have certainly increased" since the announcement that the Champ Car World Series would join the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in a unique racing doubleheader on Sept. 25 at LVMS, although Powell would not release sales figures.
"In general, the phones in our ticket office have been ringing more" since the announcement, Powell said. "I thought there would be interest in a Champ Car race because we have not had open-wheel racing here in a few years, but I have been pleasantly surprised in that there has been more interest and more energy surrounding the announcement than I had expected."
LVMS officials on Tuesday released a schedule of events for the Champ Car-Truck Series doubleheader. The Champ Cars will qualify at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24 and will warm up for 30 minutes, from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. Saturday, before the Truck Series race. The Champ Car race, which has yet to be named, will start at approximately 9 p.m. on the 25th.
RICE VISITS BUSH: Buddy Rice and his Rahal Letterman Racing team were guests of President George W. Bush at the White House Monday in recognition of Rice's Indianapolis 500 victory in May.
After a ceremony on the South Lawn during which Rice and his team posed for pictures with his Indy 500-winning car and the Borg Warner Trophy, President Bush gave the group an informal tour of the Oval Office.
"It was the pinnacle," Rice said of the experience. "It's really hard to put into words that I was able to shake hands with the most powerful man in the world, and that he took time out of his busy schedule and what's happening in the world today to meet with us.
"I was nervous at first, but he's a great guy and easy to get along with. For a man of such stature and power, he put us right at ease. He's easier to talk to than some of the bosses I've had."
RECORD SETTER: Indy Racing League Infiniti Pro Series driver Thiago Medeiros, who drives for Henderson's Sam Schmidt, established an IRL record by winning his fourth consecutive race Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway.
Although he has the record and a 96-point lead in the IPS standings after five of 12 races, Medeiros said he doesn't plan to rest on his laurels.
"My goal is doing the fifth (victory in a row)," Medeiros said. "I mean, there is no secret; I think we put everything together this year. You know, we have a great engineer, a great crew, and I'm a good driver.
"If I can say, I'm a great driver, as well."
Medeiros, who joined Sam Schmidt Motorsports this season after finishing fourth in the IPS last year with Genoa Racing, said he didn't expect to be as dominant as he has been this season.
"It really wasn't part of what we were expecting," said Medeiros, who has led 316 of 349 laps this year. "But I know when I moved to Sam Schmidt Motorsports, I could be a lot more competitive and we could fight for a lot of wins and fight for the championship.
"That was our goal in the beginning of the season and still is our goal. We want to get a championship pretty soon and then think about a move up to the IRL (IndyCar Series) next year."
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