Las Vegas Weekly

March 1, 2010 · 3:17 PM

Photos: Kim Kardashian’s revved-up weekend of NASCAR, perfume

By Robin Leach

Kim Kardashian celebrates the launch of her new fragrance at Tao in The Venetian on Feb. 27, 2010.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

It was an ab fab weekend for gorgeous reality TV star Kim Kardashian -- right up until the moment her perfume-sponsored car #36 pink Chevrolet crashed into the wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway yesterday during the NASCAR Shelby American 400 won by Jimmie Johnson.

Kim fortunately missed by just seconds seeing her car driven by Mike Bliss of Milwaukee, Oregon, eliminated. After joining Carroll Shelby for the traditional “Gentlemen, start your engines” command, the pink-and-black-race-suit-adorned actress watched the first few laps from Pit Row. Then she hopped a ride under the track to go to owner Bruton Smith’s penthouse suite to watch the rest of the race.

Unfortunately, I had to break the news to her when she arrived that while she was in the tunnel, her car had wiped out. She winced and after checking the track from the panorama windows in the suite told me: “This was my first NASCAR. This was my first racecar. Not a great start, but we’ll put on a brave face and say it is better to go out trying than to lose. I was so excited about this. It sort of dampens an incredible weekend.”

She did brighten, though, telling me about the crowd mayhem and fan response when she launched her fragrance Kim Kardashian at Sephora in The Venetian. “I’ve never seen anything like that. There were hundreds of fans everywhere you looked. They were all so nice. It was a genuine outpouring of love. Reaction to the fragrance was fabulous. Everybody loves it, and I couldn’t have been happier about that.”

Kim celebrated at Tao in The Venetian, where VDLX reader and videographer Richard Corey recorded Kim’s arrival. She arrived with her mom Kris Jenner and Simon Huck from Spindustry, the new E! special Kim produced. She strutted down the red carpet in a provocative dress that looked transparent -- but wasn’t -- with black Christian Louboutin high-heeled shoes. Kim and the group dined before heading up to a VIP dance floor table.

DJ Vice announced Kim’s arrival, and she was greeted by screaming fans who clamored to get close to her while a neighboring VIP table sent over a bottle of Cristal. After being presented with a cake in the shape of her perfume bottle by Gimme Some Sugar, the gracious star went onto the dance floor, where she met and took photos with fans.

No sign of boyfriend Reggie Bush, but Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints teammates Pierre Thomas and Lance Moore stopped by the table to congratulate her on the perfume. She danced on the catwalk to the sounds of DJ Vice and tweeted, “OMG, look at my cake! Thank you, Tao Las Vegas.”

Despite the late night of partying, Kim flew out on Maverick Helicopters from McCarran’s private executive terminal to LVMS yesterday. Up in the media center in a private office before her press conference, she and I talked about her love of cars, and I asked if she was a speed demon herself.

“I take my Bentley up to about 90 mph. I confess I’ve had three quick-fix tickets in the past two months. You’d think a lipstick kiss on an autographed photo would solve the problem? No! Sometimes Reggie will take the Bentley, so I take his Ferrari. I like the speed, but I’m very cautious and wouldn’t ever take that past 90 mph.”

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Kim Kardashian at the NASCAR Shelby American GT 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Feb. 28, 2010.

She also revealed: “I’ve been known to do my hair and makeup in the car but at much slower speed. I wouldn’t be Oscar carpet ready or for a photo shoot, but enough to look good and get by.”

After the pre-show with Imperial Palace headliners Human Nature, Fox TV joined our trackside event. I introduced The Mirage headliner Terry Fator to sing the national anthem and fly by of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds exactly as he finished the last six words of the song. Talk about precision timing over the backstretch, across the inside and out over the front stretch!

Then I introduced Kim and racing automotive legend Carroll Shelby as the co-grand marshals of the race as they delivered the four most famous words in motorsports: “Gentlemen, start your engines!”

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Kim Kardashian at the NASCAR Shelby American GT 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Feb. 28, 2010.

Despite the crash, Kim summed up: “It was an incredible weekend in Las Vegas. This first NASCAR experience was exciting and disappointing at the same time, but I will never forget all the crowds who turned out for the fragrance launch. I’ve seen a lot of fans and crowds since we started doing television, but this was the biggest I’ve ever had. Tremendous and so big, it was a picture I’ll never forget.”

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.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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