Vegas Gears Up For Grand Prix Weekend

I have to admit…I’ve never looked at downtown Las Vegas and thought, “hmm, this would make a good racetrack.” But two businessmen from Phoenix have and this weekend their inspiration turns into the inaugural edition of the Vegas Grand Prix.

The in-city auto race will be held from April 6-8, 2007, and already, many of the streets in and around the downtown area have been closed or sectioned off. The official route will be a 2.44-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit that encompasses Main Street, Carson Avenue, Casino Center Boulevard, Ogden Avenue and Grand Central Parkway.

To kick off the weekend, organizers are holding a free street party on Friday at The Fremont Street Experience. From 5pm until 6pm, many of the drivers will be participating in meet-and-greets with fans. Then, taking the stage from 6pm until 11pm will be The Teddybears, Army of Anyone, Chris Cornell (formerly of Soundgarden and Audioslave) and Big & Rich with guest Cowboy Troy. The Riders of Thunderdome, a professional motorcross group, and Street Style FMX Jumpers will also be performing short stunt shows during the event.

Saturday is dedicated to the practice and qualifying laps of the race. There are no official parties this night, since the final day events start bright and early.

Then Sunday is the actual raceday, with the Champ Car World Series race starting at 1pm. Race organizers have laid out the course to include multiple viewing areas, with tickets starting at $70 for three-day general admission pass and reserved seat weekend passes starting at $140. For those who can’t make it downtown, NBC will be televising the event live.

The party later moves to Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel, for a special edition of Sunday School. The event will be hosted by actor Frankie Muniz, who will be driving in the actual race. I’m told you can look for him in the #13 car. Doors open at 10:30pm and all ladies who show up at Body English in race gear will drink free champagne all night. Readers of Las Vegas Logue can click here to RSVP for the guest list.

For more information on the Vegas Grand Prix, or to buy tickets, visit vegasgrandprix.com.