NASCAR’s Patrick coming to Palms
Danica Patrick, who had the highest finish by a woman in NASCAR history in Las Vegas a year ago, is signing autographs Friday at the Palms.
Patrick finished fourth in the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, bettering the previous high of fifth in 1949.
She'll be signing from 6-7 p.m. inside the Palms' north porte cochere.
Patrick, who moved to NASCAR's Nationwide Series full time this year, is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing.
She's the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series, and her third place in the Indianapolis 500 is the highest finish by a woman.
She started the 2012 season by winning the Nationwide Series pole at Daytona but made it through just one lap before being spun out by Elliot Sadler.
DAYDREAM BELIEVER
They were much different times when Mary Siero landed an autograph of The Monkees' sensation Davy Jones in the late 1960s.
Now a Las Vegas businesswoman, Siero was 10 or 11 and traveling with her family when they stopped at a Holiday Inn outside Louisville, Ky. Suddenly her brother noticed Jones emerging from a limo. She jumped out of the family car to pursue an autograph, but she missed him.
"There were no throngs of people or paparazzi there or groupies or anything following him, even though this was at the height of his popularity," Siero recalled.
"So we went to the bellhop and asked him if he could tell us what room he was staying in so we could get an autograph. He came back with the information (something that would NEVER happen today) and gave it to us on the condition that we get an autograph for his daughter also, which we were happy to do."
They went to the room, knocked on the door and came away with the biggest celebrity autograph of her life.
Jones, 66, died last week in Florida.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Cirque du Soleil officials will hold a news conference today to announce the replacement show for "Viva Elvis" at Aria in CityCenter. ...
A slot tournament benefiting the Kyle Busch Foundation starts at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Riviera. Information: www.Riviera.com ...
Wynn headliner Garth Brooks is heading for the Country Music Hall of Fame. He'll join Hargus "Pig" Robbins and Connie Smith at the induction ceremonies in Nashville this summer. Robbins, though blind, became an accomplished session musician. Smith's 20 top 10 hits included "Cincinnati, Ohio."
NFL All-Pro quarterback-turned-pastor Randall Cunningham and wife Felicity had a baby girl, Sophia Ruth, on Monday. She was 7 pounds, 14 ounces. He led UNLV to an 11-2 record in 1984, his junior year.
SIGHTINGS
2011 Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, with NASCAR friends at Marquee (Cosmopolitan) on Monday. Also there: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice. Dale Earnhardt Jr., yukking it up at Carrot Top's show (Luxor) on Monday. ... Nicolas Cage, dining at Vintner Grill on Monday. ... Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, a Western High School grad, speaking to fourth- and fifth-graders Tuesday at Guy Elementary School in North Las Vegas. The school is named after Guy's grandfather, the late Clark County District Judge Adelair Guy.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
