Las Vegas Weekly

February 27, 2010 · 7:44 AM

NASCAR reporter’s notebook includes rundown of Big Race Sunday

By Robin Leach

Day 1 of NASCAR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Feb. 26, 2010. Jimmie Johnson is pictured here.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

It’s absolutely split-second timing for tomorrow’s Big Race countdown. At 9.30 a.m., the gates open for fans. At 11 a.m. as Fox goes live on air, our Merry Mayor of Mirth Oscar Goodman is introduced and watches the U.S. Air Force Enlistment Ceremony. Imperial Palace headliners Human Nature will perform at 11:07 a.m., and the Red Bull Air Force Skydivers will land between Turns 1 and 4. At 11:28 a.m., racecar legend Carroll Shelby and reality TV star Kim Kardashian will be introduced.

I’ll do the starting lineup of drivers at 11:30 a.m. The Red Bull stunt show will be at 11:50 a.m. The Mirage headliner Terry Fator will sing the national anthem at 12:01 p.m., and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will fly over in precision formation at 12:02 p.m. The start-your-engines command will be given at 12:07 p.m., with the 267-lap and 400.5-mile race going under the flag at 12:16 p.m.

Meantime, here are all the other jottings that filled my reporter’s notebook:

*Comedian Carrot Top will be the honorary crew manager for Mike Wallace in the Monster Diesel #01 Chevy at Las Vegas today during the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Monster Diesel, the diesel fuel additive, is the primary sponsor on the J-D Motorsports entry. As crew manager, Carrot Top will hold the #01 pit sign during the race and also will give Mike’s crew a pep talk before the race. Carrot Top, a lifelong fan of stock car racing, is excited about the opportunity. He said: “Watching a race from the pits should be great fun. I only hope that I can help the #01 team bring home a victory. If not, well, they knew what they were getting into hiring me in the first place!” Mike finished 12th in the Nationwide race in California last weekend.

*NASCAR stock car racing legend and broadcaster Ned Jarrett will join fellow golden-era superstar Junior Johnson in the Neon Garage during the weekend at LVMS. Both will be accompanied by one of their restored racecars: Ned will be reunited with his blue No. 11 Ford, and Junior will sit next to his No. 3 Holly Farms Chevrolet. I’m told that LVMS is beginning what it hopes to be an annual tradition by inviting legendary NASCAR drivers to take part in the racing activities at LVMS.

*Wolf Creek, the Billy Joel Tribute Band, The Spazmatics and tribute bands for Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Journey and Led Zeppelin are among the bands appearing in the Neon Garage at LVMS through tomorrow.

*Before Bobby Hauck conducts his first practice as UNLV’s new football coach, he will give the command to start the 14th running of the Sam’s Town 300 today with 51 entries. Bobby, who was named head football coach of the Rebels in December after seven years as head coach at the University of Montana, also is the grand marshal. In addition to this being Danica Patrick’s first race at LVMS, the Sam’s Town 300 field also is expected to include Las Vegas natives Kyle Busch and Brendan Gaughan and several other Sprint Cup Series regulars.

*Before race time tomorrow, it appears as if there will be 46 drivers, including the international trio of Colombia’s Juan Pablo Montoya, Italy’s Max Papis and Marcos Ambrose of Tasmania. Here’s some of the other famous names: David Reutimann, Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

*Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has been picked as the odds-on favorite to win tomorrow’s Shelby American. Fred Crespi, director of Race and Sports for the Palms, was influenced by Jimmie’s three consecutive victories at LVMS in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver will start tomorrow’s race at 4/1, ahead of local hero (and last year’s winner) Kyle Busch at 7/1 and 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray at 35/1. Veteran Mark Martin, who won the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race here in 1998 and was a solid championship contender last year, is ranked second at 13/2.

*Here are the odds: Jimmie Johnson – 4/1, Mark Martin – 13/2, Kyle Busch – 7/1, Jeff Gordon – 9/1, Denny Hamlin – 10/1, Tony Stewart – 11/1, Jeff Burton – 14/1, Greg Biffle – 14/1, Kevin Harvick – 14/1, Juan Pablo Montoya – 14/1, Clint Bowyer – 14/1, Kurt Busch – 15/1, Carl Edwards – 16/1, Matt Kenseth – 18/1, Kasey Kahne – 22/1, Brian Vickers – 22/1, Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 25/1, Joey Logano – 25/1, Ryan Newman – 25/1, Jamie McMurray – 35/1, David Ragan – 45/1, Martin Truex Jr. – 50/1, David Reutimann – 50/1, Brad Keselowski – 65/1, Marcos Ambrose – 65/1, Sam Hornish – 65/1 and all others. 35/1.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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