NASCAR should be racing to Vegas at the end of 2011

There are plenty of reasons to recommend Las Vegas as a destination.

And if you're looking for a logical location for the Sprint Cup season final, there are even more reasons for NASCAR to consider it.

Officials with Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns the Las Vegas track and several others, acknowledge asking NASCAR for additional Cup races in 2011. They aren't tipping their hand beyond that, but the Las Vegas track is almost certainly in play.

Nothing could make more sense than holding a second Cup race at Las Vegas at the conclusion of the season.

NASCAR last year moved its season-ending awards banquet from New York to Las Vegas. Finishing the season's competition in the same place would help everyone involved.

NASCAR has had trouble attracting drivers to its post-season functions, particularly those not “required” to attend. Wrapping up the racing in Vegas and following up with the banquet two to three days later should eliminate most of the excuses.

More fans might also be able to attend. Without having to plan for a separate trip, they could simply extend their stay.

The same holds true for the media. Fewer reporters, photographers and others are covering NASCAR events during the recession. Coverage of the post-season awards banquet, too, has gotten less ink and airtime as media outlets – like all businesses – have cut costs.

Saving the expense of a trip to New York – and now Vegas – weeks after the season ends has been an easy decision. A banquet in the same area a few days after the finale race might make a lot more business sense.

A season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway would certainly be a boost for SMI, the biggest competitor of NASCAR's sister company, International Speedway Corp. ISC owns Homestead-Miami Speedway, where NASCAR's three top series currently wrap up their seasons.

In the end, a Las Vegas finale-banquet combo might provide the fanfare – on the track and off – that NASCAR needs entering the offseason.