Friday, December 06, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

COLUMN: Jeff Wolf

Fair-weather fans miss Stewart's reign

Not much time for racing this week. I've been dusting off my western hat, making sure my expandable Wranglers still fit and polishing my belt buckle.

The rodeo is in town, but a few thoughts linger about the other form of horsepower. ...

• WHERE WERE YOU? -- Usually I'm a defender of racing fans' wants and needs, but this time I have to take to task those in Southern Nevada who often complain that Las Vegas Motor Speedway ignores open-wheel racing.

Why weren't you at the speedway's Bullring on Saturday for the USAC Midgets and Sprint Cars races featuring Tony Stewart?

I probably overestimated the crowd in Sunday's paper; there maybe were about 2,000 fans.

Perhaps the crowd would have been larger if the weather had not been so ominous in the afternoon.

Only in Phoenix and Las Vegas do people assume a night event will be rained out if it's cloudy in the afternoon. It might have been raining in your neighborhood, but at the speedway a mild drizzle early in the night only delayed the heat races by about 30 minutes. The show was over at 10:35 p.m.

Stewart dazzled the crowd by winning both feature races. He also signed about 1,000 autographs and stayed until he had signed for everyone in line.

The most expensive ticket was $20, and even without Stewart, there were enough talented drivers to justify that price.

I want to see the Indy Racing League return to Las Vegas. But why should the speedway gamble that anyone would show up after such a small crowd attended Saturday's races on a weekend when nothing else was happening?

• CHEAP SHOT -- A local television reporter showed up to interview Stewart as he was signing autographs Saturday at the Bullring.

The reporter, as I've been told, never called the speedway's public-relations department to arrange an interview. The talking head apparently just walked up, stuck a microphone in Stewart's face and asked a few superficial questions.

Supposedly, Stewart at one point pushed the microphone away from his face. Good for him. This appearance was for Stewart's fans who braved the chilly night. When she "threw it back" to the news desk, as they say in television, that person commented that it was clear why not many people like Stewart.

No, it's more likely the reason a lot of people don't like reporters, especially those who wear makeup and smile pretty.

Had that reporter asked a speedway representative to set up a brief interview with Stewart, I think Stewart would have cooperated.

• IT'S SHOWTIME -- The NASCAR Winston Cup Awards ceremony is tonight and will be televised live beginning at 5 on TNT (Cable 18).

Aside from all the sponsorship mentions by drivers and NASCAR officials, it should provide some enjoyable entertainment and more drama than has been seen this week on rerun television.

Actor James Woods, singer Sheryl Crow and rock group Third Eye Blind will perform at the Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Center.

I just want to know what happened to comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Why isn't he on the bill?

I could just hear him: You might be a redneck if you think the Hammerstein Center houses a collection of beer mugs that can pound nails.

Jeff Wolf's motorsports column is published Friday. He can be reached at 383-0247 or jwolf@reviewjournal.com.