Take Five: Las Vegas 350

By Ron Kantowski

Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Back in 1993, SCORE off-road racers Dick Landfield, Jimmy Smith, Jim Venable and Frank “Scoop” Vessels had this wacky idea.

They thought if they modified their off-road trucks so they could run on pavement, people would actually pay good money to watch them race.

Pickup trucks on a paved race track? Yeah, right.

Who’s gonna pick up the empty beer cans when they come flying out the truck beds?

But those guys were right.

Now in it 14th season, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has evolved into one of stock car racing’s three premier series, trailing only the Sprint Cup and the Nationwide Series in popularity.

“Everybody knows the Craftsman Truck Series offers up some of the best competition — not just in NASCAR — but in all of motor sports,” said Las Vegas Motor Speedway General Manager Chris Powell in anticipation of watching the green flag fall at tonight’s Qwik Liner 350 at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas banked oval.

I suppose he’s right. But I think it would still be better if there were flying beer cans.

1. Gaughan in 60 seconds

Actually, Brendan Gaughan spoke a little longer than that about returning to his hometown track, where he hopes to reprise his victory in 2003. The son of Las Vegas casino mogul Michael Gaughan will drive the No. 10 Maxx Force Diesel Ford for Tom Mitchell instead of a truck owned by his father, who has closed the doors on the South Point Racing shop. “We kind of get along better now,” Gaughan said about his relationship with his old man, now that he’s not paying the racing bills. But racing at home still gets Gaughan’s engine running. “It’s still the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it’s still home, it’s still where we want to be,” he said. “This is my Talladega, this is my Alabama.” Only without the humidity, the Crimson Tide and the houndstooth check hats.

2. Pulling for a winner

After the pit crews of Todd Bodine and David Starr got into a fistfight on pit road last week at New Hampshire following on-track altercations between their drivers, the Las Vegas speedway’s Powell suggested they resolve their differences with a tug of war before the race. Powell even brought the rope to the news conference. Bodine, seated at the dais, says his guys are down. “My team heard about this and they’re all in,” he said, chuckling. “Now we’ve just got to talk the (No.) 11 team into it ... bunch of wimps that they are.” Oooh ... them’s fightin’ -- er, tuggin’ -- words. Powell added: “I’m sure NASCAR would rather have you pulling on the rope than pulling on each other’s ear lobes.”

3. 'Roid rage

A lot of people blew a gasket when Ron Hornaday, running second behind Johnny Benson in the Truck Series points standings coming into Las Vegas and last week’s winner at New Hampshire, admitted to using steroids to treat a thyroid condition in 2004 and ’05. That’s crazy. Besides, Hornaday’s head is the same size it ever was. And even if it weren’t, the added weight and circumference would only slow him down in the turns. Maybe if Hornaday applied The Cream and The Clear to his tires, you could understand the outrage.

4. Rolling tires gather some Moss

That would be Randy Moss, the New England Patriots star wide receiver, who owns the Chevrolet truck Donny Lia will drive in tonight’s race. The truck’s number? Eighty-one, of course. Moss’ team made its debut at Kentucky Speedway in July, and Moss was there. So was Las Vegan Kyle Busch, whom the football star immediately noticed. “I saw him on his qualifying lap, and I said, ‘Oh, Lord, Kyle Busch is here.’ I’m a big fan of the sport. I’m a big fan of Kyle’s. It’s been a record-setting season for him. Hopefully we can get our team moving in the right direction to where we can follow his footsteps and bring home some consecutive victories,” Moss told the racing media. Or one victory. Lia was running in the top 10 last week but finished 29th after a late-race crash. Earlier this season, NASCAR ace Jimmie Johnson drove Moss’ truck at Bristol. He crashed, too.

5. Speed thrills

This is the second consecutive year a Formula One veteran will drive in the Truck Series race at Las Vegas. Last year, it was Jacques Villeneuve, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1997 World Driving champion. This year, it’s Scott Speed of California, who in 2006 became the first American to race in F-1 since Michael Andretti’s short-lived attempt in 1993. The wine isn’t quite as fine on this side of the pond but the environment isn’t quite as cutthroat, either, says Speed, who drinks mostly Red Bull, anyway, in deference to his sponsor. Speed is one of several drivers from the open-wheel ranks trying to make the difficult transition to NASCAR, and, his victory at Dover notwithstanding, it remains to be seen if he has the right chops. But he certainly has the right name.