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    Categories: Speedway

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

Even sports broadcaster Brett Musberger was used to help promote the South Point 400 when he rode a race car during the Golden Knights-Speedway event. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

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.

The belt that will be at stake when Canelo takes on Triple G Saturday night in a mega boxing fight at T-Mobile Arena.

 

The Golden Knights’ newest player, Max Pacioretty, meets the media Wednesday.

 

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.

A Budweiser Clydesdale saunters through the South Point casino to help promote the South Point 400.

 

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.

 

VGK defenseman Deryk Engelland gets stuffed into a race car to help promote the South Point 400. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, a Las Vegas native, hits the ice to help promote the South Point 400. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

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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Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter, Facebool and Instagram. Contact LVSportsBiz.com publisher/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com

 

 

 

Alan Snel: Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.
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