Mike McLaughlin and representatives from the Flamingo Las Vegas resort and casino reached a one-race sponsorship agreement for the Sams Town 300, NASCAR Busch Series event, to be held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 1, 2003.. McLaughlin will drive car #01, a green-and-white Ford Taurus with pink and black Flamingo logos. McLaughlin, a 10-year Busch Series veteran who is currently without a full-time ride on the series, is racing on individual event sponsorships and the generous donations of fans across America through the XM Nation, Hopes and Dreams 2003 Campaign. After an interview my wife, Katie, and I did on XM Satellite NASCAR Channel 144, fans started sending in donations to help me get to Daytona, McLaughlin summarized. The response was so swift and unexpected that combined with the sponsorship we received for Daytona from dwstore.com and SeaWatch along with various auto dealers in the New York area, we had enough money left over to enter one more race. McLaughlin looked at the schedule and decided on Las Vegas. Upon making the decision, he and his team began preparations for the event, including the solicitation of additional sponsorship. We received a lead about the Flamingo Las Vegas wanting to get on a car for the event, McLaughlin said. We immediately called them up and provided them information on myself, the series and the race. Within two days we had reached an agreement.
NASCAR weekend is one of the biggest events of the year in Las Vegas, and the Flamingo is excited about the opportunity to participate, said Flamingo Vice President of Marketing, Randy Sears. Mike McLaughlin is a promising driver who just needs the opportunity to win. We look forward to seeing him in the winners circle on Saturday.
We are real excited to have Flamingo Las Vegas on the car and involved with us for the event, McLaughlin stated. We hope to have a good showing at the track and look forward to working with such a fantastic company. McLaughlins Hopes and Dreams 2003 campaign has received over $80,000 in donations from fans and corporations across the country – from 49 of the 50 states and from two foreign countries. Donations continue to arrive daily. The Flamingo Las Vegas is a Park Place Entertainment casino resort with everything to offer its guests including 15 acres of a Caribbean-style water playground with tennis courts and a wildlife habitat. The resort combines hospitality with the glamour and excitement of Las Vegas. The casino features more than 70 table games and 2,100 slot machines, and the hotel offers more than 3,500 luxurious rooms and suites, six restaurants, late-night lounge, a wedding chapel, health spa, shopping and a variety of entertainment. Currently performing at the Flamingo are Gladys Knight, The Amazing Johnathan, The Second City comedy troupe and Bottoms Up.(PR)(2-25-2003)
