Three-time and reigning NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle World Champion Matt Smith is excited to make four-wide history at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week.
The 46-year-old from King, N.C., and his fellow Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors will be part of LVMS’ spring event, the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, and also will run four-wide in Las Vegas for the first time ever beginning this Friday, April 5 through Sunday, the 7th. Smith, who won world titles in 2007, 2013 and 2018, is looking forward to being part of the spectacle that is four-wide racing.
“I like the four-wide deal,” who set a PSM speed record of 201.76 miles per hour in Gainesville, Fla., earlier this month. “When I explain it to people, I say it’s like road course racing in NASCAR – it’s just something different. I’m really glad Vegas did it, and I’m looking forward to coming out to the DENSO Nationals and racing there.”
Smith is also looking forward to running in The Strip’s spring event for the first time and said the first two rounds of qualifying will be important test sessions for his division.
There are a few others looking for victories at the four-wide drag strip, and among those looking for victories are a couple world champions: J.R. Todd, 2018 Funny Car World Champion; Brittany Force, Top Fuel Dragster Champion; Ron Capps, 2016 Funny Car Champion; Angelle Sampey, three-time Motorcycle champion, and newcomer Austin Prock.
Force, 2017 Top Fuel world champion, has started her 2019 campaign with a bang. She has a No. 1 qualifier under her belt and a track-record at Gainesville. Her 2018 season ended with one event win and two No. 1 qualifiers. Force has teamed up with well-known crew chief, David Grubnic, who is helping tune Force to her second crown in the category. She returns to Las Vegas chasing her first victory at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Todd took a lifetime of racing knowledge to outlast a stacked Funny Car field to win his first world championship in 2018. Todd raced to six wins, including his second consecutive Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, and two runner-up finishes. Todd raced to five final rounds in the last six races of the year and to secure the win. Todd races for legendary owner Connie Kalitta and aims to continue to write the record books for the historic racer. Todd began racing as a Jr. Dragster competitor and has raced across the country beginning as a young child.
Capps, the 2016 Funny Car world champion, driving a Dodge is looking to rebound from a season that while he finished third in points, it wasn’t the season crown he and his team was seeking at the start of the year. Capps had three wins on the season and three runner-up finishes. He was the No. 1 qualifier at the season ending event in Pomona and he is looking to add another Wally to his already impress 61 NHRA trophies.
Sampey, rider of the Screamin’ Eagle Vance and Hines Harley-Davidson, enters the 2019 season on a brand-new ride with new leathers. The three-time world champion joined forces with the Harley-Davidson team during the offseason and it has been recently announced she will compete on the third bike the full season. Sampey is chasing her first Wally since Englishtown in 2016. Her world champion teammates, Andrew Hines, and Eddie Krawiec have worked endlessly during the offseason to ensure her bike is of championship caliber. Sampey returns to Las Vegas chasing her first Wally at the facility since 2002.
Prock, driver of the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, had a whirlwind of an off-season. The second Top Fuel driver for the esteemed John Force Racing team secured his nitro license four days prior to his first race at the season-opener. Prock made his debut at the NHRA Winternationals and made it to the quarterfinals at his first two events. He is no stranger to drag racing since he served as a crew member on Brittany Force’s 2017 world champion car.
As Smith looks forward to his stint at The Strip, he was quoted: “We’ve never been out there in the springtime, so we’re not really sure what the weather’s going to be like and if it’s normally faster in the spring or the fall,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a new deal for the motorcycle class to go out there, and I’m sure the first two qualifying passes will be just learning some data about the air that we’ve never been in before.”
Smith had fuel pump issues in Florida after setting the speed record and will enter the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals fifth in the PSM standings. PSM drivers will participate in an autograph session in the NHRA member hospitality area of the Strip Midway at 11 a.m. Pacific Time before their first qualifying session at 12:30 p.m.
Gates open for spectators each day at 7:30 a.m., with sportsman class racing beginning at 8 a.m. The event will be televised on FS1 from 6:30-8 p.m. on April 5 and from 8:30-9:30 a.m. (live) and 3:30-5:30 p.m. on April 7.
For tickets to any events at The Strip at LVMS, log on to LVMS.com or call 1-800-644-4444. Every ticket is a pit pass, and children 12 and under get in free to the general admission areas with a ticketed adult.
THIS AND THAT QUICKLY:
FLY LINQ is now the only zipline in the world to offer four ride styles that can launch simultaneously on 10 side-by-side lines: Prone or “superhero”– backward; Prone or “superhero”– frontward; Seated – backward and Seated – frontward.
“We created an exhilarating experience that only FLY LINQ could deliver. For the first time, we are giving riders the option to fly seated or prone backward whereas before they were only able to fly frontward,” says Shaun Swanger, senior vice president of attractions, retail and leasing, The LINQ Promenade and Caesars Attractions. “This will further create an excitement for the guest who is flying and for guests watching from below.”
Located at The LINQ Promenade, FLY LINQ guests begin their ride by taking an elevator designed to provide Strip views from The Vortex at The LINQ Hotel & Casino to the top of the 114-foot-tall launch tower above The LINQ Promenade. After enjoying spectacular Strip views during the ascent, guests arrive on the launch deck, where gear-fitting and a photo opportunity takes place. From the launch tower, the ride continues eastward, traveling 1,121 feet through The LINQ Promenade to the landing tower. Riders disembark near the base of High Roller. FLY LINQ is open daily from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Academy Award-winning actress and comedian Mo’Nique’s groundbreaking residency at SLS Las Vegas® will continue through Summer 2019. Meeting popular demand, “Mo’Nique Does Vegas” will perform inside The Sayers Club® through June. Tickets for newly announced performances are now on sale. Since its January debut, “Mo’Nique Does Vegas” has been met with acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Delivering consistently sold-out performances, “Mo’Nique Does Vegas” performs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with additional 11 p.m. shows Fridays and Saturdays. The newly announced shows include:
Mo’Nique has been entertaining audiences for nearly 20 years. Beginning in 1999 with a starring role in the UPN hit television series, “The Parkers,” Mo’Nique quickly garnered critical acclaim and accolades, including four NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. She performed in the hit stand-up comedy film, “The Queens of Comedy,” earning a GRAMMY nomination for Best Spoken Comedy Album. In 2003, Mo’Nique released the New York Times bestselling memoir “Skinny Women are Evil,” before going on to host her own BET late-night talk show, “The Mo’Nique Show.” In film, Mo’Nique notably starred in “Precious,” for which she won an Academy Award and the HBO biopic “Bessie,” which received rave reviews and a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Tickets for “Mo’Nique Does Vegas” start at $59 (plus tax and fees), are now on sale and available online at slslasvegas.com or by calling (702) 761-7000. All guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend. For more information and a complete schedule, please visit slslasvegas.com, and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For the first time ever, the Eagles – Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmitt, with Deacon Frey, and Vince Gill – will perform their iconic album “Hotel California” in its entirety in their only North American performances of 2019. Each night’s concert – Friday, September 27, 2019 and Saturday, September 28, 2019 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada – will also include an additional set of the band’s greatest hits. The shows are scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. Tickets starting at $179 (not including applicable service charges or fees) go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. through Ticketmaster.com.
“Hotel California” is the third best-selling U.S. album in history, recently certified 26-times Platinum by the RIAA. After its release in 1976, it topped the charts and won two GRAMMY Awards for “New Kid in Town” and “Hotel California.” Several of the songs from the album have never been performed since the original “Hotel California” tour. The RIAA also certified “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1977” as the best-selling U.S. album in history (38-times Platinum). In today’s faddish, fractured, rock landscape, the Eagles retain an appeal that transcends both generation and genre, cementing the band’s role as enduring musical icons.
As the best-selling American band of the ’70s, and one of the top-selling acts of all time, the Eagles have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, scored six #1 albums and topped the singles charts five times. They have won six GRAMMY® Awards, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, in their first year of eligibility, and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016. Check Eagles.com for complete tour information.
Well, gang, as usual I’ll be smelling that special fuel, and feel the earth shake, as I watch the warriors of the NHRA do battle at The Strip this weekend. See ya there!
I’m outa here!