Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide

LAS VEGAS- Tickets are now on sale for the annual Speedway Children's Charities NASCAR Driver Auction to be held Thursday, March 10, at Sam's Town Live! at Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and the auction begins promptly at 6 p.m. Many NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series drivers are expected to participate. The 2004 auction raised more than $213,000 for the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities.

Fans will have the opportunity to bid on a ride in a convertible with their favorite NASCAR Nextel Cup Series star during driver introductions prior to the start of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on Sunday, March 13. Fans who win auctions for NASCAR Busch Series drivers will have a "meet 'n' greet" with their favorite participant prior to the start of the Sam's Town 300 on Saturday, March 12.

The event also features a silent auction with a variety of racing and non-racing items to bid on, including autographed memorabilia and tickets to various shows in and around Las Vegas. All proceeds will go to the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities, which supports the increased quality of life for the children of southern Nevada.

Tickets for the event are $35 and may be purchased at www.tickets.com. For more information please call (702) 450-8300 or (702) 632-8242.

Speedway Children's Charities (www.speedwaycharities.org) is a non-profit foundation based in Charlotte, N.C., that distributes funds to charities and foundations providing medical, emotional and social services to children in need. Founded in 1984 by O. Bruton Smith, chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., Speedway Children's Charities has grown into a national foundation with chapters located at each of the six Speedway Motorsports Inc., facilities, including Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas-Ft. Worth and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Each chapter's objective is to assist as many children as possible.

In 2004, the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities distributed $275,000 to 51 local causes which directly impact the lives of children in the Las Vegas and southern Nevada region.