Thursday, March 13, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Big money and Las Vegas have long been synonymous, so it should come as no surprise that this weekend's racing tripleheader at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is being billed as "The Million Dollar Weekend."
Headlining the weekend, of course, is Sunday's 200-lap NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Las Vegas 300. The purse for the race is set at $885,275 -- the second-richest race in Busch Series history -- and the winner will take home no less than $73,000.
The weekend also includes the Nevada 200 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour race, which will be run under the LVMS lights Saturday night and features a purse of $103,075.
On Friday night, the 3/8ths-mile LVMS oval will host a racing program that includes a 100-lap NASCAR Winston Racing Series Late Model race with posted awards of $12,735, bringing the weekend total purse to $1,001,085.
"With four new racetracks being added (this year) and with the money that's being offered in Vegas, that is just huge for our series," said defending Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie.
LaJoie, one of the few drivers in Sunday's Las Vegas 300 that has any experience on the 1.5-mile superspeedway, said that as long as drivers can race for that kind of money, he doesn't mind the Busch Series being referred to as a "minor-league" circuit.
"As long as there is good, competitive racing, who cares?" LaJoie said. "The Busch Series has been here for 16 years now and it's as strong as ever. As long as the competition is there and we put on a good show, that's all that matters."
Sunday's purse of $885,275 is second only to the $945,319 offered at this year's season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. The lowest finisher in the Las Vegas 300 is guaranteed $10,000.
Orleans on board
The Orleans Hotel and Casino is getting into auto racing in a big way. Already the main sponsor of Butch Miller's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ride, The Orleans announced it will serve as an associate sponsor for Lajoie's No. 74 FINA Chevrolet in Sunday's Las Vegas 300.
"We're thrilled to sponsor Randy LaJoie in the NASCAR Busch Grand National (race)," said Denis Connolly, vice president and general manager of The Orleans. "He's a champion in every sense of the word. This weekend's race is also a perfect venue to show off the superb Las Vegas Motor Speedway."
In conjunction with The Orleans sponsorship deal, LaJoie will hold two autograph sessions this week: tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the sister property Gold Coast Hotel and Casino and Friday at 5 p.m. at The Orleans.
Spencer is excited
NASCAR Winston Cup regular Jimmy Spencer, nicknamed "Mr. Excitement" for his sometimes adventurous style, will be getting his first look at the LVMS superspeedway today when he rolls his Zippo Lighters Chevrolet onto the 1.5-mile tri-oval for practice.
Spencer is one driver who seems to do well at tracks he has never driven, but is at a loss to explain why.
"I've always seemed to fare pretty well on tracks that are new to me (but) I don't know why that is," Spencer said. "I guess it goes back to my modified days. Back then, I won on two or three tracks the first time I ran them."
Spencer said he is excited about the prospect of racing in Sunday's Las Vegas 300.
"Other drivers have told me that Las Vegas has some of the same characteristics as Michigan even though Vegas is a little shorter," he said. "Michigan is one of my favorite tracks, so I'm looking forward to Las Vegas."
Parting shot
One of the most successful NASCAR Busch Series teams over the past two seasons has split on the eve of the Las Vegas 300.
Driver Jeff Purvis, who won two races on the series last year en route to finishing seventh in points, has parted ways with car owner James Finch. Purvis will be replaced in the car for the Las Vegas 300 by Michigan driver Tim Steele.
Steele, from Holt, Mich., has been one of the most successful drivers on the ARCA circuit the past few years, particularly in superspeedway races. He won last Friday's ARCA event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Beating the Busch
Busch Series regular Phil Parsons will be looking to keep his perfect string of top-10 finishes intact in Sunday's NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Las Vegas 300. The 39-year-old Detroit native has opened the Busch Series season with four consecutive top-10s at Daytona, Rockingham, Richmond and Atlanta. Parsons, who drives the No. 10 ChannelLock Tools Chevrolet, is the only driver to have run every mile of every race this season and comes to Las Vegas fourth in the points standings. Parsons is only 16 points behind series leader Todd Bodine. ... Bodine has run 763 of the 764 laps in the first four races this season but has never led a lap. ... Defending Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie became only the second driver to top the $100,000 mark in winnings after the first two events to start the season. With a first-place finish at Daytona and a third-place at Rockingham, LaJoie had earned $101,072, breaking the old mark held by Chad Little. Little had won $100,771 after winning the first two races of 1995. ... Sunday's Las Vegas 300 will be telecast live by TNN (Prime Cable channel 29) with Eli Gold, Dick Berggren, Larry McReynolds and Glenn Jarrett handling the commentary.
archive
