Kalkhoven Rolls a “Natural” in Las Vegas
A “Natural” in the game of craps (A “friend” told me, honest) is a throw of 7 or 11 on the come out roll. CCWS co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven must be all smiles after not craping out in his initial roll to stage a street race in the The Entertainment Capital of the World.
The Las Vegas City Council voted unanimously to allow DDB Ventures to press ahead with a three-day ‘Festival of Speed’ to be held in and around the downtown district. The signiture event will be the opening round of the 2007 CCWS season.
“The event has the potential to do great things for downtown and for Las Vegas in general,” mayor Oscar Goodman said, “We look forward to welcoming motorsports back to downtown Las Vegas.”
The Vegas Grand Prix will be run over a specially constructed 2.4-mile 14-turn street course. It will be the first Vegas street race since the old Caesars Palace Grand Prix in the 1980’s.
When Watkins Glen went off the schedule after 1980, F1 put an event in Las Vegas for the 1981 campaign. The new race ended the year, but it was not popular among the drivers, primarily because of the desert heat. When Nelson Piquet clinched his first World Championship by finishing fifth in 1981, it took him fifteen minutes to recover from heat exhaustion after barely making it to the finish. The 1982 race was won by Michele Alboreto in a Tyrrell, but that was the end of F1 racing in Las Vegas since the races had drawn only tiny crowds.
Those long ago tiny crowds may be a feature again in Glitter Gulch if they mirror Champ Car’s disappointing visits to the oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in recent years.
But it is a step in the right direction and Kalkhoven has to be happy considering the political fight that has ensued over CCWS holding a street race in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It will be interesting to see if Kalkhoven gives up that fight and cedes the area to NASCAR.
CCWS, Champ Car World Series, Las Vegas, NASCAR, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle
I’m glad that CC owners are proceeding with new events and their new car for 2007, and not putting ny credibilty behind any merger. The fact that the race is backed and financed by the City, and for 5 years, is a very encouraging trend.
April date should insure somewhat comfortable driving conditions, and the location near and around Fremont Street is ideal for the festival type event CC’s do so well. Now if they can only get the gamblers off their stools and to the track……
I would think this sucess by Kalkhoven would knock Tony and the IRL back on their heels a bit. At minimum at puts CCWS in a stronger bargining position in any possible merger talks.
And I have to ask George, the use of “merger” and stool[s] in the same post was just a coincidence wasn’t it?
“And I have to ask George, the use of