Tickets to many sporting events can be obtained from Ticketmaster (tel. 303/830-TIXS), with several outlets in the Denver area.

Auto Racing -- The Grand Prix of Denver (tel. 800/772-5425 for tickets or 303/825-0300 for information) is held over Labor Day weekend in the streets surrounding the Pepsi Center (Speer Blvd. and Chopper Circle). General-admission tickets run $27 to $49 per day for adults, less for children; grandstand seats are more expensive.

For drag racing, head to Bandimere Speedway, 3051 S. Rooney Rd., Morrison (tel. 303/697-6001, or 303/697-4870 for a 24-hr. recording), with races scheduled April through October. There are motorcycles, pickup trucks, street cars, and sports cars, plus car shows, swap meets, and other special events.

Baseball -- The Colorado Rockies (tel. 800/388-7625 or 303/762-5437), who began as a National League expansion team in 1993, initially enjoyed record-breaking fan support, but attendance has fallen recently. The team plays at the attractive Coors Field, in historic lower downtown. The 50,000-seat stadium, with a redbrick exterior and on-site microbrewery, was designed in the style of baseball stadiums of old. Tickets are easy to come by, from either the box office or the gaggle of scalpers on the street.

Basketball -- The traditionally floundering Denver Nuggets (tel. 303/405-1212 for ticket information) of the National Basketball Association have skyrocketed in popularity thanks to new superstar Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets play their home games at the handsome Pepsi Center (downtown at Speer Blvd. and Auraria Pkwy.). There are 41 home games a year between November and April, with playoffs continuing into June.

The University of Denver (tel. 303/871-2336 for ticket office) plays a competitive college basketball schedule from late November to March.

Football -- The Denver Broncos (tel. 720/258-3333 for tickets) of the National Football League make their home at the new Invesco Field at Mile High, after abandoning the legendary Mile High Stadium in 2001. Home games are sold out months in advance, so call early; there are also a few tickets sold on game day. Your best bet may be to find someone hawking tickets outside the stadium entrance on game day. Pricing tickets above face value is technically illegal, but the law is rarely enforced.

You might have better luck getting into a college game. The University of Colorado Buffaloes (tel. 303/492-8337) of the Big Twelve Conference play in Boulder. Other top college football teams in the area are Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, and the Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs.

Greyhound Racing -- Mile High Greyhound Park, 6200 Dahlia St., Commerce City (tel. 303/288-1591), has parimutuel dog races from June to February, as well as simulcast horse racing year-round. Call for the schedule.

Hockey -- Denver's National Hockey League team, the Colorado Avalanche (tel. 303/405-1212 for ticket information), plays in front of sellout crowds at the Pepsi Center (Speer Blvd. and Auraria Pkwy.). The season runs from October to April. Tickets are typically expensive and hard to come by.

For a cheaper ticket (and a fun atmosphere), the University of Denver (tel. 303/871-2336 for ticket office) men's hockey team (the 2004 and 2005 back-to-back National Champions) plays a competitive schedule between October and mid-March.

Horse Racing -- Arapahoe Park, 26000 E. Quincy Ave., Aurora (tel. 303/690-2400), offers horse racing each summer, with simulcast wagering the rest of the year.

Rodeo -- The National Western Stock Show, Rodeo, and Horse Show (tel. 303/297-1166) is held the second and third weeks of January. The rodeo takes place at the Denver Coliseum, and other activities are at the National Western Complex and the Event Center. With more than $500,000 available in prize money and 600,000 people in attendance, this is one of the world's richest and largest rodeos.

Soccer -- The Colorado Rapids (tel. 303/405-1100) of Major League Soccer play home games at a new, soccer-only stadium in Commerce City.