Wednesday, Nov. 4, 1998 | 10:53 a.m.
Race Rock, a popular auto racing-themed restaurant similar to the Hard Rock Cafe, will be opening its first Las Vegas establishment next spring at the Fremont Street Experience.
The announcement was made Tuesday at a press conference attended by some of the restaurant's celebrity owners -- racing legends Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, John Force, Geoff Bodine, Michael Andretti and Don Prudhomme. Other owners include NASCAR Winston Cup stars Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Kyle Petty and Ernie Irvan.
"We're very excited about bringing Race Rock to Las Vegas," Bobby Moore, president of Race Rock International, said. "By combining the glitz and glamour of (Las Vegas) with the excitement of racing, we are creating a new and adventurous destination not only for motor sports enthusiasts, but for adventurous people worldwide."
The Las Vegas Race Rock will be located at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street, at the entrance to the Fremont Street Experience.
The site will be a 30,000-square-foot, two-level retail, interactive entertainment and full-service restaurant that is 50 percent larger than the original eatery in Orlando, Fla.
Many of the celebrity owners have contributed memorabilia to the Las Vegas restaurant, which will include a simulated Winston Cup race track with 14 authentic cars circling over the dining area.
At Tuesday's press conference, off-road racing legend Walker Evans donated one of his short-track desert trucks, which will be displayed at Race Rock, as will Craig Breedlove's world record-setting land speed car.
"I've been to a lot of racing museums and you'll never see as much racing stuff in one place as you will in Race Rock," Petty said.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway chairman Richie Clyne also announced that plans for the Las Vegas Race Rock will include a ticket outlet for LVMS events as well as LVMS' "University of Motor Sports" driving schools.
archive
