Monday, Sept. 20, 2004 | 9:58 a.m.
Schedule for this weekend's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
FRIDAY
11 a.m. -- Spectator gates open
12:15-2 p.m. -- Champ Car practice
4:30-6 p.m. -- Champ Car qualifying
8-9:30 p.m. -- Champ Car practice
SATURDAY
10:30 a.m. -- Spectator gates open
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. -- NCTS practice
3:30 p.m. -- NCTS qualifying
5:15-5:45 p.m. -- Champ Car warmup
6:30 p.m. -- NCTS driver introductions
7:29 p.m. -- NCTS Las Vegas 350 (146 laps, 219 miles)
8:45 p.m. -- Grid Champ Cars
10 p.m. -- CCWS Bridgestone 400 Presented by Corona (166 laps, 249 miles)
For the first time in 20 years, the 750-horsepower Champ Cars will return to Las Vegas Saturday night as part of an unprecedented racing doubleheader with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Instead of racing on a temporary oval in a hotel-casino parking lot (as it did in 1984, when the series was known as CART), the Champ Car World Series will showcase its product on the 1.5-mile oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be the first major open-wheel race at LVMS since 2000, when the Indy Racing League ended a five-year run here.
Saturday's doubleheader, dubbed the "Double Down in the Desert," is believed to be the first time a venue has scheduled two major racing series on the same day -- or, in this case, night.
Paul Tracy, one of four Las Vegas residents who compete in the Champ Car World Series, said the debut of the series at LVMS is long overdue.
"I've talked to CART in the past about 'why don't we race in Vegas,' " Tracy, the reigning series champion, said when the race was announced. "I guess the opportunity really wasn't the right opportunity. But now, partnering up with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and our race on a Saturday night, a doubleheader, I think is a first for any motor sports to pull off two races at night.
"This is a first-class facility (and) a world-class event we're going to put on. I think we're going to help draw from the NASCAR fans and also show them a different type of a sport and hopefully bring in our own crowd. It's going to be a tremendous success."
LVMS officials are preparing for a crowd in excess of the 60,000 that turned out for last year's stand-alone Truck Series race, which was won by Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan. LVMS general manager Chris Powell said the speedway would enact the same traffic and security plans it would for its annual NASCAR Busch Series race, which drew more than 100,000 spectators in March.
Last year, Powell admitted he was caught off guard by the large turnout for the race, which had typically attracted about 15,000 to 20,000 in previous years.
"We don't know if the same numbers (as last year) will be involved, but we feel like we'll be better prepared for a goodly amount of fans and cars," Powell said. "We're going to be preparing this year's Champ Car doubleheader with the Craftsman Truck Series similar to the way we prepare for the Saturday Busch race during NASCAR weekend in March.
"We certainly will encourage fans to ride the CAT buses, we encourage fans to use the 215 beltway around the city ... and we are urging everyone to come early."
The Champ Car World Series will practice and qualify on Friday and race on Saturday night, shortly after the conclusion of the Las Vegas 350 Truck Series race. The Las Vegas 350 will be a one-day show, with practice, qualifying and the race all scheduled for Saturday. The 146-lap Las Vegas 350 will take the green flag at 7:29 p.m. and the 166-lap Champ Car race is expected to get under way close to 10 p.m.
Both races should prove to be critical in determining the series' respective champions. Second-year driver Sebastien Bourdais holds a slim 24-point lead over Newman/Haas Racing teammate Bruno Junqueira in the Champ Car standings with three races remaining. In the Truck Series, the top three drivers -- Bobby Hamilton, Dennis Setzer and Carl Edwards -- are separated by only 39 points with seven races left on the schedule.
"It's going to be a great ticket for the fans," said Jimmy Vasser, the 1996 CART champion and an eight-year Las Vegas resident. "Two shows like that in one night, it should be a great night of racing."
Although the Champ Cars are capable of running close to 230 mph on the banked oval at LVMS, Champ Car officials have opted to go with an aerodynamic package for this race that will slow down the cars to a top speed of about 210 mph. Vasser said slowing the cars may not be such a bad idea.
"The aerodynamic package that they chose (has) a lot of downforce and it's going to keep the cars real close," Vasser said. "It's going to be a very close race -- probably one big pack. I think we're going to put on a good show here and I think the race will be very exciting.
"On a speedway, for us, we're used to going quite a bit faster than (210) but ultimate speed is not the main thing; I think the Champ Cars will put on a fantastic race. I'm going to reserve judgment until after the race because it might be the right package for racing for the fans."
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