ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

Yeeeee Hawwwwwww.

Wake up Cletus and Jimmy Jack, and tell them to get their ass to Vegas.

NASCAR Weekend is finally here.

Personally, I like NASCAR weekend. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … it really is one of the best crowds to invade Las Vegas on a yearly basis.

I have found NASCAR folks to be overwhelmingly polite and pleasant people. They like to have a good time, and the vibe when they are in town is very festive and fun.

I don’t religiously follow NASCAR myself. There just aren’t a whole lot of racing fans in DC or New York where I grew up. We expended our professional sports efforts trying to sneak into Knicks, Bullets, and Redskins games. To this day, I can only name one NASCAR driver off the top of my head. Jimmy Johnson. Is he good? Is he bad? The hell if I know. His name is just easy to remember.

I’ve never been to an actual race either, and judging from the ticket prices, I am unlikely to ever go to one.

The only affordable race this weekend is the Sam’s Town 300 (about $40). The rest of the tickets go for $117 for the cheap seats, up to a thousand dollars for a fan package. Parking alone is $59. If I pay fifty nine dollars to park, I want a happy ending.

NASCAR is actually hosting a wide variety of events that begin today, and run through Sunday … from small practice races, to the big Sprint Cup race that takes place at 1:30pm on Sunday.

There is one problem with NASCAR weekend, and that is traffic. Since most attendees are not familiar with our surface roads, the I-15 is turned into an veritable parking lot. Even attempting to get to the Speedway itself is an exercise in patience.

In my opinion, it’s more fun to hang out in the casinos and watch the races on TV. I’ve seen the televised races a few times, and they have cool graphics telling you how fast the cars are going, and even have cameras broadcasting from inside the cars. Technology being what it is, watching these races on a big screen is the way to go.

Of course, nobody does NASCAR like the Sahara Hotel and Casino.

The Sahara has been catering to NASCAR fans for the better part of the last decade. They have the NASCAR Cafe, a NASCAR Roller Coaster, and there are a liberal amount of NASCAR exhibits throughout the casino.

The NASCAR Cafe also has a popular 2 foot 6 pound burrito called “The Bomb”. Most people share The Bomb, so the Sahara developed a contest.

If you are able to finish the burrito by yourself in a prescribed amount of time, the burrito is free, and you get 2 unlimited ride passes on the roller coaster (not sure if this is a good prize for someone who just finished off The Bomb), and a free T-Shirt that says “I Conquered The Bomb”.

However, if you fail to finish The Bomb, you pay the $19.95 for its cost and you receive an extra small pink T-Shirt that says “Certified Weenie” on it, which they take a photo of while you wear it. Either way, you get a T-Shirt out of it.

I have never known anyone who conquered The Bomb, nor would I wish to know them. At least not without a gas mask. I certainly would never ride in a car or elevator with them either.

The Sahara also has something called the “Cyber Speedway”, which lets you get into a virtual car, and engage in a virtual NASCAR race. The car simulator shakes and vibrates as you attempt to get it around the track. I have, indeed, driven the Cyber Speedway, and let’s just say that I won’t be hitting a real track anytime soon. I actually spun out so many times, I got motion sickness.

I was going to do a separate post on this at some point, but since I am already on the topic, I would like to address the Sahara Hotel in general. After the Stratosphere, it is arguably the second most underrated hotel in Las Vegas. I have stayed their many times, and I really like the place. It’s one of my favorite hotels in all of Las Vegas. Especially the balcony rooms in the Alexandria tower. I have many fond memories of hanging out on the Sahara balcony and watching the sun set before heading down to play some $1 Blackjack. They have since gotten rid of $1 Blackjack, but the limits are still low, and the odds are still usually 3:2.

In my opinion, the buffet is very good for the price ($8.99 for dinner), and the personnel tend to be a slight bit friendlier than you will find at the MGM/Harrah’s conglomerates. It’s an old school joint, but that is part of the retro charm. The place is so old that the Beatles stayed in the property back when they invaded America. There is a lot of history in the place, and with rooms straddling the $40 price range, it really is a great bargain.

The casino is surprisingly modern and clean for its age, and there is usually a lot of action going on. It’s very dense, and is packed with machines and table games. The Poker Room is nice too. It’s a great casino, and I really enjoy playing there.

Since the god-forsaken monorail terminates at the Sahara, it is not nearly as isolated from The mid-Strip as it may seen. You are a 10 minute ride from the Flamingo. Unfortunately, the monorail fare structure helps negate the benefit … but it is there if needed.

If you haven’t tried the Sahara lately, I would really urge you to check it out again. I think it’s above-average for The Strip as a whole.

Between NASCAR weekend, and the opening of the M Casino on Sunday (which I plan to attend), this is shaping up to be a fairly busy weekend.

I hope it materializes as such. If there is one thing we need, it is a busy weekend.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to head over to the Sahara myself.

If Cletus doesn’t think that J-2 is an unbeatable hand, I just might be able to win some of my money back.

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