PBR Rock Bar & Grill inside The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood is mounting the mechanical bull of Vegas nightlife and riding it for all it’s worth. Which, this blog realizes, might be the worst metaphor in recorded history. Let’s not allow that to deter us from the matter at hand.

The popular PBR Rock Bar restaurant has already added a DJ booth (the paint was still fresh when we snagged the pic below), and plans are in place to divide the restaurant into two parts as the evening progresses (with a sound-proof wall, so diners won’t be disturbed), providing a mix of laid-back dining and the Vegas nightclub experience.

Tip: Tilting your camera makes things seem even cooler.

Additions are still being made to the decor, but the area pictured below will serve as a dance floor for night owls seeking to shake their badonkadonks off, whatever those might actually be.

This is where this blog will be exhibiting its mad badonkadonk skilz.

The area is expected to feature high-top furniture for party animals to keep their dogs from barking too much as the night wears on.

The club portion of PBR Rock Bar will even have its own entrance, directly across from the popular Earl of Sandwich restaurant.

It's a photo of a door! Hey, not everything can be front page news.

Bonus, the more adventurous can still make their way from the dance area to take on PBR Rock Bar’s hydraulic mechanical bull. This would seem an opportune time to share our video of bull-riding maven Karie, who we took no enjoyment in taping, believe us.

Visit the official PBR Rock Bar site, where you’ll find all the latest news as well as a healthy supply of scantily-clad rodeo clowns. We try not to ask.

Flash mobs as a social phenomenon may not be dead, but they’re definitely on life support, thankfully.

A flash mob planned on May 12, 2012 at The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood might just change this blog’s mind about these “spontaneous” outbursts of group performance, though. (See? Right there. Planned spontaneity. Just one of the things we don’t get about flash mobs.)

In honor of World Belly Dance Day (liking it already), a Las Vegas belly dance group, Fuego Fusion,  will perform a “shimmy mob” at 4:00 p.m. on May 12 outside the Planet Hollywood resort.

Actual belly dancers may vary.

Belly dancing aside, the other reason we might not hate this flash mob is it will raise funds for The Shade Tree, a shelter for homeless and abused women and their children where this blog has personally volunteered on numerous occasions.

The “shimmy mob,” which we’re going to keep putting quotation marks around because we’re not sure we condone it, will also celebrate belly dance as an art form.

Other “shimmy mobs” will take place in 100 locations around the world on World Belly Dance Day. All the gatherings will raise donations for women’s and children’s shelters. Visit the official site.

Life offers too few opportunities to both watch belly dancing and contribute to charity.

Here’s some video from last year’s event. Hint: It’s not that kind of belly dancing.

The event will last four minutes, as so many things in Las Vegas do, and will happen near the entrance to the Cabo Wabo Cantina.

Just because we don’t condone something doesn’t mean this blog isn’t going to share it!

Check out this clever Las Vegas keepsake.

No, we did not make this in Photoshop.

What makes this a Las Vegas keepsake, you ask? Do you always ask such impertinent questions?

Well, for your information, we found this item while roaming the Urban Outfitters store at The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

Which is in Las Vegas.

You’re forgiven for your insolence.

We’re writing this blog post at 10:00 a.m., and in Las Vegas, that means it’s time to start thinking about our next cocktail!

Today, we vote for the Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum Toasted Colada at Cabo Wabo Cantina in The Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood. (Say that five times fast.)

Please note: The phrase "lick the rim" is not inherently inappropriate. That's all on you.

Hey, we even took notes about the ingredients this time.

The Toasted Colada contains two ounces of Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, one ounce of Coco Lopez and some pineapple juice. Even we can memorize that recipe. Just mix up all that flavorful goodness, dip the glass in honey and toasted coconut and you’re all set.

You could probably make one at home, but why would you do that when you could head to Cabo Wabo, put your feet up, people-watch, enjoy some tunes and soak in the gloriousness that is the Las Vegas Strip?

Oh, and that “put your feet up” thing was just a figure of speech. People are trying to eat.

It’s time for more change in the wake of the massive Linq development project in the center of the Las Vegas Strip. The last day for The Rockhouse Bar & Nightclub at Imperial Palace is May 5, 2012.

We just got a little weepy there for a second.

The popular, boisterous watering hole will be moving to a temporary location at The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood until a more permanent home can be found (probably by late summer).

They were the best of times and, well, also the best of times.

As the clock counts down for The Rockhouse, stop by and enjoy the hooch, the beer pong and the lovely bartenders swinging from tires.

Don't try this at home. This Las Vegas blog is not liable for your rope burn.

Catch up on all the latest Linq news.

Blondies Sports Bar & Grill, in The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, is a reliably good time, and Living Social is currently offering up a deal for $40 worth of food and drink for $20.

It’s likely O’Sheas casino will soon hand over the mantle of “Beer Pong Mecca” to Blondies, so you might as well give this deal a go to test the waters.

No apostrophe. Like Caesars Palace or Madame Tussauds.

The menu at Blondies features sandwiches and burgers, as well as the popular deep-fried mac ‘n’ cheese balls, homemade chili, pizza, Famous Beer Can Chicken, New York Strip and other hearty fare. There are 12,400 (rough estimate) flat-screen TVs to choose from (the largest being 12 feet wide), and the cheerleader-inspired waitress outfits are always worth a return visit. You know, if you’re into that kind of thing.

The 50%-off deal is good for a week (expires April 4, 2012). Go to Living Social for the details.

While you're at The Miracle Mile Shops, make sure to check out this giant model of the human gastrointestinal tract. Or something.

Need another reason to visit Blondies? Now through April 30, 2012, you could win an actual diamond when you order a cocktail from a special “Diamond Menu.” When guests order a cocktail, they get to choose a diamond out of a glass that also contains 5,000 decoy stones. If the chosen diamond is the real one, it’s a keeper, and a jewelry store, Designs by Zulema, will set the diamond free of charge.

The Diamond Menu includes the Carrot Cake Martini, Silhouette Martini, Sex in the City cocktail, Bubble Martini and Dulche Leche cocktail. All the drinks are $15.

One of the most spine-tingling acts in Vegas, the Skating Aratas, got some sweet time in the spotlight on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” recently. Take a look.

Our palms are sweaty. Are your palms sweaty? In our case, it might just be a circulatory issue, but we’re thinking it might also be that this is the most amazing variety act ever.

We love that Ellen not only heaps DeGeneres amounts of praise on the pair (see what we did there?), but also give them neck braces. They do this with their eyes closed? Seriously?

What is wrong with these people?

The Skating Aratas are currently featured in “V: The Variety Show” at the Miracle Mile inside Planet Hollywood. The daring duo formerly performed at “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace.

Find out more from the official site for V: The Ultimate Variety Show.

The one thing that is glaringly evident when you first meet Sammy Hagar is he’s having a blast.

This blog recently had its first official “Red Rocker” encounter at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood in honor of the unveiling of Sammy Hagar’s latest booze-related endeavor, Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum.

The party's just getting started.

Sammy Hagar, former member of Van Halen and hard-driving singer of the immortal hit, “I Can’t Drive 55,” schmoozed with journalists and his fans, and celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse even turned up in support of his friend’s new hooch.

Emeril Lagasse assists as Sammy Hagar gives his new rum some sweet love.

Cabo Wabo Cantina also took the opportunity to launch several new signature rum cocktails, including Sammy’s Shark Bite, Sammy’s Beach Rum Toasted Colada and Sammy’s Maui Libre.

This Coconut Margarita is not new, nor does it feature rum. We do not especially care. We loved it.

Given that this blog is an ardent supporter of all-things-rum, we grabbed a quick soundbite about the new Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum from Sammy himself.

Hagar said, “I didn’t have any intentions of making another liquor. I did miss it, though, that’s why I’m kind of excited again. A guy came up to me named Mark Nigbur who makes Pau Vodka. I’d tasted that vodka, and he makes it in Hawaii. I met him and he looks just like me and he’s a huge fan. So, we went out and partied one night, and I asked him, ‘Why aren’t you making rum or something with all the syrup you have?’ He asked me if I like rum, and I said not really. I typically drink tequila or a fine wine, and vodka once in awhile. He said, ‘I’ll make you some rum.’ He’s a chemist and he knows what he’s doing.”

In speaking to Sammy Hagar, one gets the feeling a lot of his endeavors develop just like this. “I met a guy. He was a fan. Now we have a rum.” Like we said, Sammy is having a blast.

Sammy's new rum is made in Hawaii. Not a bad thing, as costume themes go.

He continues, “Mark said, ‘I’ll make you the best rum you’ve ever tasted in your life.’ He comes over to my house about a week later, he lives right behind me, by the way, and he brought me what’s become Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum. I tasted it, and it blew my mind. White rum will put you in the hospital! You can’t drink white rum.”

We’re thinking this should be the slogan for Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum: “White rum will put you in the hospital!” Hey, it worked for the Heart Attack Grill.

Ask Sammy. He'll write his name on your stuff.

“We’ve aged some in a small barrel so it tastes like it’s been aged five years,” says Hagar. “It’s the best spirit I’ve ever put in my mouth. This guy’s a genius, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. This isn’t about a business. I can’t spend all my money. This is about my fans. They’ve been so good to me. Every time I taste this, I think, ‘Wait until my fans taste this.’ I blew their mind with the tequila, I try to blow their minds with the music every time, it makes me feel really good.”

Another feeling you get when you talk to Sammy Hagar? He’s a genuinely nice guy. Evidence? In the time we’ve been doing this Las Vegas blog, and after all the media events we’ve attended, we have never once seen a celebrity personally greet every single photographer on the red carpet. Until Sammy Hagar. The Red Rocker rocks it.

Note: This blog does not condone the lofting of premium silver rum bottles. Probably.

Learn more about the Cabo Wabo Cantina at Planet Hollywood on the official site, and Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum here.

It's Sammy's world, we just sip in it.

In closing, Sammy Hagar added, “I want to impress my fans because I want to do this forever.”

We’ll drink to that.

This blog is all about supporting public radio, but we’re even more all about saving some bucks on Vegas stuff! In the case of this particular discovery, we get to do both.

Nevada Public Radio is hosting an online auction, through Feb. 18, 2012, and there are a ton of Vegas offerings up for grabs, many of which are likely to go for much less than their face value.

Bucks, meet saved.

The Las Vegas hotels in the Caesars Entertainment family even have their own section on the auction site, with offerings like Celine Dion and Rod Stewart tickets (both appearing at Caesars Palace), as well as tickets to “Absinthe” (also at Caesars) and Mac King at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

There are also a slew of show tickets being auctioned for the V Theater inside The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, including deals on “Stripper 101″ classes at the V Theater, and we’re not just saying that so we can post a photo of “Sin City Sindy,” the 31-foot-tall pole dancer who resides adjacent to the V Theater at Stripper Bar. Probably.

This blog does not necessarily condone giant strippers.

There are hundreds of items up for bid, and you might just snag a sweet Vegas deal if you’re cunning or adroit or wily or another word we sagaciously copied and pasted from an online thesaurus.

Check out the online auction to benefit Nevada Public Radio.

Las Vegas comedy-hypnotist Marc Savard performed more than 300 shows last year, and no two of those shows were the same.

That’s because every night at Savard’s show, at the V Theater inside The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, audience volunteers set aside their preconceived notions about hypnosis and jump onstage to become stars of the show, often with unpredictable, uproarious results.

Eyelids. Feeling. Heavy.

It’s taken this blog some time to get to Marc Savard’s show, but we’ve heard universally positive word-of-mouth about it for ages, and we weren’t disappointed.

A projected message before the “Marc Savard Comedy Hypnosis” show sets the stage for what’s to come.

Gauntlet, meet thrown.

An initial group of 30 volunteers is whittled down to about a dozen, based upon several factors this blog can’t even begin to understand (Savard: “We want the best of the best”), then the fun really begins.

One subject is given the suggestion Marc Savard is the most repulsive person they’ve ever met. Another is told he’s irresistible. Another is given a new name. Yet another is told that when Savard shakes their hand, they’ll think they’ve been pinched. Sometimes the suggestions stick, and sometimes they don’t, and that’s part of the fun, too.

Yes, it's Marc with a "c." It's a Canadian thing.

Savard has a number of go-to gags, but ultimately the volunteers react in ways even Savard can’t predict.

Here’s a fun video of some outtakes from the show.

After years of performing, and thousands of shows, Savard is a master of dealing with the unexpected, always in complete control of his subjects and the audience, and never losing his cool. A rowdy, intoxicated patron in the front row? No big deal! Savard works him seamlessly into the show.

So, if the subjects onstage aren’t plants (we know this because our companion took the plunge), are they faking it?

Here’s what Savard says: “There are certain characteristics and things that I’m looking for. Who in their right mind would do those crazy behaviors without 1) laughing, 2) being afraid of being caught, 3) looking up to see what everyone else is doing? There’s many different factors. When you see the show, and you see people’s somber reactions when they’re relaxed, and their instantaneous reactions to the suggestions I’m giving, you can see how real it is. The best way is to send your friends up there. You know your friends better than anybody. And when you see them doing the things they’re doing, you know for a fact that they’re not faking.”

Hear more in this interview that appeared on the local news in Vegas.

Bonus Marc Savard trivia: Savard received his hypnotherapy training from master hypnotist, Gil Boyne. Boyne was the lead hypnosis consultant on the 1959 classic, “The Hypnotic Eye.”

If you’re looking for a late-night Vegas show full of surprises and laughs, this would be that. Further evidence: On the night we attended, even in the middle of the week, the V Theater was absolutely packed.

The “Marc Savard Comedy Hypnosis” show happens at 10:00 p.m. each night (dark Fridays), and this is an 18-or-older show due to some adult humor. (We thought it would be raunchier, but if fellow comedy-hypnotist Anthony Cools at Paris Vegas is a 10 on the raunch scale, this is about a 7. Nearly Grandma-safe!)

Find out more at the official Marc Savard site.

Enjoy our exclusive gallery of photos which we have no memory of taking.

Las Vegas can get pretty crazy, and we found a great example while roaming The Miracle Mile Shops inside Planet Hollywood.

Stuff about to get crazy.

It took approximately two minutes inside the Crazy Shirts store to realize something wild was afoot. Specifically, many of the T-shirts in the store get their color from things like rum, coffee and chocolate.

Seriously.

No, we did not lick this shirt. We are a trained professional. Probably.

That’s right. Through the magic of modern science, the rum-themed shirts are dyed with rum, and the wine-themed shirts are dyed with actual wine. There are even shirts dyed with Hawaiian volcanic ash and money. Each money-dyed shirt uses about $165 in recycled currency to get its color. Read more.

We do not condone this T-shirt.

Bonus crazy: All the store’s swimwear fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles, with each swim short containing up to seven 16-ounce bottles.

Why are you always so skeptical? You might want to have that looked into.

Crazy Shirts got its start in Hawaii in 1964, making it the oldest specialty T-shirt shop in the history of, oh, ever.

Some of the T-shirts on display also seem to have the ability to peer into one's soul.

Note: The only shirts that maintain the fragrance of the things they’ve been dyed in are the coffee and chocolate-dyed shirts. We’re cool with that.

Yes, while we're at it, do adopt a dog.

See more things you can dye things with on the official Crazy Shirt site, and drop by the store when you’re in The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

“Gregory Popovich’s Comedy Pet Theater” at the V Theater in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood is one of those rare shows that does a lot of things well. It’s funny, it’s touching, and at certain points, it’ll make your heart beat so fast you’ll feel like you’re suffering from supraventricular tachycardia, a term we totally didn’t just copy and paste off the Internet.

At the center of this family-friendly show is, at you might suspect, Gregory Popovich.

Gregory Popovich is the one in the middle.

Popovich is a Russian-born performer from a long line of circus folk (fourth generation, actually), and perhaps most telling is that he once received the “Excellence as the Greatest Technical Master of All Times” award from the International Juggling Association. And we’re not even making that up! Read more.

Popovich surrounds himself with animals in his show, all adopted from animal shelters. And, yes, he even does the seemingly impossible: he trains cats.

Yeah, good luck with that at your house.

The show is a series of skillfully-orchestrated vignettes: there’s a “fire” rescue sequence, one involving a medical office, another where the animals play soccer, and still another that takes place in a schoolhouse.

As charming as the animals are, our favorite part of the show is when Popovich climbs a nine-foot, free-standing ladder.

Just another day at the WTF.

Popovich climbs this ladder so casually, you nearly forget…it’s not leaning against anything. He then proceeds to balance on top of the ladder as he juggles.

Here, just watch.

We breached security to pop in on Gregory Popovich and ask him some annoying questions about the ladder gag, among other things, which he patiently answered.

POV Blog: Which language do your pets speak, English or Russian?

Gregory Popovich: Russian, my native language. Animals don’t really recognize words, per se. They might recognize “sit” or “lay down,” but intonation is more important, the use of a strong voice or soft voice. I only came to America when I was 25, so it’s easier to communicate with my pets in Russian, but they know two languages. They’re all rescue dogs, so they grew up hearing English in the shelters. They’re very intelligent, because many people only know one language.

We had to write about Gregory Popovich sooner or ladder.

POV Blog: How many animals have your rescued?

Popovich: We have 14 cats and 12 dogs, one big family. Fifteen years ago I started with one kitty and one dog I rescued from the shelter.

POV Blog: Before you started working with animals, you were named the best juggler in the world, twice. Can you tell us more about that?

Popovich: That’s how I came to the United States. My first job was as a juggler, and I came to “the greatest show on Earth,” the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. In fact, I was the first Russian performer who ever worked with Ringling Bros., back in 1991.

POV Blog: Our favorite part of your show is when you climb the free-standing ladder. We may have mentioned that earlier in this blog post. Then you juggle on it. Five clubs, which many jugglers aspire to do even on flat ground. Seriously?

Popovich: Thank you. I also do a back-cross trick with five clubs, on the ladder. That’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. I also juggle nine rings while balancing on the ladder. Those tricks haven’t been repeated by any other performer. Stupid Russian!

And you think YOU multi-task at work.

POV Blog: The show’s a mix of classic circus performance and animals. Which really isn’t a question, we realize.

Popovich: I grew up in a circus family. My mother and father worked with cats and dogs. My first babysitters were the dogs and cats of my mother. It was actually much easier for me to communicate with animals than with humans. You bring up an interesting point, though. The show is a combination of classic vaudeville and a circus-style show, sometimes forgotten today. I think it has a wonderful spirit to it, and I try to keep that classical spirit alive, including some slapstick comedy. The silent movie era is also sometimes overlooked; Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, all those great comedians. I try to bring some of that slapstick-style comedy to modern audiences.

No CGI, we swear.

POV Blog: Physical comedy also works well for our international visitors, doesn’t it?

Popovich: Exactly. It doesn’t require any translation. It’s not stand-up comedy. I’ve traveled all over the world, to 26 countries, and I don’t need to change the show because everyone understands the language of the circus and physical comedy.

POV Blog: Back to the ladder! When you’re up there, there’s no net. Your assistant is nearby, but you’re committed fully. That would be a long fall.

Popovich: The assistant is there just in case I drop a club, not for safety. When I was a child, my father put me on a ladder when I was six years old. We practiced for hours and hours. So, it’s always been very natural. Circus performers practice for hours and months and years, until it becomes second nature.

POV Blog: We heard the audience gasping during your show. We don’t hear that at movie theaters. It’s genuinely thrilling.

Popovich: Thank you. I hope that’s why we’ve had such success here in Las Vegas after six years. The show’s very different than other Las Vegas shows.

You'll get used to the sweaty palms.

POV Blog: And everyone loves cute animals, of course. It’s almost like you’re playing onstage.

Popovich: I’m always trying to find creative ways to work with the animals in the show. I don’t ask them to do difficult tricks. I don’t want to push them to do anything hard or dangerous. I try to build situations around the pets and their personalities. Like with the cats. Very independent animals. I work with them to find their favorite tricks. Each kitty has certain things they do for fun. I build tricks based on their natural habits.

POV Blog: So, in a way, they’re training you?

Popovich: Very true. Which explains why every show is different. Cats have different moods, and on a given day they may not feel like doing a particular trick. We don’t force them, and the show must go on. Here’s a little secret, for each trick, I have two or three more kitties that can do the same trick. We have back-up kitties. I have a dog that doesn’t want to do anything, so in our classroom sketch, he plays the part of a student that didn’t do his homework. When I ask for the homework, he just hides behind his desk. It’s the only trick he can do, but it came from his personality.

POV Blog: What’s the main message of your show, if you have one?

Popovich: If someone sees our show, and maybe visits an animal shelter and possibly adopts a pet, I feel like my mission is complete. So, neuter those pets, and if you have a pet, respect them. Animals are people, too.

The bottom line? “Gregory Popovich’s Comedy Pet Theater” is a blast, and we’d go again in a second. We would actually attend even if it was to watch that ladder trick for an hour!

Really. Get down from there. We're feeling woozy.

Bonus: The V Theater recently installed a massive digital screen at a cost of $200,000. The LED wall has 100,000 bulbs, and it’s 10-feet high and 50-feet wide. Eye candy!

Super bonus bonus: Popovich Comedy Pet Theatre has partnered with the Those Left Behind Foundation to raise funds and increase animal shelter awareness. Use the special promo code “TLB” when you purchase your tickets to the Popovich show, and a donation will be made to this animal welfare nonprofit. Visit the official site for more information.

Don’t miss this great family fare at the V Theater. Shows happen at 4:00 p.m. (dark Wednesdays). Find out more on the official site, or on the show’s Facebook page.

From this Las Vegas blog to you and yours, happy holidays, or some other politically-correct way of saying “Merry Christmas!”

In honor of this special day we’re not working on, here’s a lovely holiday tune and fountain show, courtesy of Sin City. How do we know it’s from Sin City? Please note the gargantuan pole dancer in the background.

Thanks to our security friends at The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood for, after seeing us videotaping without permission, not using a Taser on us until the song was done.

Oh, Las Vegas. You're just so...you.

And may all your Christmases be Vegas! Or something.

Is your bosom bursting with the holiday spirit yet? Not so much? Well, Sin City is here to help!

As we were wandering The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, we encountered a store called Hattitude. (Oh, stop your store name judging. Maybe that’s one of the reasons you aren’t in a holiday mood yet!)

Admit it. For a minute, you thought we might be making this up.

Hattitude sits across from the V Theater, the Miracle Mile Shops fountain and Stripper Bar. Inside Hattitude, there are, wait for it, lots and lots of hats.

Many of the hats have a distinctly holiday color palette, with a healthy amount of whimsy thrown in for good measure.

We are a Las Vegas blog. As such, we do not use the word "whimsy" lightly.

It didn’t take long for this Las Vegas blog to begin feeling the unmistakable warmth associated with the holiday spirit. Or rum. But probably the holiday spirit, though.

Feeling it yet?

In several cases, we felt like we’d stepped into Whoville. Whoville, of course, was featured in two Dr. Seuss books, “Horton Hears a Who!” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Naturally, we’re talking about the Whoville in the Grinch story, because there was a good deal more holiday spirit in that one, and that kind of serves our purposes at the moment.

This blog's heart grew three sizes that day.

At one point, we risked being detained and frisked to share another whimsical holiday hat.

When will they learn this blog doesn't live by society's rules?

We finished off our holiday hat adventure with a fedora only Vegas could pull off.

Nobody does sparkle like Vegas. And that's probably for the best.

So, if you’re looking to don some gay apparel for a holiday excursion on The Strip, swing by The Miracle Mile Shops.

Visit the official Hattitude site, and do your best to ignore the site’s annoying, already-on music. Because, ultimately, isn’t a willingness to put up with annoying things, like family and room-temperature eggnog, the true meaning of Christmas?

Some of the biggest names in NASCAR shut down the Las Vegas Strip on Dec. 1, 2011 to show off their flashy rides in conjuntion with Champions Week, an annual race ritual that calls Sin City home.

NASCAR fans got to see their heroes up close. And, you know, briefly.

Drivers taking part in a celebratory “Victory Lap” down the Strip were: Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselwoski and Denny Hamlin.

Today's free brain teaser: Where's Woody?

The drivers started their “victory lap” outside The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, made their way north to Spring Mountain Road, then returned along the same route, stopping for some donuts along the way. (Hint: Not the glazed kind. Although, speaking of donuts…)

Sorry, this blog just likes horsies.

During the Las Vegas Boulevard loop made by the thundering race cars, driver Ryan Newman set his car aflame during a “burn-out” and had to be given a push by fellow driver, Kyle Busch (see below).

Awk-ward.

After the victory lap event, fans were treated to The Stewie Awards representing the best, boldest and funniest moments of the NASCAR season. The awards were given out by 2011 Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. Read more.

Nice product placement, Planet Hollywood!

Get all the blistering, hammer down, downforce, clipping, hairpin (and other terms we don’t know the meaning of) details about NASCAR’s Champions Week here.

Here’s our exclusive photo gallery of the NASCAR Victory Lap event. Note: Our photos would be much better if these NASCAR drivers didn’t insist on “moving” all the time.