Ron Kantowski is a sports columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, covering a variety of topics and the Las Vegas sports scene.
rkantowski@reviewjournal.com … @ronkantowski on Twitter. 702-383-0352
It was about halfway through the Kobalt 400 on Sunday afternoon when the Performance Racing Network announcer’s voice crackled over the speakers in the media center. He reported that he was back at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, that the race was being dominated by Kevin Harvick, that only 16 cars were on the lead lap.
The idea behind talking to Brian Vickers was to point out that not long ago he was one of NASCAR’s brightest young stars, and then he nearly died — twice — from blood clots in his lungs and legs.
Derrike Cope’s life might have changed forever when he inherited that victory at Daytona in 1990. But now he’s driving in the Nationwide Series, and he has only a three-race deal, and his sponsor is Charlie’s Soap of Mayodan, N.C.
There are four Las Vegans currently running in NASCAR’s top two touring series, which not only is remarkable but only one fewer than from North Carolina.
These NASCAR rules changes about ride heights and whatnot might drive the drivers and their teams crazy, but race fans love ‘em. The changes meant extra practice sessions on Thursday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and race fans got in free.
Joey Saldana, aka the Brownsburg Bullet, collects World of Outlaws sprint car victories — he has 94 — and helmets of other racing drivers. He has about 125 of those. Until recently, though, he didn’t have a Steve Kinser helmet.
When NASCAR announced it was changing the rules again, to create a winner-take-all, one-race showdown for the Sprint Cup championship, there was an uproar. A very loud uproar. It sounded like the flyover before the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before the government shutdown, when there still were flyovers.
Former Army Sgt. Brendan Marrocco went on the Letterman show to discuss having both arms and legs blown off by a roadside bomb in Iraq — and how NASCAR driver Kurt Busch of Las Vegas lifted his spirits at the Daytona 500.
After hinting for months he wanted to become the fourth driver in auto racing history to attempt the double — driving in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — the Las Vegas lead foot made it official today.
Darrell Waltrip was rolling down U.S. 93 in a motorcoach on Monday. He was saying how beautiful the Arizona desert is, and that he was surrounded by cactus. He had just started to tell me about his emergency gallbladder surgery when he rolled into radio-free Arizona, or at least Verizon-free Arizona.
This was the sixth Scale the Strat benefiting the American Lung Association. More than 600 runners went up the 1,455 steps and then took the elevator down.
Former Lady Rebels coach guides Illinois-Chicago to first 20-win season, still preaching getting back on defense, blocking out on boards
There’s a kick-boxing card at Planet Hollywood on Saturday night featuring an undercard fight between women making their professional debuts. One is Colleen Schneider of Oakland, Calif. The other is Jennie Nedell from the incorporated village of Lindenhurst, N.Y.
George Thorogood is a huge baseball fan. He used to play semipro ball. This is why the official logo of his rockin’ blues band looks like the front of a baseball jersey.
For some reason, the first thing that popped into mind upon reading former Brigham Young gunner Jimmer Fredette was on his way out with the NBA’s Kings was a “Seinfeld” episode called “The Jimmy.”
