ABC REPORTEDLY SET TO PONY UP $6M FOR LAS VEGAS RACE

          ABC Sports has "agreed to pay" $6M for rights to next
     season's debut Winston Cup event at the Las Vegas Speedway,
     according to industry sources of Richard Huff of the N.Y.
     DAILY NEWS.  Besides the Daytona 500, which costs CBS
     "about" $8M a year, the Las Vegas event "is the most
     expensive race on the schedule."  Huff reports that the deal
     "is said to include the title sponsorship rights, which the
     network will in turn sell" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/15).  
          AT THE NEWSSTANDS: Petersen Publishing Co. will launch
     two new publications titled NASCAR Garage Magazine and
     NASCAR Trucks through a joint licensing agreement with
     NASCAR.  The publications are the first in a series of
     projects that will be explored between Petersen and NASCAR
     and the NASCAR Garage Magazine and NASCAR Trucks will debut
     in January '98 with its March '98 issues (NASCAR)....NASCAR
     and Babcox Publishing will launch Professional NASCAR Garage
     magazine, set to debut in February '98 (NASCAR).