Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Rio cashing in with sponsorship deal

BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. His motor sports column appears Fridays. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]. For the latest in the world of auto racing, check out the SUN Racing web site at http://www.lasvegassun.com /sports/racing/

The Rio hotel-casino is the latest local business to realize the benefits of an auto racing association.

The Rio has teamed with the internationally acclaimed Skip Barber Racing School to sponsor a car and driver in the competitive Barber Dodge Pro Series.

The cornerstone of the sponsorship agreement is the "Rio Big Scholarship," which is awarded to the top driver from the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Race Series. This year's winner of the Rio scholarship is 26-year-old Shane Donley of Las Vegas. Donley is competing in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in a car featuring distinct Rio graphics and paint scheme.

"We're extremely proud to be associated with Skip and his fine organization," Dave Hanlon, president and CEO of the Rio, said. "We're confident that our new relationship will be a great benefit in furthering and enhancing the awareness for our respective brands."

The annual "Rio Big Scholarship" will be awarded to the winner of a runoff between the champions of each Formula Dodge region and other series competitors, as determined by a panel of Race Series observers and motor sports journalists.

Scholarship candidates are judged on speed and consistency on the track as well as their media relations skills. The winner receives a full-season sponsorship in Barber Dodge, considered a stepping stone to Indy Lights and, eventually, the CART Fed Ex Championship Series.

The Rio is not alone among local hotel-casinos jumping onto the motor sports sponsorship bandwagon. Primadonna Resorts sponsored Steve Knapp and two other ISM Racing drivers at this year's Indianapolis 500, and Knapp rewarded the Primadonna with a third-place finish and plenty of national television exposure.

* NASCAR: Ricky Craven will make his return to Winston Cup racing this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway after missing four months with post-concussion syndrome. ... Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Kevin Lepage has signed a contract with Roush Racing which will guarantee him a full-time Winston Cup ride in 1999. ... Darrell Waltrip, who has been filling in for the injured Steve Park in the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, has scored the ninth-most driver points in the eight races since Martinsville. Waltrip will return to the No. 17 Chevrolet for the Aug. 1 Brickyard 400. ... Daytona International Speedway has served more than 2,000 meals a day since last Thursday to firefighters, evacuees and National Guardsmen who have taken up temporary residence at the track in the wake of the fires that have ravaged the area and forced the postponement of last weekend's Pepsi 400. ... Mark Martin, who has four wins this season and is third in points, has a herniated disc that makes it painful to climb in and out of his race cars. Martin says he will put off surgery until the end of the season.

* CART: Target/Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Jimmy Vasser of Las Vegas and Alex Zanardi have teamed to win 19 of their past 41 starts. The duo will be in action this weekend at the Grand Prix of Cleveland. Vasser, who won the series championship in 1996, is the only driver who has finished all nine races this season and has completed 45 of his past 48 races dating to 1995. ... Bobby Rahal, an Ohio native in his final season as a driver, won the 1982 Cleveland Grand Prix in only his fifth series start and will be making his final run around his hometown track. "If this was NASCAR, I'd win this race," Rahal joked, alluding to Richard Petty's 200th victory in 1984 which some racing observers have labeled as suspicious.

* IRL: A crowd of 10,000 curious fans saw Pep Boys Indy Racing League points leader Tony Stewart set an unofficial speed record for a 1.5-mile track during open testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Tuesday night. Stewart turned a hot lap of 228.505 mph in his Team Menard G Force/Aurora while testing for the inaugural Atlanta 500 Classic Weekend. Stewart had lapped at 226.406 mph Monday night. Stewart set the official speed record for new formula IRL cars at 228.012 mph (lap 86) during the True Value 500K at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth last month.

* BACKMARKERS: Las Vegas driver Mike Ray, who has 11 victories in 13 races this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is tied for the lead in wins among NASCAR Winston Racing Series drivers and is in contention for the $5,000 Gatorade Front Runner Award. The award, to be announced Wednesday, is given to the driver with the highest Competition Performance Index among the regional track leaders. ... Local drivers Rob MacCachren and Danny Anderson won both the Class 10 and overall titles at the recent Desert Silver State 300 in Mesquite.

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