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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
JENSEN: Viva Las Vegas
Will NASCAR move the Sprint Cup Banquet from New York to Las Vegas?
Tom Jensen  |  Posted April 03, 2009   Harrisburg, NC
SPEED.com's Editor-in-Chief Tom Jensen. (Image: SPEED)

NASCAR has taken a lot of heat in recent years for changes that alienated longtime fans, such as the infamous “modernizing tradition” schedule realignment that saw Rockingham lose both of its Cup races and Darlington cut from two races to one. But I think every NASCAR fan ought to be able to get behind the idea of moving the NASCAR Sprint Cup banquet from New York City to Las Vegas.

The sad truth is, while New York is the biggest city in America and arguably the most influential in the world, NASCAR has worn out its welcome in the Big Apple. New York has never truly embraced NASCAR and having the banquet there was largely a symbolic gesture. Having the banquet in New York makes about as much sense as racing Ford Pintos. It’s over, played, donezo.

Face it, New York has no real love for NASCAR. Think about it: When Bill France Jr. enlisted the help of Donald Trump to build a track in the metro New York area and they still couldn’t get it done, it sends a strong message about how little value New Yorkers place on NASCAR. Besides, how much does seeing Jimmie Johnson appear one more time on “Good Morning America” or ringing the opening bell at the New York stock exchange really do for NASCAR?

Then there’s the simple question of logistics. The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel isn’t big enough to accommodate all the teams, sponsors, guests and fans who would like to attend the event. And with the cheapest rooms starting at $630 or so a night once you figure in taxes, New York is insanely expensive. Add in some $45 breakfasts, $100 lunches and who-knows-what for dinner, and New York is indeed a costly experience and a terrible value.

But Vegas, well, that’s a whole different story. Vegas’s sole raison d’etre is entertaining visitors. There are a million ways to spend your time in Las Vegas, from gambling and musical acts to plays and adult clubs. The huge hotel inventory affords myriad choices for guests of every budget. The same with restaurants – you can eat well on the cheap, or you can go whole hog.

Like many of you, I will look forward to hearing the details if and when NASCAR confirms that it’s moving the Sprint Cup banquet to Las Vegas. But you know it’s going to be a spectacular, world-class party, one that will pump fresh new interest into the banquet and maybe, just maybe allow fans to attend, too, which would be fabulous.

But you know what would be even better?

Move the season-ending Ford Championship Weekend from Homestead-Miami Speedway to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Let the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, the Nationwide Series on Saturday and the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday. Have the Truck banquet Monday night in Vegas, the Nationwide banquet Tuesday night and the Cup banquet on Wednesday.

Now that would be one heck of a Vegas Vacation.

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The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to



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