2005 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com

UAW-DC 400
Pulling Off the Perfect Race
Behind the scenes at the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Even before the race, NASCAR
fans at the 2005 UAW-
DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) get
a thrill.
Picture the opening ceremonies: All
eyes turn toward the American flag
when the first notes of the national
anthem ring out, and a formation of
fighter jets from nearby Nellis Air
Force Base streaks across the sky when
the song ends.
Staging a Nextel Cup event doesn’t
just happen. Hundreds of people put
in tens of thousands of hours working
behind the scenes to pull it
together, and their work starts many
months before the first thundering
roar of a 750-horsepower engine
shatters the still of the surrounding
desert air.
Track Teamwork
For David Stetzer, vice president of
operations at LVMS, the biggest task
is handling traffic flow — not on the
track, but through the feeder roads
and parking lots ringing it. “The goal
6 www.uawdcx.com
is to reduce the amount of time needed
to get 140,000 fans in and out of the
property each year without risking
their safety,” he says.
To achieve that objective at the
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, Stetzer’s
department employs 3,160 people on
race weekend and works closely with
the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Las
Vegas Metro Police Department, the
Nevada Department of Transportation
and other public agencies.
With about 35,000 cars arriving
and leaving simultaneously, “we are
basically moving the equivalent of a
small city in and out of the property
for three straight days,” Stetzer says.
“It’s an enormous challenge, but it can
be done with continuous improvements
and the assistance of those government
agencies.”
March 11, 2005, is “D-Day” for
Bobby McKenna, director of maintenance
at LVMS. The toughest job he
faces is getting the property ready for
the race by that date and “doing it
without burning out the staff or
doing setups so early that things
“
Their Greatest Fears:Worst-Case Scenarios
”
“A major wreck on either I-15 or Las Vegas Boulevard. This would cause a
tremendous delay in traffic flow. We prepare for this by placing wreckers
and safety vehicles in areas where they can respond in the shortest amount
of time possible.”
DAVID STETZER, vice president of operations
“A power failure or water main break. There’s no quick fix for that
kind of problem.”
BOBBY MCKENNA, director of maintenance
“The worst-case scenario is something I have no control over —
inclement weather.”
JEFF MOTLEY, director of public relations
“It’s an enormous challenge,
but it can be done with
continuous improvements
and the assistance of …
government agencies.”
DAVID STETZER,
vice president of operations at LVMS
don’t look fresh,” he says. “You
can’t hang banners, cut grass and
have the grounds immaculate in
February and get the look you want
on March 11.”
Because the 2005 event is his first
since being named to his current
position, McKenna relies heavily
on two veteran staff members. “I am
fortunate to have two assistants,
Frank Borelli and Joe Bravatto, who
have been here for every NASCAR
event, and a staff of 27 people who
know and do their jobs quite well,”
he says. “I’m staying out of the way
this year.”
Bravatto oversees about a third
of the staff in maintaining all the
The pit crew in action during the 2004
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway.