Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas



There is a 1,200 acre complex called the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There are many different tracks at the speedway so that several types of racing are available. The track opened in 1996 and can handle 142,000 people. It is owned by a Charlotte, N.C. company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. The track sits outside Las Vegas at 7000 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Las Vegas.

Major races that are held at the track include: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Shelby 427, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Sam's Town 300, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350, NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals and the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.

The Superspeedway is a D-Shaped oval with a 1.5 mile circuit. The Dirt Track is made of clay and is a 0.5 mile circuit. A Drag Strip has asphalt as does the Bullring Oval with a 0.5 mile circuit.

The Drag Strip lets locals get a taste of what it would be like to drag race professionally because they allow them to race every other Friday night. It is aptly named Midnight Mayhem. The hope is that this outlet will keep them off the local streets. It is also used as a training facility for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Some of the first races to be run at the new track were the part of the Indy Racing League. Drivers that have won at the track are Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin. Jeff Burton took home a million dollars from the Winston No Bull 5 in 2000 and Jeff Gordon won in 2002.

2006 saw the track undergo some reconstruction after the NEXTEL Cup in March of that year. There was work done on "progressive banking''. This means that the degree of banking will increase the higher up on the track the car is. Because of this work there is more side by side racing now. These new configurations have allowed for more speed on the track.

There is also a fan zone that goes by the nickname "The Neon Garage''. Fans love this area because they can have access to the drivers, teams, and live music, and it is where the Winner's Circle is. The pit road is now closer to the grandstand area. Plus there is a quarter mile Legends oval at the tri-oval area. A new media center is the finishing touch.

Several of the hotels in Las Vegas offer special package deals when the racers are in town. There are also seven camping areas at the speedway. They open at noon on the Wednesday before the weekend of the races. Information about the campgrounds can be found online at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway official website.

There is a gift shop at the speedway and from there guests can take a tour Monday- Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sundays: 11:00am to 4:00pm. They begin at the top of every hour. Visitors get to see nine tracks, access the infield and tour one of the luxurious suites. Sometimes they can do laps around the track. Prices: eight dollars; Children under 12, Seniors over 55, Military and Nevada residents are six dollars.

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