USAC, Outlaws racers help fill out weekend
Snow in the Midwest and on the East Coast is good news for dirt track fans awaiting racing tonight and Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's dirt track.
Cabin fever has several USAC and World of Outlaws teams heading west for the second annual Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic.
Racing begins at 4 p.m. today with USAC Sprint and Midget racers, including Levi Jones, who won the Sprint race Sunday in Tucson, Ariz., for Tony Stewart Motorsports.
Stewart also will have his two-car team in Friday night's World of Outlaws race, which begins at 6 p.m. Stewart's team includes four-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz, who has won the last three races on the half-mile Las Vegas oval. Joining the team is 20-time Outlaws champion Steve Kinser.
Another NASCAR star, Kasey Kahne, will field Outlaws teams for Paul McMahan, Brad Sweet and Joey Saldana, who led the World of Outlaws with 20 A-Feature wins last year.
Visit lvms.com or call 644-4444 for information.
■ HAULER PARADE -- NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas starts today with various driver appearances, a charity auction and the traditional Hauler Parade on Las Vegas Boulevard, which has been moved to a 6 p.m. starting time.
More than 60 race-team transporters will stage at the South Point before starting their trek from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue before heading north on Interstate 15 for the speedway.
■ CHARITY EVENTS -- NASCAR drivers Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Kyle Petty and 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte will appear tonight at the 12th annual Speedway Children's Charities NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam's Town Live.
The fundraiser from 5 to 10 p.m. features an auction in which fans can bid to ride with drivers during pre-race parades before Saturday's Sam's Town 300 Nationwide and Sunday's Shelby American Cup races.
There also will be a silent auction for racing and nonracing items.
Admission is $20. Visit lvms.com for information. ...
A charity poker tournament to benefit the Dale Earnhardt Foundation begins at 4 p.m. today at the Stratosphere. Drivers scheduled to attend are Kenny Wallace, Casey Mears, Matt Crafton, Regan Smith, Aric Almirola, Eric McClure, Todd Bodine, Mike Bliss and Scott Lagasse Jr. Cost is $150 to play and $30 to attend. For information, call 380-7777.
■ GRAND MARSHALS -- The call to start engines before the Las Vegas Cup race will be made by motor sports legend Carroll Shelby and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who is promoting her fragrance line by sponsoring driver Mike Bliss in a pink No. 36 Chevrolet.
Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.
