Viva Las Vegas for Hometown Driver

Where better than Las Vegas for a driver who looks like Elvis Presley and dresses like Elvis to win his first race?

Sam Schmidt, the hometown driver who wears Elvis-like sideburns and walked through the Orleans Hotel lobby to his team’s prerace party in an Elvis costume, overtook Kenny Brack in a dramatic next-to-last-lap pass Sunday to win the Vegas.com 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was Schmidt’s first win in the Indy Racing League, a series that was formed four years ago by Tony George with the intent of giving drivers such as Schmidt, who did not have the finances to compete in other series, an opportunity.

“This was huge,” Schmidt said, flashing his best Elvis smile in the winner’s circle. “I feel like I won the Indianapolis 500. I couldn’t write a better story line than winning my first race in my hometown.”

Schmidt, who actually lives in Henderson, a nearby suburb, collected $146,200 in averaging 124.936 mph in his Aurora-powered G Force.

Brack, defending IRL champion and the 1999 Indy 500 winner, appeared to have the race in hand, leading 39 laps in a row before Schmidt pulled alongside on the backstretch with a full head of steam and drew away as the cars raced into the third turn.

“I didn’t know if I could make it or not,” said the 35-year-old winner. “Kenny was using up all the track, but I told myself I had to try. I drove hard through Turn 1 and I might have brushed the wall coming out of [Turn] 2. I let it all hang out. What a feeling when I squeezed by.”

An estimated 30,000 fans--among them Schmidt’s friends and family--sitting in near-100-degree weather, came to their feet cheering so loudly that it could be heard over the racers.

Until the late pass for the checkered flag, the race had been marked by 11 caution flags for 70 laps, more than a third of 208-lap race. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford led more laps in his yellow pace car than all the drivers except Brack, who led 118 times around the 1.5-mile tri-oval.

Despite the Demolition Derby effect, only two drivers were injured. Ronnie Johncox had a fractured foot and Donnie Beechler neck and chest pains. Beechler was hospitalized for observation.

Brack finished second, 0.617 of a second back, with Robbie Buhl third. Only 12 of 26 starters were still running at the finish of the 500 kilometer race.

Greg Ray, who had won three of the last four IRL races, was never a contender and finished 21st after colliding with Mark Dismore on Lap 105.

“It’s really disappointing,” said Ray, who retained his lead despite the poor finish. “Unfortunately, Mark had a hard time with Turn 4. I had a run on him, but he blocked me low. I went on the high side and showed him my nose. I have no idea why he came into me. I was clearly there on the high side. He just moved up and bumped me.”

Ray has 255 points to 242 for Brack and 225 for Schmidt with one race remaining, Oct. 17 at Texas Motor Speedway.

“One good thing about the day is that Sam won,” Ray added. “Sam is my best friend in the paddock. He’s been so close [this year] and was second here last year. I’m just really excited for him.”

Schmidt, driving for the underfunded LP Racing team, finished second to Arie Luyendyk in last year’s Las Vegas race, a performance that caused car owner Fred Treadway to choose him to replace Luyendyk when the two-time Indy 500 winner announced his retirement.

Schmidt said the pressure to replace Luyendyk was nothing compared with the pressure of getting to the place where he could be considered as his replacement.

“The coming of the IRL gave me a chance,” he said. “At the time I started out with Blueprint Racing two years ago, I didn’t know if I could make it, but I knew I had to try. I can’t say enough about the people who gave me a hand along the way. It’s been a rough road, but right now it’s more than worth it.”