Now that they have gotten rid of Bikini Blackjack, thong-wearing waitresses, the Bikini club, and Prince … the Rio is looking to fill the void.

And what could possibly fill that void better than a back-flipping road racing truck?

Dare I opine that a back-flipping road racing truck is exactly what Vegas needs to ring in 2008, and thank goodness the Rio is bringing it to us.

Robbie Maddison and Rhys Millen will be spending their New Years Eve at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, but they will not be partying, they will be working.

Two experiments will take place, put together by The Red Bull Experiment. Maddison will be attempting to jump the length of a football field to set a new motorcycle distance jumping world record.

Millen, who has worked as a movie stunt driver, will try a back flip in an off road racing truck, a feat that has never been accomplished.

Representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records will be on hand to witness the two historical feats.

The first experiment will take place when the clock strikes midnight in the East, while the other one will happen three hours later, when the New Year begins in the West.

Honestly, I don’t get it. I don’t think anyone spending New Years in Vegas is going to want to be watching an upside-down truck in the air when the clock strikes midnight … but what the hell do I know …

Good luck to these guys. I guess.