Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Drivers unbuttoned for LVMS race

Thursday, Sept. 23, 2004 | 10:08 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.

Champ Car World Series will not have the "push-to-pass" option available for its race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Series officials this year introduced the option, which gives the 750-horsepower open-wheel cars an added 50 horsepower at the push of a button, in an attempt to generate more passing opportunities on road and street courses. Drivers were allotted between 60 and 90 seconds of push-to-pass time per race, depending on the circuit.

Most Champ Car drivers were in agreement that the option would not be useful on the 1.5-mile LVMS oval.

"It was going to be a problem here because everybody's going to be so close," Las Vegas resident Patrick Carpentier said. "In order for the push to pass to be stopped, you have to lift off the throttle. If you push the push to pass and make it up to the front, then you have to lift off the throttle or otherwise use the whole thing -- and then you're going to end up at the back again, so there's no point having it."

Series points leader Sebastien Bourdais agreed -- and added that the option could have stressed the Ford-Cosworth engines over the course of the 166-lap race.

"We're going to be flat (on the gas pedal) a long, long, long time and (engine) reliability could have been a big issue if we were to have the extra boost the push-to-pass button gives as it's probably not too good for the engine."

In addition it being a "home race" for the Orleans Racing crew, Park is just 66 points behind 10th-place Jack Sprague in the series standings with seven races remaining and still is searching for his first victory of the season.

"We have struggled this season, but it isn't over," Park said. "We want to break into the top 10 and we are very close. It would be great to get our first win of the season at Las Vegas, but right now I'm more concerned with getting that win."

Park replaced Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan in the No. 62 truck this season after Gaughan moved up to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with Penske-Jasper Racing. Gaughan won last year's truck race at LVMS.

Ticket giveaways are valid at any of the Goodwill Store locations in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson.

Lynch will be signing autographs 5-6 p.m. Friday at the Bourbon Street Lounge inside The Orleans hotel-casino and Park will appear 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Dodge merchandise trailer at LVMS.

Richard Childress also announced Wednesday that Ron Hornaday would not return in the team's No. 2 NASCAR Busch Series entry next season.