Special Events are going on all week for the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals

Jeff Motley

If there has ever been a week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with more fan events, I wasn't here for it - and I've been here almost 11 years.

This week promises to have something for everyone. Whether you like drag racing, sprint cars, stock cars, poker, boxing, watching your kids dress up for Halloween, autograph seeking or are simply in a charitable mood, we have it all this weekend.

The racing action is highlighted by the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals. This is the next to last event in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and titles are up for grabs in all four professional categories.

No division is bringing more intrigue or excitement than Funny Car. Robert Hight, the son-in-law of legendary racer John Force, holds a slim 13-point lead over his sister-in-law Ashley Force Hood. Hood, Force's 26-year old daughter, is poised to be the first woman to ever win a professional Funny Car NHRA championship. Tony Schumacher is trying to hold off a fearsome foursome of Larry Dixon, Cory McClenathan, Antron Brown and Brandon Bernstein in Top Fuel. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hector Arana and Ed Krawiec are in a tight battle. The only division that is settled is Mike Edwards in Pro Stock.

Sportsman racing begins Thursday and the pros qualify on Friday and Saturday. Final eliminations are set for Sunday at 11 a.m.

But the events surrounding the racing begin on Wednesday. The annual Cards For Kids Charity Poker Tournament benefitting Speedway Children's Charities will be Wednesday at the Cannery Hotel and Casino on Craig Road. Bernstein, Dixon, McLenathan, Greg Anderson and Karen Stoffer are just some of the NHRA drivers who will test their skill against race fans and poker enthusiasts. Walk-ups are welcome. We deal the cards at 7 p.m.

Thursday night brings us the annual NHRA Fanfest on Fremont Street. More than 25 of the biggest names in drag racing will be on hand to sign autographs beginning at 6 p.m. This event has typically brought hundreds of fans to downtown Las Vegas and is the most popular driver autograph session on the NHRA circuit.

Throughout the weekend, we will be collecting canned goods at the entrance gates. All food collected will be delivered to the City Mission of Las Vegas. This is a great opportunity to help the less fortunate as we approach the holiday season.

And in the midst of all the heart-pounding drag racing action on Saturday will be a little head pounding as well. Thanks to Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Productions, we will have professional sparring taking place in the midway between pro sessions on Saturday afternoon. Professional boxers Sugar Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz will be on hand to sign autographs as well.

While the big guys are knocking heads, our youngest race fans will be competing for prizes in our annual Halloween costume contest. The judging will take place near the boxing ring on Saturday afternoon.

And if all this isn't enough, we also have Speedfest 2009 at the Bullring on Saturday night. Our 3/8-mile paved oval will play host to a 50-lap Supermodified race, USAC Western States Midgets, a 120-lap SRL Southwest Tour Series feature, a Bomber Enduro and Legends racing.

I'm tired just writing this, but as you can see, there's something for everybody this weekend. We hope to see you here, there and everywhere this weekend.

Getting ready for the 13th Annual Las Vegas 350

Jeff Motley

This is a big week here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the stars of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series make their annual visit to the Nevada desert.

But there is much more to this event than just 146 laps of truck racing.

The week is getting started on Thursday when three of the drivers participate in a pre-event press conference at the new Hard Rock Café on the Las Vegas Strip. Mike Skinner, who won here last year, Todd Bodine and former Supercross world champion Ricky Carmichael will be helping promote the event for the speedway. And if you haven't visited the new Hard Rock, you should check it out. It's three stories tall, has two big bars, indoor and outdoor dining and a virtual memorabilia wall that is simply amazing.

On Friday, the team haulers will enter at noon and the teams will begin preparations for Saturday night's race. But Friday night, many of the top drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino signing autographs. This autograph session is free to the public and the line will open at 7 p.m. David Starr, Terry Cook, Stacy Compton and many more will be on hand to greet fans and sign autographs.

The serious business for the teams starts on Saturday morning. The teams will get to work at 7 a.m. for this one-day show, where the teams will practice, qualify and race all in the same day. At noon, spectator gates will open and so does the Neon Garage.

Thanks to V Theater, the Neon Garage, will be loaded with entertainment. Fab Four, one of the top Beatles tribute bands, will headline the Neon Garage performance schedule. The Gregory Popovich Pet Theater and several other top Vegas acts will perform throughout the day as well. Gerry McCambridge from The Mentalist will also be on hand.

When you're not checking out the entertainment on the center stage, make sure to go to the team garage bays and get your souvenirs signed by your favorite drivers while their crews are hard at work preparing the trucks.

We will also have a racing exhibition by 600 Racing on the quarter-mile oval in the tri-oval of the superspeedway. Legends Cars, Thunder Roadsters and Bandoleros will be part of the 600 Racing card.

At 3:30 p.m., qualifying for the Las Vegas 350 gets under way, and the drivers' meeting will follow at 5 p.m.

At 6 p.m., when dusk begins to form another perfect Nevada evening, we will begin the introductions for the Las Vegas 350. If you've been to this race before, you know the driver intros are a little unique here. The drivers will walk through the stands and greet the fans as they're introduced.

Once the driver intros are completed, please prepare for a stirring rendition of the national anthem. Vocal Soup, a group made up of legendary performers, will sing The Star Spangled Banner. Veteran Vegas headliner Clint Holmes, former Miss California, blonde bombshell Susan Anton and ex-Foreigner frontman Domenick Allen are part of this amazing quartet.

From there, sit back, relax and watch the greatest truck racers in the world compete for the next two hours to take home the Las Vegas 350 trophy. Then return to the Neon Garage to see the jubilation of Victory Lane.

It's going to be a great week, so make sure not to miss a minute of it.

Design the winning souvenir program cover and YOU could win big!

Jeff Motley

Hey race fans,

I hope everyone is having a nice summer. Here at LVMS, we're just seven short weeks away from the return of the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Preparations for the event are already in motion, but we are in need of some help from our own race fans. We are asking all race fans  to submit a cover design for the souvenir program. The only real requirement is that the cover concept includes a racing and Las Vegas theme - and it needs to be a high-resolution 8 ½" x 11" vertical (a.k.a. "portrait") color or black-and-white design.

The person whose cover is chosen will be in for a lot of swag come race day. The winner will get suite passes to watch the race, passes for the Neon Garage and a photo opportunity with the race winner at the conclusion of the race. Did I mention that we will profile the winning artist in the program as well?

This is a great opportunity for all of the artists out there to get a little exposure. The contest started Aug. 1 and we've already gotten some nice entries. You have until Sept. 1 to submit your entry, so get to work.

Once you have created your masterpiece, just email it to Aubrey Hall at ahall@lvms.com, or if it's too big to email, burn it to a disk and drop it in the mail to us here at the speedway.

Good luck!

Lower Ticket Prices for 2010 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS

Jeff Motley

Hi race fans. Hope your summer is treating you well. NASCAR is less than two months away from the Chase for the 2009 Sprint Cup championship, but Las Vegas Motor Speedway is already looking ahead to 2010.

We don't have a confirmed date for 2010, but our "working date" is Feb. 28 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event and Feb. 27 for the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

But the biggest news is that we have reduced the price of all our Weekend Packages and Sunday-only tickets for the 2010 event. In fact, you can watch the Sprint Cup race for just $48. That's cheapest ticket ever offered for a Sprint Cup event at LVMS. And you won't have to wait much longer to get these great deals. Tickets go on sale Aug. 17. Between a strong renewal period and these lower prices, we look for tickets to go fast once Aug. 17 arrives.

We also made a dramatic reduction in price for Neon Garage passes. If you haven't been to the Neon Garage, it's a must-stop for any true race fan when coming to Las Vegas. Not only can you get closer to the drivers and teams than at any speedway, but we have continuous live entertainment, specialty concessions and the Winner's Circle in the Neon Garage.

Don't forget that we still have a full plate of racing this fall with races at the Bullring and The Strip as well as the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event Sept. 26 and the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Oct. 29-Nov. 1.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we'll see you at the races.

Happy Holidays from LVMS

Jeff Motley

The holiday season is a time for families to be together and for all of us to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the upcoming 12 months.

The 2008 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway saw some new faces and some older ones make headlines. It was also a year to say goodbye to a couple of longtime partners, and to welcome a pair of new ones.

In the biggest event of the year, Carl Edwards won his first Sprint Cup race at LVMS and thrilled the crowd with his customary back somersault on the start-finish line. But the day before, Mark Martin won the Nationwide race driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports team. For Martin, it was his third Nationwide win at LVMS and his fourth win overall. But for Dale Jr., it was his first win ever as a car owner.

LVMS also saw the end of the United Auto Workers' eight-year sponsorship of the Cup race come to a close. But before the calendar could turn, Shelby Automobiles stepped up and took on sponsorship of the 2009 race. The sponsorship will help Shelby promote its Las Vegas Motor Speedway limited-edition Shelby 427. The race will be extended by 18 laps (27 miles) and be called the Shelby 427.

We also welcome a new sponsor for the NASCAR Truck Series race. Houston-based bed liner company Qwik Liner became the title sponsor of the event in 2008. But while the sponsor was new, a familiar face hoisted the winner's trophy as Mike Skinner won his second Truck race in three years at LVMS.

The NHRA events had different winners in the spring and fall, but the fall's ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals saw Tony Schumacher hoist the trophy as the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series world champion. The veteran driver won his title in style too by winning the event and beating Las Vegas' own Hot Rod Fuller in the final. Cruz Pedregon posted his second career Funny Car win at The Strip en route to clinching his series title, and Jeg Coughlin's win in November helped propel him to the Pro Stock title.

Among our locals, Scott Gafforini won his second NASCAR Whelen All-American Series title at the Bullring. It's been quite a change of fortune for Gafforini, who finished second five times before breaking through for his first track title in 2006. He has definitely become the man to beat week in and week out at the 3/8-mile oval.

The local drag racing scene was also hot all year. John Dowd of Las Vegas scored a victory on June 7 and went on to win the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series Super Pro title by 65 points over Glen Copley. There were other headlines at the Strip including a bitter battle for the high school title that saw Ian Perri of Las Vegas defeated Boulder City's Jon Irving by just two points and a rare win by brothers Chad and Cody Webber in the Jr. Dragster Lightning and Jr. Dragster Thunder championships, respectively.

It was also another banner year for Speedway Children's Charities. More than $290,000 was donated to 57 different child-related charities in the Las Vegas area this year. The donation total was sparked by the annual driver auction at Sam's Town as well as the first Track Walk, which was conducted prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

And our excitement is at a fever pitch heading in to 2009. The NASCAR Weekend is right around the corner. The driver auction and track walk are back on again this year as well. We have two NHRA national events and the Trucks will return on Sept. 26. We also are looking forward to honoring automotive legend Carroll Shelby at our Mel Larson Night of Champions on April 1. All proceeds from this event benefit Speedway Children's Charities.

The Bullring will be back with a full racing schedule, and bracket racing and Midnight Mayhems will keep the Strip humming along in 2009.

And we have tickets available for every event, so once you've gotten all the holiday cheer you can handle, turn your attention to another great racing season and plan to join us in 2009.

Happy holidays!

Two Days of Testing at LVMS

Jeff Motley

Last month, NASCAR announced a ban on testing for the 2009 season. The only exceptions to that testing ban are tests conducted by Goodyear to examine tire wear and help select the best tire for certain speedways.

On Wednesday and Thursday, four NASCAR drivers visited our 1.5-mile superspeedway on behalf of Goodyear to test tires for the March 1 Shelby 427. It was a nice mix of young and old, superstars and newcomers. Carl Edwards, who won the Sprint Cup event at LVMS in March, represented the Ford teams.. Veteran racer Mark Martin, who has joined Hendrick Motorsports for the 2009 season, was testing in his new Chevrolet. NASCAR young gun Brian Vickers came with his Toyota team, and David Stremme was piloting his Dodge. Stremme will be in his first year with Penske Racing. He replaced Ryan Newman who has joined Tony Stewart's new team.

The test was uneventful - which is a good thing when testing. In talking with each of the four drivers at some point during the test, they all expressed great optimism about the tires they were testing and the prospects for a very competitive race here on March 1.

Prior to the 2007 event, the speedway was repaved and the banking was increased from 12 degrees to 20 degrees in the turns. There have been three Camping World Truck Series races, two Sprint Cup races, two Nationwide races, numerous tests and hundreds of days of driving schools on the track since the repaving. The more laps, the better, so we are all looking forward to one of the best race weekends ever starting Feb. 27.

Goodyear should be commended for its work in trying to bring a good tire to the event to make the race even better. The tire manufacturer picked a perfect mix of drivers for this test as well.

Martin won the inaugural Cup race here in 1998 and won this year's Nationwide Series race driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports team. In fact, Martin, Jeff Burton and three-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson are the only drivers to win on both the old track and the new one.

Edwards is the defending champion of the race, and is one of four different drivers to win a Cup race at LVMS driving for Jack Roush. Stremme has an amazing Nationwide Series record at LVMS. In four starts, he has never finished worse than fifth. He also sat on the outside pole for the Cup race in 2007. Vickers has competed in four Cup races and three Nationwide Series races here.

Now that the testing is done, it's time for Goodyear and the teams to return to their respective headquarters and process the data. It's also time for everyone to take a break and enjoy the holiday season. The NASCAR Weekend here in Las Vegas is less than three months away, so if you haven't made plans to be here, it's time to start.

Gearing up for NHRA

Jeff Motley

I hope all of you are enjoying the exciting racing that's been taking place across the country lately. The NASCAR guys had an interesting weekend in Talladega with an amazing finish, some big crashes and hot tempers. Judging by the pleasantries exchanged Thursday at our sister track in Charlotte between Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards, it looks like there may be more fireworks in store before the Chase sorts itself out.

They don't have drivers crashing and clashing in the NHRA, but the Countdown to the Championship for the hot rods is getting close to a conclusion, and we're getting ready to help decide the titles here in Las Vegas. After this weekend's event in Richmond, only two races will remain on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing schedule and the next stop is right here at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

Our fall NHRA event, the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals, is one of our favorite events here at the speedway. The Friday qualifying always falls on Nevada Day, a state holiday, and gives many families the opportunity to come out to the speedway and enjoy drag racing on a day off. This year, Halloween also falls on that Friday and we've planned a Halloween costume contest for kids and many of the teams will have candy so the kids can trick or treat after the second round of pro qualifying.

But even before the first Top Fuel or Funny Car makes a pass, there will be plenty of activities for all of our fans. Several of the NHRA drivers will be on hand for the annual Speedway Children's Charities Cards for Kids Poker Tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Cannery. As a former winner of this event, I would like to become the first two-time winner of the tournament. But if I can't win, I at least want to beat Brandon Bernstein, who is the biggest trash talker among all of the NHRA drivers when it comes to his poker skills. I'm coming for you Brandon.

The night after the poker tournament, we'll have about 30 drivers signing autographs, show cars and a live band on Fremont Street from 6-8 p.m. Our annual Fan Festival has become one of the most popular in drag racing.

If you happen to be out and about this weekend, make a visit to the Hispanic International Day Parade and Festival downtown. We'll have an entry in the parade and a booth at the festival. So stop by and see Miguel and Kris while you're there and sign up to win tickets to the Feb. 28 Sam's Town 300.

For now, have a nice weekend, and we'll see you at the races.

Getting Ready for the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350

Jeff Motley

It's race week here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway! This week the stars of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are headed to Las Vegas, and after last week's event at New Hampshire, race fans should be prepared for anything.

In case you missed it, Ron Hornaday won the race at New Hampshire on Saturday and has sliced a major chunk off of Johnny Benson's points lead. Considering that neither Benson nor Hornaday has ever won at LVMS, expect to see those two bring their "A" games to the high-banked superspeedway this week.

But the battle between Benson and Hornaday might just be the undercard. Following Saturday's race at New Hampshire, the teams of David Starr and Todd Bodine engaged in quite a dust-up on pit road. Even the mild-mannered Starr himself was ready to go after someone once he got out of his truck. It appeared that Bodine's team was upset over contact on the track that it blamed on Starr. Regardless of the reason, it appears that a feud has started between the two and Bodine may be looking to settle the score with Starr this week.

But before the drivers take to the speedway, many of them will take part in a driver autograph session on Friday night at the Stratosphere. It's the second straight year the speedway has partnered up with the tallest hotel in the west and about 20 of the top drivers will be there. There is no charge for the autograph session either.

Race day at LVMS is always fun. The Neon Garage is going to be open for just ten bucks. That's a great way to see live entertainment, get the drivers' autographs and even get a chance to watch the post-race Winner's Circle activities.

So make no other plans this weekend. Get your friends and family together and make Saturday a day at the races. I'll see you there.

Looking Forward to Fall at LVMS

Jeff Motley

Driving to the speedway this morning and seeing all of the school buses and 15 mile per hour speed zones reminded me that fall is right around the corner. The starts of school and football season are staples of the fall, but the upcoming Labor Day weekend also means busy times in the racing world.

The national racing scene is really starting to get interesting. Carl Edwards and our own Las Vegas native Kyle Busch have turned the race for the Sprint Cup title into their own personal bout, it seems. Following the Richmond race in two weeks, the season will get even more interesting as the final 12 drivers who qualify for NASCAR Chase for the Cup are set. Even though it looks like the Kyle and Carl show, a blown engine here or a crash there is all it takes, and anyone could make a move.

The NHRA is getting ready for its final race before the Countdown to the Championship begins. This weekend's U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis will set the field for the NHRA Countdown, and our own Hot Rod Fuller will be among those in Top Fuel trying to put a stop to Tony Schumacher's hold on the division. Speaking of NHRA, we're excited about our sister property, Lowe's Motor Speedway, and its opening of the Z-Max Dragway at Concord in a couple of weeks. It will be the first event for the new facility, which has been receiving rave reviews from racers and fans.

But while the national scene is getting all of the headlines, we're busy here at LVMS as well. The Bullring is down to just two NASCAR Whelen All-American Series events. This Saturday's 33-lap doubleheaders for Late Models and Super Late Models may determine a champion, while many close battles remain in many other divisions. Meanwhile, the Strip will be hosting the annual Labor Day PSCA Nationals.

Everyone at the speedway is busy preparing for the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race scheduled for Sept. 20. We're expecting a big crowd and have some fun events planned for the fans as well. We're working on the details of a driver autograph session as well as a promotion with local media that will allow four lucky race fans to get closer to the racing and the drivers than ever before. Make sure to keep checking out the LVMS blog for more details.

For now, enjoy the last holiday weekend for a while and come out to the speedway this weekend for stock car racing and drag racing. And, if you're around the house on Saturday morning, tune it to ESPN to watch my Virginia Tech Hokies take on the mighty Pirates of East Carolina.

Installation of the New SAFER Barrier

Jeff Motley

Construction crews have been working long hours installing a new SAFER barrier along the inside wall of the back straightaway of the superspeedway this week.

I'm sure many of you remember Jeff Gordon's crash in that area during this year's Sprint Cup race. During that race, there was no SAFER barrier along the inside of the backstretch. Following that crash, our management team, officials from NASCAR and a team of engineers from the University of Nebraska decided to install a new barrier.

SAFER stands for Steel and Foam Energy Reduction. These barriers were first introduced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway about seven years ago. All NASCAR tracks now have SAFER barriers attached to most of their crash walls.

Gordon's crash in March attracted a great deal of media attention, so we decided to invite our local media out to the speedway on Thursday to get a first-hand look at the new barrier.

All four of Las Vegas' network television affiliates showed up at the speedway to film reports. We owe a special thanks to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan. Brendan raced Wednesday night in Bristol, Tenn., hopped on an airplane after the race and flew to Las Vegas just to be available for interviews with the media. Brendan is from Las Vegas and his family owns the South Point Casino. He and his family are great friends of the speedway, so we were really happy that he was willing to come to town even though he now makes his home in Charlotte, N.C.

We were pleasantly surprised that John Rohde also made a visit to the speedway. Who is John Rohde? John is a professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and is part of the university's Midwest Roadside Safety facility, which helped develop the SAFER barriers. John and his partner Dr. Dean Sicking have worked with speedways and sanctioning bodies for several years studying crashes, wall angles and lots of data to help make the sport safer for the competitors.

John was very gracious with his time on Thursday, as he patiently answered several questions from the media who turned out.

I also want to offer big thanks to the men who are installing the barrier. These guys have been working during the overnight hours because of our August heat, but they stayed around until early afternoon to make sure the TV crews could get some of the crews at work.

The first drivers who will get a chance to test the new barriers will be the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pilots. The Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 is Sept. 20, and while we hope no one impacts the new barrier, the drivers know it's there.

And if you miss the local TV reports about the installation of the new SAFER barrier, make sure to click on the video on our website and see a full report on Monday's edition of This Week at LVMS.

Exciting New Changes to LVMS.com

Jeff Motley

It's been three weeks since we added  video and blogs to our website, and we hope you are enjoying the new content.

We appreciate the time that our racers and employees have taken to write blog entries. As time passes, we hope they give you a glimpse behind the scenes into what it takes to compete in and produce events as well as a look into the personal lives of our racers and staff.

Our webcast, "This Week at LVMS" is getting ready to begin production for August, and we're excited to have Amanda Bench as our host. Amanda has done a lot of modeling and commercial work in the Las Vegas area and we look forward to seeing her grow as the face of our news program on lvms.com.

To see all of our recent videos, visit http://www.lvms.com/gallery/video/

As the summer winds down, the public relations department is turning its attention to the fall season and two major events - the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event and the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals.

We're in the midst of putting together a promotion with four local media outlets for our truck race. We will choose four lucky winners to be part of one of the truck's race teams for the event. We will have more details in the coming weeks. We also are in the planning stages of driver autograph sessions for both the truck race and the NHRA event, and we will also have charity events set up in conjunction with both events as well.

Racing at the speedway is taking a two-week break as the July heat sets in here in Las Vegas. It's also the time of year that we have to watch for those late afternoon thunderstorms, so it's a good time to have a break in the schedule. But we will be back in full force the first weekend in August as Midnight Mayhem returns to the Strip and the Bullring gets going again.

This is also the time of year I start thinking about the upcoming football season. Since my Baltimore Orioles are in their familiar place - the American League East Division cellar -- my hopes turn to the Dallas Cowboys and my beloved Virginia Tech Hokies for the fall. It should be a good year in Dallas, but the Hokies will have their hands full. 

LVMS Enters the Blogging World

Jeff Motley

Blogs are everywhere today. Entertainers, athletes, journalists, politicians and almost anyone with access to a computer has a blog these days. Now, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is following suit.

This is the first of what will be a regularly updated blog with many contributors. This blog will be maintained by employees of the speedway, some of our local racers at the Bullring and The Strip as well as an occasional guest entry from some of the top names in motorsports.

While some of this blog will be used to promote the many upcoming events at the speedway, it will also give the visitors who log on to our website a look at the personal side of the speedway and its racers.

Our local lineup of bloggers will include a pair of Super Late Model drivers, a Legends driver and a Super Pro drag racer. Super Late Model standouts Jim Petrie and "Bear" Rzesnowiecky will join Legends racer Cheyanne Schindler and drag racer Becky Phlegar. They'll take you inside their racing fortunes as well as the goings on in every day life as they lead normal careers away from the speedway.

We hope this blog gives you an inside look at the human side of the speedway. From time to time, employees from various departments will blog to give you some insight into their departments and their lives.

We also hope you will take notice of the new video element on our website. Our newscast will be updated weekly and will give you a preview of upcoming events and will include occasional news stories as they occur.

For now, our staff is busy getting ready to put next year's NASCAR tickets on sale and getting ready for our big July 3 Night of Fire. The NASCAR tickets go on sale Tuesday and the Night of Fire, complete with stock car racing, stunt bikes, a jet car and one of the valley's best fireworks shows is set for Thursday.

So enjoy the blog and the new features on the website, and we hope to see you at the races.