Shelby 427 Predictions

I have time for a quick blog before leaving for the track to attend the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Here are some quick predictions:

There will not be as many cautions as yesterday's race. However, the majority of those cautions will happen in the first and last parts of the race, with long stretches in the middle. Those long stretches are typical at this track, both before and after the track was changed.

There will be a near capacity crowd in the stands. Yesterday's Nationwide race was already far better attended than the big event, the Cup race, at Fontana. Drivers on the radio were very aware of how large the crowd was, and were commenting on the difference between the two facilities attendance.

There will be multiple speeding violations. Those cars were coming in very hot in the Sam's Town 330, and I predict more of the same today.

The weather will be beautiful, requiring both sun-screen, and jackets, all in the same race.

The traffic will be horrendous! The highway construction project will hopefully be done in time for the race next year!

The race will show the "Haves" vs the "Have Nots" The top funded teams will come in with the best finishes. For drivers like David Gilliland, finishing in one piece will be great, and a Top 25 will be nearly a win!

Roush will continue to dominate in this race, in spite of the miserable qualifying and practice speeds.

One house guest claims that Jeff Gordon will win. Another member of our group would be thrilled to see Elliott Sadler finish much better than his practice speeds would show. Of course, I just want David Gilliland to have a safe race, and bring that car home in one piece!

Look for me in the stands! I will be the one waving!

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Day 2

Early this morning, I blogged about my home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and expressed some dismay at the way they handled helping the handicapped.

Today, I feared the situation would be even worse, as we took a cart with the expectation that we would be able to get closer to the Neon Garage. Our first driver dropped us at a location that was even further away from the garage than where we parked, and I frankly blew my stack! After reassuring the volunteer driver that I was not angry with him, I went in search of a supervisor. Said supervisor gave us and our cart driver another set of instructions, which then had us dropped at a shuttle line.

While preparing to board a shuttle, we asked the attendant about how to get to the garage, and discovered that the regular shuttles went nowhere near the garage. But the attendant immediately called for a handicapped van, and gave us clear instructions on how to call for a van to pick us up for our trip to the grandstands. From that point forward, everything went smoothly, both to the Neon Garage, and on the return trip to the Earnhardt Terrace.

My guest used the elevator to get to a higher level in the stands to enable her to walk down to our row. (Climbing is the challenge for her, in this situation.) She reported the elevators were large and numerous, unlike the single elevator at Fontana. Indeed she made it to her seat before I did, after I took a short detour to visit the women's facilities, where it was clean, well-stocked, and with plenty of 'seating.'

After yesterday's mess, it was refreshing to have a better day today. And the race was pretty good, too!