LVMS wants feuding truck teams to settle their differences before Saturday night’s race

By Ron Kantowski

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008 | 10:58 p.m.

NOW:

P.T. Barnum, meet Chris Powell.

The general manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway showed he is capable of thinking outside the box by offering the pit crews of Todd Bodine and David Starr a novel way to resolve their differences before Saturday night's Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

A tug of war.

The crews from Bodine's Germain Racing Team and Starr's Red Horse racing crew literally slugged it out on pit road after the race in New Hampshire last week after their drivers traded paint late in the race and again on the cool-down lap -- which in this case, was a bad name for it.

“I’m sure both of those teams left New Hampshire feeling that nothing was settled,” Powell said. “They were nice enough to entertain the fans at New Hampshire with some extracurricular activities, and we just want to afford these teams the opportunity to get their aggression out before the race in Las Vegas this Saturday night. We’re happy to supply the rope.”

Tickets for Saturday’s Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 can be purchased by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com. Neon Garage passes are available for $10.

No word on how much a commemorative tug-of-war rope with Bodine's and Starr's numbers on them will cost in the souvenir trailers.

THEN:

The last time I saw a tug-of-war that meant something was during the Battle of the Network Stars in 1980.

If memory serves, Howard Cosell ridiculed Grant Goodeve and Gil Gerard for not being able to pull their weight -- while Joan Van Ark protested that the flag in the middle wasn't a regulation tug-of-war flag, but actually one of Olivia Newton-John's old headbands.