Friday, February 25, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

JEFF WOLF: Some quick thoughts before a perilous drive

Early this morning my helmet will be strapped on, seat belts snugly secured and head-and-neck protection device in place.

The added safety measures are necessary because it's race day at California Speedway, and my journey on Interstate 15 to the Southern California track faces greater dangers than NASCAR drivers will encounter on the two-mile racetrack in Fontana, Calif.

To lighten my load and provide greater maneuverability for my Jeep Cherokee, here are a few thoughts I'm leaving behind:

DAYTONA WAS A

GREAT AMERICAN RACE

The Daytona 500 lived up to its billing Sunday as the Great American Race.

Four lead changes over the last nine laps kept viewers on the edge of their seats, and two crashes that crumpled 17 cars in the final 20 laps make it likely those who were not racing fans will tune into another race.

The green-white-checkered flag, two-lap shootout was the first overtime for the Daytona 500. It extended the race and excitement by three laps and prevented the winner from coasting across the finish line under a caution flag.

The ratings for Fox peaked at 13.5 for the last 30 minutes to produce the highest numbers for any portion of a NASCAR race on Fox.

The national overnight rating for the entire race was 10.9, which indicates the percentage of viewership in households in the top U.S. markets, according to Nielsen Media Research. The Las Vegas rating was above 11.1.

SPLIT-SCREEN RACING

The folks at ABC and ESPN will experiment with a great idea when the Indy Racing League IndyCar season opens March 6 in Homestead, Fla.

The ESPN telecast will show continuous racing action by splitting the screen between live action and national commercial breaks.

A great pitch to advertisers would have been that the split-screen concept is likely to keep us from flipping channels during the commercials.

ATLANTA YES; LAS VEGAS NO

A report this week on a popular and highly respected motorsports Internet site said within two years one of two Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, giving the local track two annual races.

Both facilities are owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc. I called Bruton Smith, chairman of SMI, to ask if there was merit to the Jayski.com report.

Smith responded with a word that describes what I try to avoid stepping in when walking behind bulls at the rodeo.

He added that he had no plans to shift one of Atlanta's races to Las Vegas.

SPEEDWAY KUDOS

Las Vegas Motor Speedway probably will raise about $300,000 this year for local children's groups through its chapter of Speedway Children's Charities.

But its most valuable contribution to our community might be the Midnight Mayhem drag-racing program, which provides a safe, controlled atmosphere for those who tend to race or drive at excessive speeds illegally on public thoroughfares.

A 23-year-old was killed Tuesday night in what police believe was another Las Vegas street racing incident.

Wednesday night newscasts on two local channels reported on the crash and noted that tonight marks the opening of the fourth Midnight Mayhem season.

Chris Blair, speedway senior director of drag-racing operations, and public relations manager John Bisci created the program, which is respected throughout this country's drag-racing community.

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