Viva NAS(CAR) Vegas

Is it the end of yet another longstanding NASCAR tradition or an improvement to better connect stock car racing with its fans?

The move this season of the annual awards banquet from New York City – where it resided for 28 years – to Las Vegas got mostly positive reviews when it was announced in April.

How it plays out won't likely be known until well after 2009 Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has collected his earnings, awards and his NASCAR-record fourth consecutive Cup title.

While New York is obviously a media attention-grabbing destination, the city had no other connection to NASCAR with no races nearby. And the event, held typically at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, had no on-site fan participation.

About 300 fans will be in attendance during this year's ceremony, held at the Wynn Las Vegas. Most got tickets through promotional events set up by Cup drivers or their charitable organizations.

Las Vegas is no stranger to NASCAR, with Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosting races each season in all three of NASCAR's national series – Cup, Nationwide and Trucks.

While the scenery may be different, the atmosphere around the banquet seems to have taken on a more festive tone this year.

Just ask Las Vegas native Kurt Busch, who will be on hand after finishing the season fourth in the series standings.

“There's going to be that atmosphere that everybody feels when they go to Vegas, that is (to) let loose,” explained Busch. “Let your hair down and have fun, whether it's out at the gambling tables, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels.

“New York was a lot of fun as well. We were going to be bundled up in coats and slacks and mittens. We're going to go out to Las Vegas. I put together a golf tournament when the drivers (start) show up.

“Nobody has thought about a golf tournament around banquet week.”

There are other positives for the move, some not directly related.

Hard economic times have led many teams to tighten their budgets this season and hotel prices in Las Vegas are far lower than in Manhattan.

Also, New York residents had apparently grown weary of the annual “Victory Lap” parade of drivers piloting show cars around the block of the Waldorf, mostly because it tied up traffic.

Las Vegas, on the other hand, was pulling out all the stops.

The broadcast of the ceremony is also changing, moving to Speed Channel to ensure the event could be carried live.

For NASCAR Chairman Brian France, the fan component is the most important change.

“We're obviously happy about that. We're going to be looking to expand that over time. We want to walk before we run here,” France said.

“Las Vegas will be a nice, refreshing thing, a shot in the arm a little bit this time of year for us and for the industry. It's going to save a lot of money, which is important in this economy.

“But also the fact that the city of Las Vegas is so welcoming, the Wynn hotel has been incredible. My anticipation is it's going to be a fun week … in part because I think people just want to come to Las Vegas in December.”

Want to watch?

Speed's NASCAR programming on Friday:

5 p.m. Eastern, NASCAR Best Moments on Speed ‘09.

5:30 p.m., NASCAR Best Surprises ‘09.

6 p.m., NASCAR Best Dramatic Moments ‘09.

6:30 p.m., NASCAR Best Performances.

7 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck series awards ceremony from Miami (taped).

9 p.m., Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony from the Wynn Las Vegas.