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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Banquet Won’t Get Snowed Out
A few observations and random notes from the NASCAR festivities in Sin City...
Mike Harris  | http://www.RacinToday.com  |  Posted December 04, 2009   Las Vegas, NV

Jimmie Johnson does a burnout in front of the Wynn Las Vegas during the Victory Lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champions Week on Thursday in Las Vegas. (Photo: Getty Images)

After 27 years in New York City, champion’s week and its focal point, the Sprint Cup awards dinner, are being held amid the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.

So far, the biggest difference has been that, following his fellow drivers roasting champion Jimmie Johnson on Wednesday and after a slew of checks and trophies were handed out during the Myers Brothers Awards on Thursday, anybody with some jingle left in their pockets was only a few feet from a slot machine or a craps table.

While the glass and steel high-rise that is the host Wynn Hotel is nothing like the elegant and ancient Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where the Cup awards had been handed out since 1982, the traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard looks an awful lot like the parking lot that is Park Avenue at this time of year.

Typically, no matter where you try to get to in one of the famous Strip hotels in Las Vegas, you have to walk through a casino. But these hotels are a lot bigger than those in NYC and it takes a lot more shoe leather just to find your way from the parking lots (free by the way) to the meeting rooms.

Still to come, the black-tie dinner on Friday. We’ll see how that compares to the meals and the awards shows put on over the past couple of decades in the Waldorf’s Grand Ballroom.
—
Jimmie Johnson is reaping the rewards of his unprecedented fourth straight championship. He’ll get a huge check on Friday night, but the money and the trophies began piling up Thursday.

Part of his loot included a $100,000 check from Goodyear for winning the Gatorback Fastest Lap Award.

Everyone who follows the stock car sport knows that Johnson wins championships with incredible consistency. But this award was for being fast _ a very good trait in a race driver. Johnson had the fastest lap in 11 of the 36 races in 2009.

“Looks like we have some gambling money, so let’s get after it,’’ Johnson said with a grin.

He also took home a $100,000 check for winning the Sunoco Diamond Performance Award, which goes to the series champion, and the spectacular 24-karat gold replica of his No. 48 Chevrolet, also given by Goodyear. The car is handmade and has numerous moving parts, including the steering wheel, wheels and the hood.

To top things off, a video tribute to Johnson from seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was shown. He praised Johnson for his performance but concluded by saying, “You just have three more to go,’’ drawing a laugh from Johnson and the crowd.

More to come for Johnson and his team Friday.


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Mike Harris

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