By 8:45 p.m., we all pretty much had had it.
"I say we give it another 15 minutes," said Gonzo Greg, host of Area 108-FM's morning radio program, to his cohost, Nicole.
A CNBC cameraman trained his lens on every person to come cruising down the red carpet in front of the Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel, only to be disappointed by yet another nameless face meandering into the entrance to the venue.
It should have been an exhilarating night with musicians, actors and millionaires, as the eighth annual Gumball 3000 road rally arrived in Las Vegas for its second-to-last stop at the Hard Rock Saturday.
And quite possibly, at the exclusive party inside the Joint, said celebs were bobbing their heads to the G-funk sounds of Snoop Dogg after midnight. We can only say possibly, because none of the hard-working media hounds on the red carpet bearing the pink badges reading "PRESS" were granted access to the private affair.
The event wasn't a total bust, however. Earlier in the day, as the Gumballers drove into the Hard Rock's parking lot after a six-hour drive from Salt Lake City—where they arrived by air from Bangkok the night previous—curious bystanders caught views of fast, expensive and exotic cars.
Driving an enhanced Ford GT 500, the driver known only as Torquenstein was one of the first Gumballers to arrive at the Hard Rock. He and teammate Eric Ward were pulled over twice on the way from Salt Lake: Outside of Provo, Utah, a woman called 911 after seeing the car flashing its lights; they were given a speeding ticket even though no radar evidence exists. The second time, in Nevada, the highway patrol officer was a Gumball 3000 fan and let the pair go without a citation.
This was the second Gumball event for the typically masked Torquenstein. The first time, in 2004, he flipped his red Hennessey Venom 650R Viper. A picture in his wallet shows all that was left of the limited-edition sports car—a piece of the bumper holding his license plate. The lesson?
"Don't bring a Viper on Gumball," Torquenstein said.
Car enthusiast Brad Bowen was one of the hundreds that gathered around the metal barriers at the Hard Rock's parking lot. He traveled from Longview, Texas, specifically for Gumball 3000.
"I missed it when they came through Dallas," he said.
"I came for the cars, mainly, but also to see stars like Adrien Brody and Tony Hawk."
Skateboarding legend Hawk was one of the first major celebs to arrive at the rally. His factory Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled into the lot just before 6 p.m., and after posing for a few pictures, he dashed off toward the vert ramp in the adjoining lot. After being cooped up in his truck for most of the afternoon, Hawk wasted no time climbing to the top of the half-pipe, joining such fellow pros as skater Jesse Fritsch and BMX biker Mat Hoffman for a scheduled exhibition.
Lisa Manz, a pierced-and-tattooed Vegas local, said she came to the rally mainly for the skating.
"I try to catch every skate demo that's going on," Manz said. "I also came to see who shows up."
Among the large crowd gathered around the ramp was Kerry Simon, the shaggy-haired executive chef and co-owner of trendy Simon Kitchen and Bar inside the Hard Rock. A longtime friend of Hawk and a childhood skater himself, the "rock 'n' roll chef" is also a follower of Gumball 3000.
"I would've loved to have been in the rally," Simon said, "But I've got to work."
As Hawk and his ilk flew high above the vert ramp, other Gumballers continued to roll into the car-staging area. After rally officials put the kibosh on drivers tearing up the parking lot by doing doughnuts and other tricks, the procession of logo-covered vehicles became about as exciting as a day spent valet parking.
That was until Harry Morton, son of Hard Rock owner Peter Morton, arrived in his customized Ford GT 500 E. Telling officials he'd take care of the cost of repaving the lot, Morton spun his car into a screeching frenzy, burning the asphalt into a giant puff of white smoke, emerging from the puff in dramatic fashion.
That might've been the highlight of the day's events, at least for onlookers and photographers—and anyone else barred from the invite-only after-party.