Regional events offer variety

Southern Nevada racing fans will be entertained this weekend by something old, something new, something borrowed and something bruising.

Four big events offer a variety of motor sports options, and none require a lengthy, gas-guzzling road trip.

A new season for the NASCAR All-American Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Bullring opens at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The nighttime event gives those attending the Southern Nevada Off-Road Racing Enthusiasts’ new Mint 400 time to head north to the speedway where the original Mint started and finished during its heyday.

The SNORE event began Thursday with two days of technical inspection on East Fremont Street. The race will be four laps for the fastest vehicles on a loop course between Jean and Primm, just south of Las Vegas off Interstate 15.

Among those entered in the SNORE race is Las Vegan B.J. Baldwin, who took the SCORE Trophy Truck points leads two weeks ago at the San Felipe 250 in Mexico.

His father, Bobby, who is fourth in SCORE Trophy Trucks, will join his son in the Mint’s Unlimited Truck division. Brian Collins of Las Vegas will be in the fray two weeks after he won the overall and truck titles in San Felipe.

Henderson’s C.J. Hutchins, who leads SCORE’s Class 10 division after teaming with his father to win in San Felipe, is expected to race in the Mint.

The biggest change with the Bullring series this season is that its open-wheel Modified division will run under NASCAR rules instead of those of the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA), which had been the sanctioning organization.

Another option for race fans this weekend is the Monster Jam World Finals monster truck show at Sam Boyd Stadium, which begins with qualifying tonight for Saturday’s championship rounds in racing and freestyle.

Monster Jam promoters expect another sellout of about 37,000 on Saturday with a few tickets left as of Thursday, but more tickets are available for tonight’s show. Each day features a pit party for ticket-holders from noon to 5 p.m.

On Sunday, the last of three days for the Mopars at the Strip will offer the best of Chrysler’s muscle-car history with a drag race and car show.

The all-Chrysler Mopar show at LVMS’s dragstrip begins today and continues through Sunday.

The festival of muscle cars’ glory days will feature key figures from drag racing of the late 1960s. Scheduled to attend: Buddy Martin (Sox & Martin), Arlen Vanke, Judy Lilly, Shirley Shahan (Drag On Lady), Bob Riggle (Hemi Under Glass) and announcer Dave McClelland.

• DEATH VALLEY — Las Vegas schoolteacher Dan Fitzgerald won his first IMCA Modified feature of the season Saturday at Death Valley Raceway in Amargosa Valley.

Other winners were: Michael Lysinger (Mini Stock), Mark Dillie (Dwarf), Eddie Sharon (Micro Sprint), Jonathan Mitchell (Factory Stock), Wyatt Ehrp (Super Stock) and Fred Hardy (Bomber).

The next event is April 5.

• TRUCKS — Chrissy Wallace will make her NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut Saturday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The 19-year-old daughter of longtime NASCAR driver Mike Wallace and niece of Rusty Wallace will drive a Toyota for Germain Motor Company.