NASCAR comes to downtown Cincinnati

CINCINNATI - Hundreds of auto racing fans got a taste of NASCAR along with their lunch Wednesday in downtown Cincinnati.

Five tractor-trailers used to haul race cars to NASCAR events stopped on their way to the Kentucky Speedway in Gallatin County for three days of racing capped by Saturday's Quaker State 400.

The big rigs carrying equipment of drivers Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano parked for two hours along Race Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets.

People like Julian Morgan couldn't stay away.

The Forest Park resident snapped pictures of his son, Christian, standing next to the truck with Joey Logano's name.

"I'm very excited," said Forest Park resident Julian Morgan. "I couldn't believe they were coming here."

However, Morgan admitted he'll be rooting for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Susie Turnpaugh was there with her four-and-a-half year old twins, Tyler and Abby.

"It's just nice to see the excitement in their eyes when they see the big trucks," she said. "We surprised him (Tyler). We didn't even tell him we were coming."

However, the Edgewood family's unity dissolved when it came to naming favorite drivers.

"Kevin Harvick," Tyler said instantly.

Abby chimed in with, "Joey Logano."

"Kasey Kahne," Susie added.

That's part for the course for NASCAR fans.

They vigorously defend their choice, creating plenty of excitement for each race.

"NASCAR hasn't gone into a new market in 10 years," said Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger. "The last new market they went into was Chicago, which tells you what they think of this market -- that this market can support it."

Fans are coming to Kentucky Speedway from all 50 states. All 107,000 tickets for Saturday's Sprint Cup race have been sold.

"Many of those people are going to come to Cincinnati," said Mayor Mark Mallory. "They're going to spend money in our restaurants. They're going to shop here. They may stay here. We want them to have a good time."

Not surprisingly, the Mayor and the General Manager think they know who will win the race.

"Joey Logano I think is my favorite," said Mayor Mallory. "I think he has won at Kentucky Speedway three times now, so he's going to come in here as the man to beat."

Simendinger took a different approach.

"My favorite in the race is Carl Edwards," he said. "I think Carl is going to win the race."

When Jerry Carroll and his investors built Kentucky Speedway 10 years ago, it was with the goal of landing a Sprint Cup race.

New owner Bruton Smith moved a race date from one of his other tracks to turn that dream into reality.

Now, all the planning, construction and marketing are done. It's time to put the pedal to the metal.

"It's game time and we are ready to roll," said Simendinger.