Las Vegas NASCAR week: Thursday

Well, while I was toiling away at Wal-Mart, my very lucky wife, got to watch the hauler parade on Speedway Blvd. Only about 5 people were with her as 64 haulers passed by. The haulers were honking her horns and some were kind enough to slow down when they saw Cathy taking pictures. Very nice of the drivers. Most of the drivers were there, but some no shows were there, including Wisconsin's Matt Kenseth, who if my favorite driver. (though there was a Crown Royal truck, with no number on the side) By Cathy's driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s hauler was there (and it didn't get lost going down the road) and my son's driver, Jeff Gordon were present. Along with the other Wisconsin driver, Paul Menard, who had his hauler in the parade.
Apparently, the parade wasn't that big of news as I didn't see any coverage on the web site of the two local papers. Hopefully, they will have the parade next year at the same time.
On Friday, the practicing and qualifying begins for the Sprint Cup drivers. If the rain holds off on Saturday, the qualifying for Nationwide, along with the race will happen. If the Nationwide race is rained out on Saturday, then the race will probably happen on Monday.
If you are coming to the race on Sunday, it will be easier to get into the race than getting out. You can either come in off I-15 or Las Vegas Blvd. Since I-15 was widened, there will be a little less congestion, but there will still be back ups, maybe miles long. Coming down Las Vegas Blvd, you have the cops, who mostly stand around and do nothing but monitoring the traffic, watch you as you go by. They open up all traffic lanes going north, except for 1 lane. You get directed to the parking lot and the parking is free.
You can take a free tram ride to your entrance. There are several entrances to go into. Most of the entertainment is by the Richard Petty Terrace and the main entrance.
Getting a tram back to your car can be a problem, especially if you are in the Dale Earnhardt Terrace. The trams start at the south end of the track and then goes around the track. Once they fill up, the trams don't stop. So, if you are waiting in the Dale Earnhardt Terrace, you will have to wait along time for the trams. It might be faster to walk than take the tram if you are on the north side of the track.
So, racing truly begins tomorrow, and hopefully, we will be able to get it all in and on time.