Michigan International Speedway’s Race to Vegas contest has stretched across the country over the past two years, now it’s made a run for the border.
Canadian Brian Reid, 48, an MIS ticketholder since 2004 from Tecumseh, Ontario, was randomly selected as this year’s Race to Vegas contest winner. Reid welcomed the great news from a phone call by track President Roger Curtis.
“Are you serious?! Thank you so very much!,” an astonished Reid said in a noticeably Canadian accent. “Anytime you get a call from a track president you wonder what the deal is. I am so stunned by this and very excited to be attending the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas. What a tremendous opportunity.”
Reid was selected among all MIS guests who renewed their tickets and camping for the 2012 season, placed a $10 deposit on new tickets or submitted a 3×5 card. Reid renewed his tickets and MISCamping.com Tree Farm Campground site for both the June and August races in 2012.
“We really enjoy attending races at MIS and love our Tree Farm campsite,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate to attend races at other tracks, but always enjoy the atmosphere and camping at MIS the best. It’s our home track and not far from our home in Canada just over the border from Detroit. It’s a special place and we can’t wait to return in 2012!”
Reid loves attending races at MIS and has done so every year since 2004. Reid and his wife will attend the awards ceremonies next week and return to Las Vegas, a place where Reid became a NASCAR fan back in 2004.
“It’s funny because we were in Las Vegas back in 2004 and I had no idea what NASCAR was. NASCAR was in town that weekend so friends of mine that were with me decided we should attend the qualifying day at Las Vegas. I decided to buy merchandise from Matt Kenseth’s trailer because 17 is my favorite number and he won the race that weekend.
“Ever since then, I fell in love with NASCAR and still have Kenseth as my favorite driver. I’ve been hooked on the sport ever since.”
Reid is a NASCAR fan through and through. Among some of the races he attends are those at Martinsville Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Next year he’s adding Bristol to the list.
The Race to Vegas contest is an extension of the speedway’s Fan Appreciation Program, which provides experiential prizes to fans throughout the year, including race weekends. Since its inception in 2009, the program has given away thousands of prizes to lucky winners on a random basis.
This is the third time Michigan International Speedway has hosted a fan at the banquet.
“We love spending time with our fans on the race weekends and afterward,” Curtis said. “We get to know our fans on a personal level – they become family. So taking a fan to Las Vegas is a nice opportunity for us to get to know them while showing them all the great things about NASCAR.”
Reid and his wife Michelle, 34, will receive round-trip airfare to Las Vegas and hotel accommodations at the famed Wynn Hotel, along with a seat at the banquet. They will also attend the NASCAR NMPA Awards Luncheon and NASCAR After the Lap events – all exclusive events in Las Vegas.
Reid follows former winners Thomas Schultz of Plymouth, Mich., (2009 winner) and Vic Loomis of East Lansing, Mich., (2010), both who traveled back from Las Vegas with many exciting memories to share.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for a race fan,” Reid said. “I can’t thank MIS enough for this and my wife and I will have many exciting memories to share from this experience.”
MIS PR
