South Point 400 Using Clydesdale, Ferris Wheel, Michael Gaughan and Blackjack To Drum Up Ticket Sales

By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com

 

The international press corps has arrived for Saturday’s Canelo-GGG megafight at T-Mobile Arena. A strapping, smiling Max Pacioretty arrived to play for the Vegas Golden Knights, which play a preseason game at the same arena Sunday. And UNLV’s football team and the local pro soccer team, the Lights, also play this weekend.

 

 

Amid all this sports buzz and competition in Las Vegas this week are the folks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, South Point Hotel, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports Inc., who are trying just about everything to drum up more interest in a historic race at the Speedway Sunday.

 

The South Point 400 will be first time Las Vegas Motor Speedway is staging two NASCAR race weekends in one calendar year — a challenge when you consider that the Speedway’s owner, Speedway Motorsports, has reported declining attendance and ticket revenues in its earnings reports.

 

And there is no shortage of promotions to try and create a buzz — and more ticket sales — for a NASCAR race with a very familiar title sponsor.

 

None other than South Point’s owner, Mr. Las Vegas Motorsports himself, Michael Gaughan, appeared with a Budweiser Clydesdale and the “official” Budweiser Dalmatian at the South Point 400 bar Thursday afternoon.

 

This was just a few weeks after the Golden Knights helped the South Point 400 race promotion cause by having their veteran defenseman, Deryk Engelland, ride a race car with Las Vegas native and NASCAR driver Kurt Busch.  In a version of trading places, the car racer had hit the ice at City National Arena, the VGK’s training center, as part of the South Point 400 promotion event.

 

 

 

There’s more promotional shtick. Consider driver Chase Elliott, who will be dealing Blackjack at the Hooters hotel for the first 150 fans at 6 p.m. Friday.

 

South Point’s marketing powers will likely bring more locals to the Speedway than the NASCAR event in March.

 

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And there’s been a lot of hub-bub about the South Point 400 being the first race of the NASCAR playoffs.

 

The Speedway is doing its thing, too, like  having a pool and Ferris wheel at a “Turn 4 Turn Up” social gathering on the concourse level at Turn 4 during the NASCAR weekend. And don’t forget the water misters that are being installed for fans to combat the torrid heat conditions.

 

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