Mike Skinner races in front of Rick Crawford en route to Skinner's victory Saturday night in the Smith's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photos by Ruben D. Luevano. Mike Skinner, right, poses with Smith's president Jim Hallsey and the winner's trophy on Saturday night after capturing the Smith's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hand it to those at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Even when offering a pre-race invocation to christen the new track, they remembered the most important points:

"Make it safe," the gentleman with the microphone requested to the heavens. "Make it fast."

The last part won't be a problem over time.

The first part has been covered since February 2001.

NASCAR has spent a little more than five years (read: the second that Dale Earnhardt hit that fatal wall at Daytona) implementing safety changes that better protect those driving at all levels, including a Craftsman Truck Series that staged its annual race here Saturday night to a gathering intent on discovering whether all those millions of dollars spent to add more speed and passing and edge-of-your-seat thrills were worth the investment.

The opinion was fairly unanimous (any advancement in speed rules) of NASCAR purists approached beforehand, meaning those people with billboards for wardrobes and buckets of ice carrying their six-pack of choice:

Bruce O'Key was one. He has attended races at the speedway since it opened 10 years ago and began back then with a group that included three people and a Hibachi. It has since swelled to two motor homes, 33 members and two barbecues.

"This will be a much better track with the higher banks and narrow sections, much faster," O'Key said. "But I'll let you know what I really think when I see if my seats are obstructed."

A short stroll into the stands later, O'Key noticed that a third level on one infield building still under construction would indeed hinder his view of the backstretch, which during any race really amounts to the amount of time it takes you to blink or for Bruce to reach for another beer.

Still, he wasn't a happy billboard holding that bucket.

"They need to take that level down or I'm really going to be pissed," O'Key said. "But I really like the banking. Yee-haw!"

(At this point, I concluded two things: I have never met a person who has said 'Yee-haw,' never mind having actually written the words (thanks, Google); also, I thought it best not to expound on the fact the building O'Key spoke of is set to be a state-of-the-art media center complete with spa, although it would have been nice to question Speedway Motorsports Inc. founder Bruton Smith about that third level and several other facts surrounding opening night of his new track. Smith wasn't made available for comment, perhaps stuck in the logjam that was I-15.)

The disappointing part: Traffic near the speedway exit was still at a skateboard's pace more than 30 minutes into the start. There has to be a better way of track officials to publicize and encourage early arrival for such a momentous evening. A fair gauge of attendance was in the 60,000 range, not counting those fans who departed for the speedway in daylight and arrived with their headlights on.

The impressive part: A race that seemingly ended when Mike Skinner won the pole.

Speed?

The ripped up and rebuilt tri-oval ran even faster than expected in qualifying, evident when 32 drivers topped the track record (165.320 set by Skinner when he won the pole two years ago). Ironic, considering the actual race was the slowest in trucks history here, but that was far more about countless cautions and conservative tires than the new layout.

Safe?

It's always a good night when just a few drivers test those wall barriers that stand between front fender and solid concrete.

"The groove wasn't as treacherous as everyone thought," said Ted Musgrave, who finished second to Skinner. "Let (the track) age and the groove will keep growing. Ease into it and get a couple races and I'm sure it will age for the Busch and Cup races (in March) so there'll be more side-by-side (racing) through the corners."

It's what purists want, what they believe this track can now produce each time the gentleman with the microphone speaks to the heavens and engines roar and flags drop. It's what a guy like Lance Kiel is all about.

"I like the trucks because they're here right now," said Kiel, the 34-year Las Vegan whose billboard of choice was of Dale Earnhardt Jr. "It gives you something to do waiting for Cup to get here."

Maybe by then the freeway will have emptied, Bruton Smith will be made available and Bruce O'Key can look beyond that building with a clear vision of the backstretch.

Yee-haw to all above.

Ed Graney's column is published Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. He can be reached at 383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.