Las Vegas Motor Speedway Track News Archive

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  • NASCAR, Las Vegas renew agreement to Host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards: NASCAR announced that the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards - and all of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week - will return to Las Vegas in 2015 as part of a renewed partnership with the destination. The agreement ensures that Las Vegas will continue hosting the week-long celebration, offering fans and industry members a chance to see the sport's stars and congratulate the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.
    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards will headline NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week at Wynn Las Vegas on December 4, 2015. The 16th annual DAYTONA Rising / NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum, hosted by SportsBusiness Journal, will kick off NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week festivities at The Mirage on December 1-2.
    "We've had a great experience in Las Vegas and are very pleased to extend our partnership with the city," said NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps. "Las Vegas has consistently set the stage for a vibrant, exciting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week, when the sport looks back on the season and toasts its newest Champion."
    NASCAR began hosting its premier series awards show in Las Vegas in 2009 following a 28-year run in New York City. Since then, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and Champion's Week has hosted events at over 30 venues along the famous Las Vegas Strip, drawing the sport's top drivers and an assortment of high-profile musical and celebrity guests.
    "We are thrilled that NASCAR and Las Vegas will continue their strong and successful partnership as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week return for the seventh year," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "Each year this event gets bigger and better, and Las Vegas provides the ultimate backdrop to this unrivaled experience in the most exciting city in the world."
    For the first time, the DAYTONA Rising / NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum will expand to a third day and make its debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, providing sports industry executives an inside look at the newly completed DAYTONA Rising project. The DAYTONA Rising / NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum has established itself as the premier event where thought leaders both in and out of the racing community gather to discuss, debate and share insights that impact the future of racing. Registration is required at MotorsportsMarketingForum.com, and more details on the agenda will be shared in the weeks and months ahead.
    "We're very happy to expand our 2015 NASCAR Motorsports Marketing program to include a Daytona component on February 17, given how much excitement there is surrounding the DAYTONA Rising project," said Richard Weiss, Publisher of SportsBusiness Journal. "It's a win-win combination for attendees who will join in our December Motorsports Marketing Forum discussions in Las Vegas who will now also be able to get an insider's perspective on the Daytona International Speedway project."
    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards will air on NBCSN beginning at 9:00pm/et. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the awards show live at 8:00pm/et.(NASCAR)(8-3-2015)

  • Toyota named official vehicle of Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Toyota has joined forces with Las Vegas Motor Speedway to become the speedway's new official vehicle. The multi-year deal was announced Friday by officials from the speedway and Toyota. "Toyota has had incredible success in all forms of motorsports, and we're elated to welcome it as the new official vehicle of Nevada's largest sports facility," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "We pride ourselves for being the most diverse racing facility in the world, and Toyota's success in NASCAR, NHRA, open-wheel and off-road racing makes this a perfect partnership."
    Toyota and Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. (TRD) entered NASCAR racing in 2004 when they began fielding trucks in the Camping World Truck Series. Three years later, Toyota moved into the Sprint Cup Series and has won 65 races in that span, including Matt Kenseth's win in the 2013 Kobalt 400 at LVMS marking the 50th NSCS victory for the Camry. TRD was founded in 1979 in Southern California and made its racing debut in American motorsports in 1983 and went on to dominate off-road racing over 20 years and enter open-wheel racing with CART. In 2002, Toyota entered the NHRA and a year later joined IndyCar and took Gil de Ferran to victory in the Indianapolis 500.
    "This was a great opportunity to partner Las Vegas Motor Speedway where we'll see the bold, new Toyota Camry lead the field to the green flag this weekend," said Paul Doleshal, motorsports marketing manager, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. "We're looking forward to showcasing the new production Camry and our redesigned Camry race car as the series begins the west coast swing." As part of the partnership, Toyota Camry's will pace the field to start this year's Boyd Gaming 300 and Kobalt 400 on March 7 and 8 respectively.(Toyota)(3-8-2015)

  • Another driver hits unprotected wall: For the third week in a row, a NASCAR race car went headfirst into a concrete wall unprotected by a SAFER barrier, though this time the driver was uninjured. On a Lap 173 restart during Saturday's Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney got loose on the bottom lane, his Team Penske Ford drifting up into the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Erik Jones. After the contact, Jones lost control of his car, which first swung left and then turned back to the right, where it went hard headfirst into a concrete wall. Jones was able to get under the car on his own and appeared uninjured.
    Last week, Jeff Gordon crashed headfirst into a concrete infield wall at Atlanta Motor Speedway after being hit by Jamie McMurray and turned down the track. During the same incident, Denny Hamlin hit a section of the outside wall that had no SAFER barrier. In the season-opening XFINITIY race at Daytona International Speedway last month, JGR driver Kyle Busch suffered a compound fracture of the lower-right leg and a mid-foot fracture of his left foot when his car hit an unprotected infield wall. Numerous tracks have begun programs to improve safety, either by adding more SAFER barriers, tire walls and other enhancements. Gordon has a meeting with NASCAR next week to discuss safety.(FoxSports)(3-8-2015)

  • Lowe's, Stratosphere renew entitlements at LVMS: Extending relationships that have proven to be some of the strongest in all of NASCAR, Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials announced today that Lowe's Companies Inc. and Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower have agreed to multi-year deals to remain the title sponsors of the Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Sup Series race and Stratosphere Pole Day. "We can't say enough about the relationships we have with Lowe's and Stratosphere," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "Lowe's continues to build and grow within the sport, and Stratosphere continues to be one of the must-see properties for Las Vegas visitors and locals. These are the type of businesses we are proud to partner with here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway."
    "Kobalt has been the title sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series race here in Las Vegas for the past five years, and we are proud to continue our longtime support of NASCAR," said Lawrence Lobpries, vice president of consumer marketing at Lowe's. "We are looking forward to a great race this weekend and hope to see the Kobalt Chevrolet in Victory Lane with Team 48 on Sunday."
    "We're thrilled about renewing our partnership with LVMS," said Stratosphere General Manager Paul Hobson. "Our customers are huge NASCAR fans and we're proud to be official Pole Day sponsors."(LVMS)(3-7-2015)

  • New app to bring race fans closer to the action at LVMS: Race fans attending this weekend's NASCAR events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be able to stay up to date on every aspect of the weekend with the speedway's new app for iPhone and Android users. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has partnered with Sporting Innovations, the industry leader in sports technology to bring a platform that will provide users exclusive content as well as personalized offers and experiences. The app will be updated real-time with schedules, driver appearances, ticket upgrade information, maps, directions, traffic tips, as well as live audio. More info at LVMS.com.(LVMS)(3-6-2015)

  • LVMS making safety modifications ahead of races: In response to Sunday's latest incident involving one of NASCAR's top drivers hitting a wall unprotected by a SAFER barrier, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is making some adjustments ahead of this weekend's Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series races at the 1.5-mile track. "NASCAR on Monday conducted a thorough inspection of the racing conditions here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway," LVMS track president Chris Powell said in a statement released late Tuesday. "NASCAR has requested that we make several minor modifications adjacent to both the 1.5-mile oval and the openings on pit road. At the conclusion of this weekend's Kobalt 400 and Boyd Gaming 300, we will reconvene with NASCAR regarding any long-term alterations."(FoxSports)(3-5-2015)

  • NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hauler Parade returns to Thursday night in Vegas: Lights, haulers, action. The immensely popular NASCAR Hauler Parade, which signals the start of NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will return to its traditional Thursday date this year. Approximately 50 bright and colorful NASCAR haulers will roll through the vibrant lights of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip on the evening of March 5 starting at 6:00pm. The parade route will stretch for nearly five miles, beginning at the historic Welcome to Las Vegas sign and heading north on Las Vegas Boulevard before ending at Sahara Avenue, where the haulers will jump onto Interstate 15 toward Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The parade, which is free of charge, will be visible for race fans on both sides of the Strip and from any of the hotels and casinos along Las Vegas Boulevard. The superspeedway's NASCAR weekend will begin with Stratosphere Pole Day on Friday, March 6 - highlighted by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying at 4:45pm. The Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 will be the featured event on Saturday, March 7 at 1:00pm, while the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt 400 caps off the weekend on Sunday, March 8 at 12:30pm. Tickets for NASCAR Weekend are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444. Neon Garage passes, Lucky 7 preferred parking and driver introduction passes also are available.(LVMS)(3-3-2015)

  • LVMS expecting smooth vehicle flow for NASCAR Weekend: Officials at Las Vegas Motor Speedway have worked diligently with local and county representatives to make vehicle flow into and out of the 1.5-mile superspeedway an easier and more efficient process. The upcoming NASCAR weekend should put that on full display, as the speedway prepares to welcome more than 100,000 rabid fans to Sunday's Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Speedway officials recommend fans head to the track early and also remember that Sunday at 2 a.m. is Daylight Savings Time and everyone needs to turn their clocks ahead one hour.
    The speedway also will put more emphasis on exiting from all lots. Speedway officials will have three gates dedicated to the Lucky 7 Preferred Lot for the first hour following the races on Saturday and Sunday. All fans parked in the Blue Lot can exit through the remaining gates until Lot 7 is cleared. Once Lot 7 is empty, all gates will be opened to those parked in the Blue Lot.
    "We obviously want to do all that we can to create a smooth flow of vehicles in and out of our parking areas," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "Little things like planning to arrive early, remembering to move clocks ahead one hour and patience when exiting are ways all race fans can help us achieve that goal. We also have a very strong responsibility to our fans that purchase parking passes to accelerate their ability to leave quicker. Like last year, we recommend purchasing a Lot 7 pass or using mass transportation as alternatives."
    Traffic updates will be provided on Sunday, March 8 via the LVMS Twitter feed (@lvmotorspeedway) and radio on KBAD AM-920.
    Race Day Shuttles, which began service during the 2013 race season, is the preferred means of mass transportation from downtown and the Strip. To book this service, fans can log on to www.racedayshuttles.com or call (702) 362-0264.
    For those wishing to take a private charter to the races, LVMS recommends Key Tours. Key Tours has been providing service to the speedway for several years. Key Tours can be contacted at www.keytourslv.com or (800) 261-2691. All buses and taxis will have dedicated exit lanes following the events.
    Counterfeit handicapped placards have been an issue in the past, and speedway security will continue to monitor and examine the authenticity of such passes on every vehicle. Fans also will have the ability to use the speedway's video assist feature, which shows preferred entry points and exits. The video can be found online at www.lvms.com.
    For more information on the traffic plan and links, go to lvms.com. Tickets for all events, Neon Garage passes and Lucky 7 parking permits are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444.(LVMS)(3-3-2015)

  • The Voice Winner Craig Wayne Boyd to Highlight Kobalt 400 Pre-race: Craig Wayne Boyd will put a smile on race fans' faces prior to the start of the Kobalt 400 on March 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The most recent winner of The Voice, Boyd will perform during pre-race festivities for the 18th annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at LVMS. Boyd, who recently made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, will play a 15-minute set, including his hit single "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" just prior to driver introductions. Boyd is making his mark in Las Vegas as he is also opening for the nine-show Rascal Flatts Vegas Riot! residency, which runs from February 25-March 14 at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Rascal Flatts will perform the national anthem prior to the start of the Kobalt 400. Tickets for all events remain available. Fans also may purchase driver introduction passes, which will allow them closer access to all pre-race activities, including the performance by Craig Wayne Boyd.(LVMS)(2-3-2015)

  • Rascal Flatts to sing National Anthem at Las Vegas: Award-winning country group Rascal Flatts will sing the national anthem at the Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, March 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The performance will take place in the midst of the band's first-ever, nine-show residency, Rascal Flatts Vegas Riot!, at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino from Wednesday, Feb. 25 to Saturday, March 14. Rascal Flatts will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front of more than 100,000 race fans to kick off Nevada's largest sports event. The 18th annual Kobalt 400 headlines a race weekend that includes Stratosphere Pole Day on Friday, March 6 and the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series event on Saturday, March 7. For more tickets and information on the Kobalt 400 or Las Vegas Motor Speedway, please visit www.lvms.com or call 1.800.644.4444.(LVMS)(1-21-2015)

  • Cheap Trick headlining RaceJam in Las Vegas: Cheap Trick will headline NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas with the 12th Annual RaceJam concert at Fremont Street Experience on Saturday, March 7 at 9:00pm on the 3rd Street Stage. The legendary rock band will rev up crowds for a free concert with iconic songs including: "I Want You to Want Me," "Surrender," "Dream Police" and more. The concert is part of the 12th Annual RaceJam 2015, a four-day event celebrating NASCAR Weekend with free nightly entertainment plus NASCAR merchandise booths taking place Thursday, March 5 - Sunday, March 8. The annual downtown Las Vegas street festival and concert is held in conjunction with NASCAR Weekend, which features the Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, March 8 and the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, March 7, both at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Cheap Trick may be one of the most covered bands of all time. Since the '70s they've been blending elements of pop, punk and even metal in a way that is instantly catchy and recognizable. With more than 5,000 performances, 20 million records sold, 29 movie soundtracks and 40 gold and platinum recording awards, the band was honored in October 2007 by the Chicago Chapter of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) for their contributions to the music industry. All concerts are free and open to the public and parking is available at the Fremont Street Experience parking garage located at Carson and 4th Street.(Vegas News)(1-12-2015)

  • LVMS receives third straight SMI Speedway of the Year award: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's position as the premier motorsports facility in the world was further solidified with its third consecutive selection as Speedway Motorsports' Speedway of the Year. LVMS, which hosts more than 1,400 event days a year, is the only winner in the three-year history of the award. The announcement was made by Speedway Motorsports Inc. President Marcus Smith. "This award is all about the employees who work tirelessly and take great pride in what we do here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway," said Chris Powell, LVMS president. "I'm thrilled for our staff. This has been a remarkable year at LVMS with successful racing events and track-rental business. We have eight fantastic facilities within the SMI family, and to be selected as the top-performing speedway out of that group for a third straight year has excited everyone on our staff." In 2014, LVMS again hosted many racing events, including the annual NASCAR Weekend, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national events. The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) returned for the third consecutive year and featured record crowds. The speedway also buttressed its reputation as one of the world's most diverse facilities by hosting the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. "The 2014 season was a special one for us here at the speedway," Powell said. "On any given day there can be as many as eight or 10 different events going on. As we look ahead to 2015, we'll continue to stage NASCAR and other premier racing series as well as several 'non-traditional' events, including EDC and the Red Bull Air Race. Meanwhile, we'll continue to explore new avenues that help maximize the use of our world-class venue."(LVMS)(12-11-2014)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway kicks off Champion's Week with fanfest: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will put the 'fan' in fanfest when it kicks off NASCAR Champion's Week on Wednesday' Dec. 3' at the Fremont Street Experience with a free event featuring all 16 Chase drivers' including the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. Beginning at 2:00pm' the drivers will walk a red carpet through the crowd en route to the Third Street Stage. The highlight of the fanfest' which is hosted by Las Vegas Motor Speedway' will be a Win' Lose or Draw-type game show involving all 16 Chase drivers. Fans will be chosen through local media outlets and LVMS social media to join the drivers on stage during the show' which will be hosted by two-time Daytona 500 winner and Dancing With The Stars contestant Michael Waltrip and ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little. The fanfest will mark the first public appearance in Las Vegas by the 16 drivers who qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The week will culminate with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony on Friday' Dec. 5' at Wynn Las Vegas.(LVMS)(10-18-2014)

  • Mountain Ridge Little League All-Stars to serve as grand marshals in Vegas: The Mountain Ridge Little League All-Stars captured the hearts of Southern Nevadans last month during their historic appearance in the Little League World Series. Now they will hold the attention of the starting field for the Rhino Linings 350 NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series race on Sept. 27 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The players from the first team from Nevada to advance to the Little League World Series will give the command for the drivers to start their engines when they serve as grand marshals for the Rhino Linings 350. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is making tickets to the Rhino Linings 350 available to all 24 Little Leagues throughout the Valley as to way to help honor Little League Baseball. Little Leaguers and their parents who are interested in attending the race are encouraged to contact their league representative.(LVMS)(9-17-2014)

  • NASCAR After The Lap Returns to Las Vegas For Sixth-Straight Year: NASCAR After The Lap sponsored by Ford, Coca-Cola, and Sprint will return to Las Vegas for its sixth-consecutive year. Since its debut in 2009, NASCAR After The Lap has earned the reputation with fans as the must-see event during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week. This year's show returns to the Pearl Palms Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Hotel on Thursday, December 4 at 5:00pm/pt. The expanded field of challengers competing in the new format of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup means attendees will be treated to more drivers than ever before. All 16 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders will be in attendance. ESPN's Marty Smith will return as the show's host and will again facilitate a spirited and unpredictable dialogue.
    In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the iconic Ford Mustang, fans entering the NASCAR After The Lap sweepstakes will have the opportunity to win a 2015 Ford Mustang GT. NASCAR fans can enter for a chance to win by visiting www.NASCARafterthelap.com through November 16. Additionally, two winners will receive an all-inclusive VIP trip for two to NASCAR After The Lap, including roundtrip airfare, hotel, ground transportation and VIP event access.
    "Over the last six years as event sponsor, Ford has shared some incredible moments with our NASCAR drivers," said Tim Duerr, motorsports marketing manager for Ford Racing. "The NASCAR After The Lap sweepstakes remains to be an effective way to engage NASCAR fans, giving them a chance to not only win a trip to Las Vegas but an opportunity to leave with a brand-new 2015 Ford Mustang GT."
    During the last three weeks of the sweepstakes - fans entering will have an opportunity to become an instant winner. Ford, Coca-Cola, and Sprint will offer up to five pairs of race tickets to attend the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
    "For the sixth consecutive season, Coca-Cola is proud to partner with NASCAR on this annual celebration of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season," said Ben Reiling, director of motorsports for Coca-Cola North America Group. "The new Chase format promises to deliver an exhilarating finish to the season and we anticipate the momentum will carry over to this year's show, producing even more unforgettable moments for our drivers and fans."
    Coca-Cola would also like to invite fans to "Open Happiness" for children in need when tickets for the event go on sale September 15. Tickets are priced at $20 each and all proceeds will benefit The NASCAR Foundation", a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that raises funds to support children's charities and important causes throughout the nation. Fans can visit www.NASCARafterthelap.com to purchase tickets. For fans unable to attend NASCAR After The Lap, NASCAR.com will offer a live stream of the event.(NASCAR)(8-25-2014)

  • Rhino Linings to sponsor Las Vegas Truck race: Rhino Linings Corporation, a leader in both the protective coatings and building products industries, has signed a multi-year agreement as the title sponsor of the annual NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Rhino Linings 350 on the high-banked, 1.5 mile superspeedway will be nationally televised September 27. Rhino Linings signed on for a two year sponsorship of the race, but no financial terms of the agreement were released. Rhino Linings made a name for itself in the truck accessories market as the leader in sprayed-on truck bed liners. Over the past several years, Rhino Linings has expanded into the building and construction market with products that include DuraTite and BioBased Insulation spray foam insulations, Concrete Solutions repair and decorative concrete overlay products, and Expo Stucco exterior stucco and interior finishes. The 2014 Rhino Linings 350 will be the 18th time the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has visited Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(PR Newswire)(8-5-2014)

  • Las Vegas enhancing RV experience:Las Vegas Motor Speedway has augmented its reputation as one of the top facilities in which to attend a NASCAR race by making recent enhancements to the RV experience for fans who "live" on the grounds during NASCAR Weekend. The two major improvements include the paving of more than 1,100 RV spaces and making shower facilities free to anyone in the RV lots. In the past month, LVMS paved 968 RV parking spaces in the Boulevard A, B and C lots behind the backstretch along Las Vegas Boulevard. An additional 168 spaces were paved in the Bullring RV lot, which is located next to the 3/8-mile short track. The shower units consist of eight portable trailers, each with 16 private showers and dressing areas. Two of the trailers will be located in the speedway infield, two in the Boulevard A, B and C lots and one each in the Boulevard D, Bullring, Checkered Flag and Burnout RV lots. The showers will be available Thursday through Sunday on NASCAR Weekend.(LVMS)(5-8-2014)

  • Las Vegas to have "most interesting grand marshal in the world": Jonathan Goldsmith, widely known as The Most Interesting Man in the World, will add to his remarkable list of accomplishments when he serves as grand marshal of the Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "When it comes to NASCAR races, I prefer Las Vegas Motor Speedway," said Goldsmith of his upcoming appearance where he will arrive in style Sunday with his helicopter pilot in tow. Veteran stage, film and television Jonathan Goldsmith portrays the debonair Most Interesting Man in the World in the highly popular, award winning TV commercials that debuted in 2006. Goldsmith will be at LVMS on Sunday to give the 43 drivers the command to start their engines prior to the start of the 17th annual Kobalt 400. Goldsmith, 75, going on 30, began his acting career in the 60's appearing in more than 25 feature films, including "Hang 'Em High," "Ice Station Zebra" and "The Shootist" with John Wayne. He also has appeared in more than 45 television series, including recurring roles on "Gunsmoke," "Dynasty" and the original "Dallas."(LVMS)(3-7-2014)

  • LVMS expects smooth traffic flow for March 6-9 NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are expecting another year of smooth vehicle flow for the upcoming NASCAR Weekend. "Thanks to the efforts of our local officials and law enforcement agencies, we once again expect smooth traffic flow each day during our NASCAR Weekend," said LVMS president Chris Powell. One major change will be a greater emphasis on egress from the Lucky 7 Preferred parking lot. This is the only paid lot on the LVMS property, and speedway officials have added an additional dedicated exit gate from this lot to allow for three exit lanes following the races on Saturday and Sunday. "We have a commitment to people who purchase a premium parking pass to expedite their exit as quickly as possible," Powell said. "For those who are concerned about making a quick exit, we recommend either purchasing a Lot 7 pass or using one of the various means of mass transportation." For the second consecutive year, Race Day Shuttles will service the event. Race fans may contact Race Day Shuttles at www.racedayshuttles.com or (702) 362-0264. For those wishing to take a private charter to the races, LVMS recommends Key Tours. Key Tours has been providing service to the speedway for several years. Key Tours can be contacted at www.keytourslv.com or (800) 261-2691. Buses and taxis will have dedicated exit lanes following the events. A major point of emphasis also will be placed on illegally parked cars along Hollywood Boulevard. Cars parked on the sides of Hollywood in areas designated with no parking signs will be relocated to lots throughout the Las Vegas area. The speedway will continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. The speedway has a video feature to assist drivers. Videos depicting the preferred entry and exit from the speedway may now be found online at www.lvms.com. The speedway also will give traffic updates via Twitter and KDWN AM-720 will provide traffic reports as well. Tickets for all events, Neon Garage passes and Lucky 7 parking permits are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444. Follow LVMS on Facebook and Twitter.(LVMS)(3-1-2014)

  • Hauler parade, free NASCAR test session kick off Vegas NASCAR Weekend: The annual parade of haulers down the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and a free day of NASCAR Sprint Cup testing will kick off the annual NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway beginning Wednesday, March 5. The hauler parade will start at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, March 5 on the south end of the Strip. It will proceed north to Sahara Avenue before heading north on Interstate 15 to the speedway. On Thursday, the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will be testing the new rules package from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The grandstands and Neon Garage will be open for free to all race fans. "These are two great fan events to start the race weekend," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "The hauler parade has brought thousands of fans to the Strip to watch the team transporters make their way to the speedway. The test session will be very vital for the teams as they prepare for both the Kobalt 400 and the remaining superspeedway races." The speedway also is planning on having a question and answer session on Thursday following the test session with several of the Sprint Cup drivers. Tickets for all races as well as Neon Garage passes, Lucky 7 parking and driver introduction passes are available at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS)(1-8-2014)

  • LVMS receives second straight SMI Speedway of the Year award: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's position as the premier motorsports facility in the world was further solidified with its second consecutive selection as Speedway Motorsports' Speedway of the Year. LVMS, which hosts more than 1,400 event days a year, is the only winner in the two-year history of the award. The announcement was made by Speedway Motorsports Inc. President Marcus Smith. "This award is all about the employees who work so hard and take great pride in what we do here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway," said Chris Powell, LVMS president. "I'm so happy for our staff. This has been a remarkable year at LVMS with successful racing events and track-rental business. We have eight fantastic facilities within the SMI family, and to be selected as the top-performing speedway out of that group has thrilled everyone on our staff." In 2013, LVMS again hosted many racing events, including the annual NASCAR Weekend, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national events. The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) returned for the third consecutive year and featured record crowds. The speedway also buttressed its reputation as one of the world's most diverse facilities by hosting golf's World Long Drive Championships. "The 2013 season was a special one for us here at the speedway," Powell said. "On any given day there can be as many as eight or 10 different events going on. As we look ahead to 2014, we'll continue to stage NASCAR and other premier racing series. And we'll host several 'non-traditional' events, including EDC and a new event, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. Meanwhile, we'll continue to explore new avenues that help maximize the use of our world-class venue."(LVMS)(12-13-2103)

  • NASCAR Speeds Into Las Vegas For Annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week: For the fifth-consecutive year, NASCAR will return to Las Vegas for the postseason NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week, a star-studded, entertainment-filled celebration for the series champion and fans, culminating with one of NASCAR's marquee events, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards. Since 2009, the awards have been held at Wynn Las Vegas and have grown in stature and prestige with each passing year. This year's awards will take place Dec. 6, returning to Wynn Las Vegas with FOX Sports 2 and NASCAR.com providing coverage from 9:00 pm/et - 12midnight/et. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 will provide live coverage beginning at 8:00pm/et. The show will also re-air on FOX Sports 1 at 12:00noon/et on Dec. 8 (NASCAR), see full PR and info on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards on the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards page.(11-6-2013)

  • Terry Fator to sing national anthem at Vegas truck race: Las Vegas headliner Terry Fator will sing the national anthem prior to the start of Saturday's Smith's 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Fator, a past America's Got Talent TV show winner (2007), performs at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, with the Smith's 350 starting at 5:30 p.m. Each ticket purchased also includes free access to LVMS' fabulous Neon Garage fan experience. To purchase tickets or obtain additional information, please call LVMS at (702) 644-4444 or visit www.LVMS.com.(LVMS)(9-25-2013)

  • NASCAR Chase drivers headline LVMS's annual fanfest on Dec. 4: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will kick off NASCAR Champion's Week in Las Vegas with a fanfest at the Fremont Street Experience on Wednesday, Dec. 4. This will be the first event involving the 12 Chase drivers during this year's celebration of the NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. The event is free to the public. The highlight of the event will be a Deal or No Deal-type show involving the 12 Chase drivers.
    "The fanfest has become one of the top highlights of NASCAR Champion's Week," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "This downtown event allows fans to get close to the drivers, and gives them an opportunity to see the drivers in a much more laid-back environment without their fire suits and helmets. This is one of the best fan events in NASCAR. We're very appreciative to our friends at Boyd Gaming, Sprint and Coca-Cola who make it possible for us to put on this show and to keep it free for everyone."
    The event, which will be held on the Third Street Stage on Fremont Street adjacent to the Fremont Hotel and Casino, will begin at 1:30 p.m. The drivers will walk a red carpet through the crowd en route to the stage. The speedway and Sprint also will be helping choose six fans who could win big prizes if their team of drivers wins the game show. Fans will be selected through social networking, media promotions and two lucky fans will be chosen on site to be matched up with a racing pair. The fan paired with the winning team will receive tickets to Friday's Champion's banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas as well as weekend suite passes for the March 7-9, 2014 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS.(LVMS)(9-12-2013)

  • Speedway Motorsports sees revenues, ticket sales decelerate: The numbers don't lie. Speedway Motorsports Inc., parent company of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has watched revenues, including ticket sales, drop annually for five years. Race event-related revenue at Speedway Motorsports' eight NASCAR tracks has also dropped each year for the past five years except 2011. The venues staging NASCAR races are in markets such as Las Vegas, Atlanta, Charlotte, San Francisco and Dallas. For the first quarter of this year, Concord, N.C.-based Speedway Motorsports continued to show sluggish revenue results. Total revenues for the first three months of 2013 were $84.2 million, compared to $84.8 million for the same three-month period in 2012. At the Speedway Motorsports tracks, admissions revenues dropped from $188 million in 2008 to $116 million in 2012. Event-related revenue also dropped, falling from $211 million in 2008 to $151 million in 2012. In all, total Speedway Motorsports annual revenues have plummeted from nearly $611 million in 2008 to $490 million in 2012. The one revenue category that saw an uptick was in NASCAR broadcasting rights revenue, which increased from $168 million in 2008 to $192 million in 2012. That's because an eight-year NASCAR broadcasting rights deal provides annual 3 percent increases through 2014, so Speedway Motorsports expects $199 million in 2013. At Speedway Motorsports' eight NASCAR tracks, total permanent seating is about 900,000, with 832 luxury suites. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has 123,000 seats and 102 suites, and sits on 1,030 acres. Speedway Motorsports has discovered that many fans are buying tickets closer to race dates, so the company has increased promotional campaigns to motivate fans to buy tickets earlier and renew season ticket deals.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(7-1-2013)

  • NASCAR returns to Vegas March 7-9 in 2014: Purchase your tickets to see all of your favorite drivers in fabulous Las Vegas for the March 7 - 9, 2014 NASCAR Weekend. Fans can also experience the one-of-a-kind Neon Garage featuring live music and entertainment all weekend long. Driver introduction and Lucky 7 preferred parking passes also are available. The event weekend includes the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and Stratosphere Pole Day.(LVMS)(6-14-2014)

  • Las Vegas Nationwide race gets new name: The parent-company sponsor remains the same, but Las Vegas Motor Speedway's NASCAR Nationwide Series race will have a new name beginning in 2014. The Sam's Town 300 is to be known henceforth as the Boyd Gaming 300. "With our recent extension, Boyd Gaming is looking forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary as the sole corporate sponsor of the Nationwide Series race since it began in 1997," said Paul Chakmak, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Boyd Gaming. NASCAR Weekend 2014 is tentatively set to begin on Friday, March 7 with Stratosphere Pole Day followed by the Boyd Gaming 300 on Saturday, March 8, and the Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on Sunday, March 9.(LVMS PR)(6-13-2013)

  • LVMS president to be inducted into Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame: Las Vegas Motor Speedway president Chris Powell is one of six people who will be inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame Friday night at the Orleans Arena. Powell will be inducted along with tennis legend Andre Agassi, UFC president Dana White, Las Vegas Events president Pat Christenson, professional golfer Stephanie Louden and long-time local basketball coach Bill Bobier. "This is really an induction of Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the employees who have contributed so much to the speedway's success over the past 15 years," Powell said. "I'm indebted to our chairman, Bruton Smith, for his vision and the investment he has made in our speedway. It's an honor to be able to represent this facility, and my induction is a tribute to the major impact that LVMS has on southern Nevada. I'm humbled to join the other deserving inductees, and I appreciate the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame's recognition of our hard work."(LVMS)(5-31-2013)

  • Former NASCAR Cafe demolished as part of Sahara renovation: Demolition work continued Friday at the Sahara where workers began dismantling the former NASCAR Cafe. The work was just a small part of the ongoing renovation project, which also calls for stripping down and remodeling two of the property's three hotel towers and demolishing a low-rise hotel building. The 1,620-room property is scheduled to reopen in fall 2014 as the SLS Las Vegas, a rebirth for a storied Strip resort that fell on hard times in the recession and finally closed in May 2011 after punishingly low room rates made it economically viable. Remodeling at the Sahara began in February, after Los Angeles-based owner SBE Entertainment got the final piece of $415 million in financing to overhaul the buildings. When it reopens, the SLS Las Vegas will include restaurants such as Umami Burger and nightclubs including Shelter, as well as seven outlets belonging to Fred Segal, an upscale clothing retailer based in California.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(5-14-2013)

  • Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week Celebrates Five Years In Las Vegas: NASCAR announced that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards - the annual culmination of Champion's Week - will be held on Friday, Dec. 6 at Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., for the fifth consecutive year. From 1981 until 2008, NASCAR held its year-ending premier series awards show in New York City. Starting in 2009, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards has been held in Las Vegas, a destination that has triggered an entertainment evolution for the fan-favorite show.
    Last year's show alone featured host Howie Mandel, Train, Phillip Phillips, Lifehouse with Natasha Bedingfield and Cirque du Soleil: The Beatles LOVE. Among other A-List entertainment acts who have performed since the move to Vegas include Reba, Kid Rock, Brooks and Dunn, David Gray, Rascal Flatts, Colbie Caillat, Martina McBride, Jersey Boys, Cirque du Soleil's "Viva ELVIS" and Frank Caliendo.
    "Every single week, NASCAR creates the big-event experience, so it's fitting that our year-end celebration of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion takes place in a city built on major moments," said Steve Phelps, NASCAR chief marketing officer. "Las Vegas has been home to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards for five years, and each year it grows bigger, better and more entertaining for our fans. Undoubtedly, this milestone Champion's Week will continue - and heighten - that tradition."
    "Two of the world's most recognizable brands, NASCAR and Las Vegas, have developed a strong and successful partnership that delivers unrivaled excitement to millions of loyal fans," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "We're proud to celebrate this milestone as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and its Champion's Week return for the fifth year, proving that no destination matches the passion and energy of NASCAR like Las Vegas."
    A full lineup of events or activities during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week will be announced at a later date.(NASCAR)(5-6-2013)

  • Sam's Town renews Las Vegas Nationwide race sponsorship: Boyd Gaming and Las Vegas Motor Speedway announced a milestone agreement that extend the company's sponsorship of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at LVMS for four more years. The entitlement has been in place since 1998, and the new agreement will extend Boyd Gaming's sponsorship to 20 years. Boyd Gaming is the parent company of Sam's Town and eight other casino properties throughout the Las Vegas Valley. "We've been very fortunate to have the best title sponsor in the Nationwide Series," LVMS president Chris Powell said. "The event (Sam's Town 300) has become one of the most popular on the circuit, and our friends at Boyd Gaming share a great deal of responsibility for that success."(NASCAR Wire Service)(3-9-2013)

  • Lowe's extends sponsorship of Vegas race: Lowe's Companies Inc. will continue its successful partnership with Las Vegas Motor Speedway by remaining the title sponsor of its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. An extension of the agreement was announced in Las Vegas as the Kobalt Tools 400 weekend kicked off. "Lowe's is a company with a long and storied history in NASCAR, and has been a wonderful partner for the past three years," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "We're very excited that they have decided to extend the agreement, and we're looking forward to helping Lowe's build its brand within the NASCAR community and beyond." The event, which has been known as the Kobalt Tools 400 since the partnership began in 2011, has been one of the best-attended and highest-rated events on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. The race has ranked in the top five in both attendance and ratings over the past 10 years.(LVMS)(3-9-2013)

  • Teams test Thursday at Las Vegas: Sprint Cup teams typically get only about three hours of practice on a race weekend. They will get more than six hours on Thursday alone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and then about three more hours on Friday and Saturday. The key for drivers and crew chiefs during Thursday's one-day test session will be to not only find pure speed in the car but also find ways for it to handle better in traffic. The test, which will not count against the four-per-organization allotment for the year, is key for smaller teams that don't test often at non-Cup tracks. NASCAR opted to open Las Vegas, the first 1.5-mile track on a 36-race schedule that includes 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks, a day early for testing rather than have the teams using one of their four allotted tests this early in the year. Teams will be allowed to have telemetry on the cars for the day of testing and change engines after the test. NASCAR will begin its regular race weekend with technical inspection Friday morning, followed by practice and qualifying.(Sporting News)
    AND: Race fans are invited to watch NASCAR's new "Gen6" Sprint Cup Series cars test at LVMS. The grandstands will be open, free of charge, to the public.(LVMS)(3-7-2012)

  • Kobalt Social Media Command Center to debut at LVMS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is taking social networking to a new level with the brand-new Kobalt Social Media Command Center during the March 7-10 NASCAR Weekend. The social media hub, located in the Neon Garage, will host computers accompanied by large video monitors and screens that will give fans a live view of social networking by some of the top personalities in NASCAR. Guests from Team Lowe's Racing, NASCAR, LVMS, Sprint and news media will take seats regularly in the command center to communicate with fans and share real-time information throughout the weekend. Feeds from drivers, fans, race teams and sponsors will be tracked and displayed on monitors from the second floor of the Neon Garage.(More info and hours of operation at LVMS.com)(3-6-2013)

  • NASCAR Hauler Parade on Las Vegas Blvd.: The NASCAR Hauler Parade, the traditional kick-off for Las Vegas Motor Speedway's NASCAR Weekend, will take place on Wednesday evening this year as the 1.5-mile superspeedway will host a full day of Sprint Cup Series practice on Thursday. The popular NASCAR Hauler Parade will thunder up the world-famous Las Vegas Strip at 6 p.m. - under the fabulous neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip - on Wednesday, March 6. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice - originally scheduled for late January - has been moved to Thursday, March 7. Practice will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the grandstands will be open to the public, free of charge. The colorful 18-wheelers that carry the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race cars and equipment to the tracks will be staged throughout the day at the South Point Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Blvd.
    The parade will begin near the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign at 6 p.m. The haulers will move north on Las Vegas Boulevard and proceed approximately five miles to Sahara Avenue to enter Interstate 15 North to complete the journey to LVMS. More than 50 haulers are expected to take part in the parade. Race fans will be able to watch the hauler parade from both sides of the Strip and from any of the properties along Las Vegas Boulevard.
    NASCAR Weekend racing at the superspeedway begins on Friday, March 8 with Stratosphere Pole Day. The NASCAR Nationwide Series takes center stage on Saturday, March 9 with the annual Sam's Town 300 at 1:15 p.m. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 is scheduled to start at noon on Sunday, March 11.
    The extended race weekend begins Wednesday, March 6 with World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars on LVMS's half-mile Dirt Track. Tickets for NASCAR Weekend are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444. Neon Garage passes, Lucky 7 preferred parking and driver introduction passes also are available.(LVMS)(3-5-2013)

  • LVMS gears up for races, slightly alters traffic patterns: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are gearing up for 130,000 visitors for the Kobalt Tools 400 on March 10. As always, getting that many people into one place and out again will be a challenge.(see full story and diagram/map at the Las Vegas Review Journal)(3-5-2013)

  • Las Vegas Taxi drivers strike enters second day with no reports of disruptions: The taxi drivers strike against Yellow Checker Star Transportation went into its second day on Monday with no reports of service disruptions amid a relatively light week for conventions. Nevertheless, the Nevada Taxicab Authority issued on a temporary basis 20 new operating permits called medallions to each of the 13 taxi brands not facing a work stoppage. The medallions could put as many as 260 cabs on the street, more than a typical day if Yellow Checker Star's numbers on how many drivers came to work are correct.(see full story at the Las Vegas Review Journal)(3-5-2013)

  • NASCAR Weekend at LVMS to provide boon to local economy: Since its inception in 1998, Las Vegas Motor Speedway's annual NASCAR Weekend has pumped billions of dollars into the economy of Southern Nevada. That's right ... billions. With a "b." When America's No. 1 spectator sport makes its 16th visit to Las Vegas next week, local businesses should expect another prosperous week as race fans fill hotels, restaurants, shows and gaming areas. Last year, LVMS's NASCAR Weekend - the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Sam's Town 300 for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Stratosphere Pole Day - registered a $240 million economic impact on the Las Vegas area.
    "NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas is about much more than race tickets, lodging, rental cars and concessions," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "It's about employment. We employ thousands of people on race weekend. Our fans also contribute to employment across the valley, including servers, bartenders, skycaps, taxi drivers and valet personnel who make their living from tips. Part-time workers supplement the family income with race-weekend employment. This event affects just about every worker in town."
    According to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority research, 71% of the fans come from out of town. Aside from the obvious hotel-room and rental-car sales, millions of dollars in revenue are generated in areas not always considered when NASCAR comes to town. "NASCAR Weekend has attracted millions of tourists to Las Vegas," said former Las Vegas Mayor and current LVCVA Host Committee Chair Oscar Goodman. "Our visitors from around the world attend shows and concerts, purchase transportation, dine in the restaurants, shop in our world-class retail
    stores and enjoy our many fabulous entertainment options. They also love the weather and the natural beauty of the valley. There is so much to see and do here. "When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first came to Las Vegas in 1998, merchants and hospitality executives were afraid the fans would merely go to the track, watch the race and then go home. That simply wasn't true. Each dollar spent here benefits many, many people. NASCAR Weekend, from a revenue and employment standpoint, is one of the biggest annual events in Las Vegas and it continues to grow."
    During the Sprint Cup event, the speedway property swells to become Nevada's fourth-largest city. It takes a lot of people to stage an event the size of NASCAR Weekend, including ushers, ticket-takers, marketing and hospitality staff, concession and souvenir workers, security personnel, medical professionals, entertainers and a large maintenance crew. The speedway alone employs approximately 2,000 people to work the event weekend. In 2012, more than $130,000 was paid out to various non-profit groups who operated concession and souvenir stands. Approximately 400 airmen from Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases "volunteer" for the event. Their units are paid as a result of their work, which allows them to use the money for other activities.
    LVMS pays for law enforcement, fire and traffic-control personnel during NASCAR Weekend - even the men who place the orange cones on Las Vegas Boulevard and Interstate-15.
    Local support, in the form of event sponsorship, has been solid over the years with Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall (and its parent company, Boyd Gaming) providing title sponsorship of the Saturday Nationwide race since 1998 and the Stratosphere sponsoring Pole Day for the past three years.
    ECONOMIC IMPACT NUMBERS FOR LVMS NASCAR WEEKEND
    Year Total economic impact
    2012 $240,605,600
    2011 $194,699,000
    2010 $165,767,400
    2009 $154,291,800
    2008 $189,762,900
    2007 $198,077,500
    2006 $197,891,200
    2005 $167,000,000
    2004 $142,000,000
    2003 $133,000,000
    2002 $121,425,500
    2001 $97,163,700
    2000 No data compiled
    1999 $121,931,100
    1998 $116,240,600
    (Source: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority)
    Tickets for LVMS's March 7-10 NASCAR Weekend are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444. Neon Garage tickets, Lucky 7 preferred parking and driver introduction passes also are available.(LVMS)(3-5-2013)

  • LVMS opening superspeedway for NASCAR testing March 7: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has set aside one day for NASCAR Sprint Cup teams to test at the 1.5-mile superspeedway in preparation for the Kobalt Tools 400 on Thursday, March 7. The test session will be free and open to the public. NASCAR's announcement last week that it would allow all NASCAR Sprint Cup racing organizations to have four tests (not including Daytona) prompted speedway officials to open up the dates on the speedway's calendar. "Before the testing ban was implemented, every major race team used Las Vegas as a key test heading into the season," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "There are a lot of tracks very similar to Las Vegas, so between the favorable January weather and the amount of data that can be collected by testing here, we hope many of the teams will choose to test in Las Vegas prior to the start of the season." NASCAR prohibited testing at tracks hosting Sprint Cup events following the 2008 season. Up until 2008, NASCAR test sessions at LVMS routinely drew 30 drivers or more for the two-day test sessions. Tickets for the March 10 Kobalt Tools 400, March 9 Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide race and March 8 Stratosphere Pole Day are on sale now at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444. (LVMS), NOTE: the test had been scheduled for Jan 28-29, 2013, but is now March 7th.(1-19-2013)

  • Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is Nevada's largest drive-through Holiday Light Show. With millions of LED lights and more than 450 spectacular animated light displays along a 2.5 mile course, Glittering Lights is sure to impress children and adults of all ages. New displays this year include a tribute to NASCAR. Glittering Lights will also feature a live nativity scene each Saturday from November 24 through December 29.
    PRICES/EVENT TIMES:
    $15 per car Sunday through Thursday - 5:30 p.m. through 9 p.m.
    $20 per car on Friday and Saturday - 5:30 p.m. through 10 p.m.
    Tour buses are welcome, but must be under 11 ft. high. Admission for buses is $1 per person with a $20 minimum
    Another exciting addition this year is the AVENUE OF TREES. Recipients of Speedway Children's Charities (SCC) 2012 grants will be represented throughout the AVENUE OF TREES with a fully lit tree and custom sign. Each children's organization selected will be invited to decorate a tree to represent their mission in our community. SCC is proud to provide grants for hundreds of children's charities throughout southern Nevada that meet the direct needs of children.(LVMS)(11-24-2012)

  • Walmart offers Special Las Vegas NASCAR Holiday Ticket Packages: Walmart is putting some NASCAR in the holiday season for race fans by offering one of the best ticket packages in the sport at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Walmart Family Track Pack is available for race fans planning to attend the March 10, 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The special package allows race fans to buy four tickets and receive vouchers for four hot dogs and four soft drinks for $99. The seats are in Section 4 of the 1.5-mile superspeedway. "Walmart is delivering a wonderful holiday gift to families who want to be a part of one of the most highly anticipated events on the NASCAR circuit," LVMS president Chris Powell said. "This is the ultimate offer for people who want to bring the whole family to the largest sporting event in Nevada." The offer will be available beginning Monday [11/19] and will extend through the holiday season. Fans can purchase the tickets by visiting lvms.com/holiday or by calling (800) 644-4444.(LVMS)(11-19-2012)

  • Bruton Smith comments on many NASCAR issues: Bruton Smith, the eccentric billionaire whose Speedway Motorsports Inc. owns eight NASCAR tracks, held court in the Texas Motor Speedway media center on Saturday and addressed a wide range of subjects. Here are some selected notes from his lengthy media session:
    • Smith said NASCAR needs to work at "making the racing more exciting." He said NASCAR has made some good moves in recent years - notably double-file restarts - but needs to implement additional improvements. Smith's primary suggestion to improve the racing is to slow the cars down and thus make it easier for drivers to make bold moves.
    • Races with too many long green-flag runs are not exciting, Smith said, and he suggested a smaller fuel tank would force drivers to make more pit stops. Fuel-mileage races, he said, are "boring, boring, boring." One solution could be a minimum number of cautions per race to serve as TV timeouts.
    • Drivers are "maybe not as eager" right now and NASCAR needs more racers who have a "mean streak."
    • Despite a decline in TV ratings and attendance, Smith is still supportive of the Chase. He sounded concerned, though, that the playoff drivers get treated with kid gloves.
    • There are no plans to make further adjustments to Bristol's racing surface after a drama-filled night race in August.
    • No consideration has been given to moving an SMI race to give Las Vegas a second date, Smith said. He remains hopeful NASCAR will someday see the value in rewarding Vegas with another race.
    see more at SB Nation.(11-4-2012)

  • Las Vegas sets aside days for Cup teams to test: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has set aside two days for NASCAR Sprint Cup teams to test at the 1.5-mile superspeedway in preparation for the Kobalt Tools 400. NASCAR's announcement last week that it would allow all NASCAR Sprint Cup racing organizations to have four tests (not including Daytona) prompted speedway officials to open up the dates on the speedway's calendar. "Before the testing ban was implemented, every major race team used Las Vegas as a key test heading into the season," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "There are a lot of tracks very similar to Las Vegas, so between the favorable January weather and the amount of data that can be collected by testing here, we hope many of the teams will choose to test in Las Vegas prior to the start of the season."(LVMS)(10-5-2012)

  • Expect show-down, surprise winner or both at LVMS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will present a doubleheader -- the Smith's 350 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, paired with Global RallyCross -- on Saturday, Sept. 29. Over the years, the Camping World Truck Series races have earned a reputation of producing first-time winners and thrilling green-white-checkered finishes. Last year, Ron Hornaday Jr. held off a late-race challenge by Matt Crafton to take the victory -- his only win ever at LVMS. Johnny Sauter won his first-ever NASCAR Truck Series race in the 2009 Smith's 350. Todd Bodine grabbed the lead from Ted Musgrave on the final lap to win the 2005 Smith's 350. This season is shaping up for more fireworks when the drivers get to Las Vegas. Four first-time winners have been crowned in the series' past five races. Young Ryan Blaney was a surprise winner last week in Newton, Iowa. Ty Dillon scored his first NASCAR win in the Truck Series at Atlanta on Aug. 31 and Nelson Piquet Jr. did likewise in Michigan on Aug. 18. Joey Coulter started the run by winning his first NASCAR race on Aug. 4 at Pocono, Pa. Just 11 points separate the top three drivers in the series as the season winds down. Leader Ty Dillon is just eight points ahead of Timothy Peters. James Buescher is three points behind Peters -- and all three are battling to win their first championship. In the 15 Smith's 350s held at LVMS, only two repeat winners have emerged: Jack Sprague (1996, 1998) and Mike Skinner (2006, 2008).(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(9-24-2012)

  • Las Vegas to host free fanfest on Fremont Street Nov. 28: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will kick off NASCAR Champion's Week in Las Vegas with a fanfest at the Fremont Street Experience on Wednesday, Nov. 28. This will be the first event involving the 12 Chase drivers during this year's celebration of the NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. The event is free to the public. The highlight of the event will be an Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader-type show involving the 12 Chase drivers. Carrot Top, who stars in his own one-man show at the Luxor, will be on hand to host the game show. The fifth graders will come from Lomie Heard Elementary School, located on Nellis Air Force Base. The event, which will be held on the Third Street Stage on Fremont Street adjacent to the Fremont Hotel and Casino, will begin at 2 p.m. The drivers will walk a red carpet through the crowd en route to the stage.(LVMS)(9-14-2012)

  • Las Vegas race makes $240 million impact on local economy: The 2012 Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas made its largest economic impact on the Las Vegas community in the 15-year history of the event. This year also marked the fourth consecutive year that the economic impact has seen an increase over the previous year. This year's event, held March 9-11, contributed $240,605,600 to the local economy, according to figures released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That represents a staggering 26.3-percent increase in economic impact over the 2011 event. The LVCVA study found that 71 percent of fans attending the race came from out of town and 13 percent travelled from out of the country. The study also reported that 75 percent of the attendees of this year's race stayed in a local hotel compared with 64 percent in 2011.(LVMS)(7-18-2012)

  • Vegas offering discounted hotel rooms for early ticket buyers: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has struck a deal with two prominent hotels on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip to reward early ticket buyers with discounted hotel rooms for the 2013 NASCAR Weekend. For the first time, the speedway is able to offer special rates for race fans who purchase or renew their tickets by June 1. The special rates will be available at The Stratosphere Hotel, Casino & Tower and the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino. The Stratosphere Hotel, Casino & Tower, located at the north end of the Strip, is offering rooms starting at $39 per night (March 6 and 7), $99 (March 8 and 9) and $59 (March 10). Fans are directed to call (800) 998-6937 by June 1 to obtain these special rates and use promo code NASEB13. The Monte Carlo Resort & Casino is offering rooms at $63 (March 6, 7, 10 and 11) and $113 (March 8 and 9). Customers may also upgrade to a Monaco Suite at the Monte Carlof or only an additional $30 per night. To reserve rooms at the special rate at the Monte Carlo, call (888) 529-4828 and use booking code XLVMS13.(LVMS)(4-28-2012)

  • Las Vegas expecting good traffic flow for fans: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are expecting another year of smooth vehicle flow for the upcoming NASCAR Weekend. One major point of emphasis to further improve the outbound progression will be the prevention of illegal parking along Hollywood Boulevard. Cars parked on the sides of Hollywood in areas designated with No Parking signs will be towed to lots throughout the Las Vegas area. While commuting by car should be trouble-free, the speedway still encourages fans to use mass transit to attend the races. For the fourth consecutive year, Coach America will service the event. In 2009, Coach America replaced CAT as the preferred transit organization for the events at LVMS. Race fans may contact Coach America at www.nascar.coachamerica.com or (702) 948-7360. For those wishing to take a private charter to the races, LVMS recommends Key Tours. Key Tours has been providing service to the speedway for several years, and we vouch for the quality of its service. Key Tours can be contacted at www.keytourslv.com or (800) 261-2691. To reserve seats on either the Coach America or Key Tours buses, please go to www.LVMS.com and click on the "Getting to the Races" link in the NASCAR Weekend Quick Links box. The speedway will continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. General parking is free at LVMS.(LVMS)(3-5-2012)

  • Tim Allen to serve as Las Vegas grand marshal: Popular television star Tim Allen will serve as grand marshal for the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 11. Allen, who currently stars in the "Last Man Standing" sitcom on ABC-TV on Tuesday nights, will give the command to start engines for the annual race."I love the track, the crowds, the cars - I'm thrilled to be the grand marshal for this NASCAR race in Vegas. To have all those engines roar to life at my command? That's a powerful thing. Hell yes, I'm excited! It's going to be a great day," Allen said. The 58-year-old Allen boasts a lengthy and successful career in television and motion pictures. He was the star of the hit 1991-1999 sitcom, "Home Improvement" and "The Santa Clause" movie series, to name just two. The Kobalt Tools 400 is scheduled to start at 12noon/pt on Sunday, March 11. LVMS has added an exciting new feature to this year's NASCAR Weekend: fan access to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers' meeting on Sunday morning. Weather permitting, the pre-race drivers' meeting will be held in the Neon Garage, adjacent to the main stage and fans holding a weekend or Sunday Neon Garage pass are invited to attend.
    The race weekend kicks off Wednesday, March 7 with IMCA Modified and West Coast Late Model racing at the recently-resurfaced half-mile Dirt Track. The World of Outlaws Sprint Cars Series will take center stage at the Dirt Track on Thursday, March 8 and will be joined by the 360 Sprint Car Series. Tickets for the NASCAR Weekend are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444. Neon Garage passes, Lucky 7 preferred parking and driver introduction passes also are available.(LVMS)(3-1-2012)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway presents Daytona 500 viewing parties: The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season will open on Sunday, Feb. 26 with the Daytona 500. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is presenting nine 95.5 KWNR Vegas Country Daytona 500 viewing parties throughout the Las Vegas area. Doors will open at all locations at 9:00am. Guests can win LVMS NASCAR Weekend tickets and Kobalt Tools tool kits and enjoy special prices on Budweiser beer and mixed drinks at all locations. All guests must be at least 21 years of age. More info and locations at lvms.com(LVMS)(2-20-2012)

  • Las Vegas race fans can get a free night of lodging at the Stratosphere: Las Vegas is a city known for its "comps" and "dealmaking" and the Stratosphere Las Vegas has an incredible offer for race fans. With the Buy Two and Get One Free promotion, anyone who buys weekend tickets for the March 9-11 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will get one night of a three-night hotel stay paid for by Stratosphere in addition to many other benefits. The Stratosphere will be sponsoring its second annual Pole Day qualifying on March 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Pole Day kicks off the three-day weekend that includes the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The free night's lodging is just the beginning of the perks Stratosphere is offering race fans. Race fans taking part in this offer will receive free access throughout the race weekend to the 113-story Stratosphere Tower, one free entry into a Speedway of Cash slot tournament being held during race week, two-for-one tickets to the stage show BITE, $10 off tickets to headliner Frankie Moreno Live at Stratosphere and discounts in the salon and spa. Beginning today, any race fan who purchases a weekend package to the NASCAR Weekend in either the Petty or Earnhardt Terraces at LVMS is eligible for the free night at the hotel. In addition to the tickets, the Stratosphere package is $299 and includes the lodging as well as the other amenities. Race fans can choose to stay either Thursday-Saturday or Friday-Monday. To take advantage of this offer, please call the LVMS ticket office at 1-800-644-4444. This offer is only available over the phone and will be in place as long as rooms remain available.(LVMS)(1-25-2012)

  • Las Vegas holding audition for National Anthem singer: For the fourth consecutive year, one local singer will receive a one-of-a-kind opportunity to perform before the start of the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Race sponsor Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, KVVU-FOX 5 and LVMS are staging an open audition called Speedway Superstar to find a vocalist to sing the national anthem prior to the March 10 NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the speedway. The first audition will be conducted Saturday, Jan. 21 at Sam's Town on Boulder Highway. All performers must sing the national anthem a cappella. The top 25 singers chosen will advance to the next round of competition on Saturday, Jan. 28. On that day, the local winner will be announced. The local winner will then compete in a "sing off" with a winner from another Sam's Town property at LVMS on Thursday, March 8 with the winner singing the anthem for the race. The Jan. 21 auditions will begin at 10 a.m. Registration will open at 9 a.m. Anyone wishing to audition must arrive at Sam's Town before noon on Jan 21. The first 150 applicants are guaranteed an audition.(LVMS)(1-14-2012)

  • Fans can attend drivers' meeting prior to Kobalt Tools 400 in Las Vegas: Race fans who've wondered exactly what transpires in the drivers' meeting prior to a NASCAR event will get their opportunity to learn for themselves during the 2012 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For the first time ever at LVMS, race fans will be able to attend the pre-race drivers' meeting for the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. Weather permitting, the meeting will take place adjacent to the main stage in the center of the Neon Garage. NASCAR Weekend is composed of the Kobalt Tools 400 Sprint Cup event on March 11, preceded by the Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series event on March 10 and Stratosphere Pole Day on March 9. Race fans can obtain tickets and Neon Garage passes online at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS)(1-4-2012)

  • Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway [thru 1/1/2012]: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host Glittering Lights during the holiday season. Formerly known as Gift of Lights, the experience will run nightly through Sunday, Jan. 1. Glittering Lights will open at 5 p.m. each night, including Christmas, and run until 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $15 per vehicle and $2 from every car visiting the experience will go to the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities. This year's display will feature more than 400 animated displays creating a 2.5-mile drive-through course. Glittering Lights will also feature Santa's Village, a heated snow castle tent and free photo opportunities with Christmas characters. For more information on Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, visit www.VegasGlitteringLights.com.(12-1-2011)

  • Vegas race dates moves back two weeks: Nevada's largest annual sports weekend has a new date for 2012. Las Vegas Motor Speedway's NASCAR Weekend is scheduled for March 9-11, 2012, a week later than in recent years. Again in 2012, the Kobalt Tools 400 is scheduled to be the third stop on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tour. The 2012 event will mark the 15th visit of NASCAR's most elite series to Las Vegas's 1.5-mile superspeedway. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series event will precede the NASCAR Sprint Cup event on Saturday, March 10. Stratosphere Pole Day for the Kobalt Tools 400 will be held Friday, March 9. "We're very excited about this new date," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "Even though we're just a few months removed from this past year's event, we already are in the process of renewing tickets for the 2012 event, and the renewals are coming in at a strong pace. NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas has become one of the most significant events on the motorsports calendar, as evidenced by the tremendous crowds that turn out all three days. The new date should further increase the anticipation that race fans have for this event." The 2011 event drew more than 300,000 people to LVMS and generated more than $198 million for the local economy. Times for all events will be announced at a later date. FOX Sports will televise the Kobalt Tools 400 for the 12th consecutive year. Television information for the Sam's Town 300 will be announced later. Tickets as well as Neon Garage, Lucky 7 Preferred parking and driver introduction passes are on sale now by logging on to lvms.com or calling 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS)(9-9-2011)

  • LVMS NASCAR Weekend shows dramatic increase in economic impact: The 2011 NASCAR Weekend once again proved to be a huge economic windfall for the Las Vegas economy. This year's event posted the third-highest financial impact on the community in the 14-year history of the event. This year's event, held March 4-6, contributed $194,699,000 to the local economy, according to figures released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That represents a staggering 17.4-percent increase in economic impact over the 2010 event. The survey showed that race fans attending this year's event spent an average of $252 more per person that fans attending the 2010 event. However, ticket prices remained steady and the average rate for a room dropped by $7 per night. The race weekend included the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Stratosphere Pole Day and two nights of dirt-track racing for USAC and the World of Outlaws. Tickets for the 2012 NASCAR Weekend already are on sale at www.lvms.com or 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS)(8-20-2011)

  • Sahara Hotel & Casino closing in May; the NASCAR Cafe? Sahara Hotel & Casino [in Las Vegas] announced that it plans to close on May 16, 2011. The hotel houses the NASCAR Cafe, no word on the fate of the attraction/restaurant. The NASCAR Cafe offers American fare on the Las Vegas Strip, features authentic NASCAR stock cars and the world's largest Pontiac Gran Prix stock car, designed by Dale Earnhardt. The Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas opened its doors in 1952 and offers 1,720 classically styled guestrooms and Las Vegas suites decorated in a Moroccan motif.(Sahara Hotel & Casino)(3-12-2011)

  • Edwards wins at Las Vegas: #99-Carl won the Kobalt Tools 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his 1st win of 2011 and the 19th win of his career. He took the lead by taking two tires during green flag pit stops near the end of the race. #14-Stewart, who dominated most of the race and lost the lead by taking 4 tires during his final pit, finished 2nd, followed by #42-Montoya, #9-Ambrose, #39-Newman, #56-Truex, Jr., #11-Hamlin, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #22-Busch, and #83-Vickers. Pole sitter #17-Kenseth cut a tire early and battled back to finish 11th. Point leader coming into the race, #18-Kurt Busch lost an engine. He finished 38th.
    Stewart and Kurt Busch now share the points lead with 113 points. They are 7 points ahead of #14-Stewart & #42-Montoya.
    There were 21 lead changes among 14 leaders with 7 cautions for 35 laps.
    See race results, awards and more on the Las Vegas Race Results page.
    For points standings, see the Drivers Points Standings page and the Owners Points Standings page.(3-6-2011)

  • Matt Goss, Phantom's Hertzenberg, USAF Thunderbirds at LVMS: He sings of "Lovely Las Vegas" in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR commercials and Sunday morning he'll serenade the assembled multitude prior to the start of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Kobalt Tools 400. British-born Matt Goss headlines every Friday and Saturday night in the Gossy Room inside Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino. The London Daily Mail refers to him as "Las Vegas' new Frank Sinatra," but U.K. fans know him as one-third of the late-'80s pop group Bros. "I'm thrilled to be apart of the NASCAR pre-race show and to perform my song 'Lovely Las Vegas' to the crowd of 145,000 fans," said Goss, who met Sinatra when he was 21. "They've all come to know the song as part of NASCAR's promotional campaign this spring and it's a treat to be able to perform it for them alive as well as to the televised audience."
    Kristen Hertzenberg will sing the national anthem prior to the command to start engines for Sunday's race. Originally from the Houston area, Kristen originally aspired to opera and earned her Bachelor's degree in Voice from the University of Texas at Austin. As Hertzenberg sings the closing words of the national anthem, the world-famous U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will perform their patented flyover to bring a crescendo to the pre-race festivities. Tickets for all NASCAR Weekend events are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444.(LVMS)(3-3-2011)

  • Aspiring Las Vegas singer John-Philip Bowen to sing NNS national anthem: John-Philip Bowen hopes to begin a new chapter in his singing career on Saturday, March 5 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bowen, a Las Vegas resident and aspiring entertainer, won the recent FOX 5 TV Speedway Superstar competition and will sing the national anthem prior to the start of the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Bowen, a 30-year-old employee at Open Top Sightseeing Tours, has been singing in national performances for several years but will experience his first NASCAR race at LVMS on March 5. Race sponsor Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall and FOX 5 TV staged an open audition to find a talent to sing the national anthem and chose Bowen out of more than 120 contestants. Tickets for all events are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444.(LVMS)(3-3-2011)

  • Displaced Super Bowl fans to enjoy NASCAR Weekend: When the NFL and the country's largest football stadium dropped the ball on hundreds of disappointed football fans, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Stratosphere Hotel, Casino & Tower recovered the fumble and scored a touchdown with many of them. Earlier this month, LVMS and the country's tallest hotel-tower partnered to offer tickets to the March 4-6 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas to those who were displaced from their seats at this year's Super Bowl. A total of 34 fans took advantage of the speedway's offer. The displaced football fans who took advantage of the free ticket offer also were placed in a random drawing to win airfare and three nights of accommodations at the Stratosphere as well. Amanda Saldana of San Antonio, Texas was one of the hapless pigskin fans who sailed through the uprights in Las Vegas. She not only received free NASCAR Weekend tickets, but also won one of the four drawings for airfare and a hotel stay. Other winners responded from as far away as Valencia, Pa., New Berlin, Wis., Charlotte, N.C. and Pittsburgh. Tickets for all events, Neon Garage passes and Lucky 7 parking permits are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444.(LVMS)(3-2-2011)

  • NASCAR Hauler Parade to kick off NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas: The popular NASCAR Hauler Parade once again will thunder up the world-famous Las Vegas Strip to kick off NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas. The 2011 edition of the NASCAR Hauler Parade will begin at 6 p.m. - under the fabulous neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip - on Thursday, March 3. The evening starting time will allow more fans to view and enjoy the parade.
    The colorful 18-wheelers that carry the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series race cars and equipment to the tracks will be staged at approximately 6 p.m. at the South Point Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Blvd. Once all trucks are lined up, the haulers will move north on Las Vegas Boulevard. The haulers will proceed approximately five miles to Sahara Avenue before entering Interstate 15 to complete the journey to the speedway.
    The speedway expects 60-75 haulers to take part in the parade, which will conclude with the haulers arriving at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in preparation for the March 6 Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Race fans will be able to watch the hauler parade from both sides of the Strip and from any of the properties along Las Vegas Boulevard. Tickets for all events are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444.(LVMS)(3-1-2011)

  • LVMS expects smooth traffic flow for NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are expecting another year of smooth vehicle flow for the upcoming NASCAR Weekend thanks to improvements made last year to Interstate 15. While commuting by car should be trouble-free, the speedway still encourages fans to use mass transit to attend the races. For the third consecutive year, Coach America will service the event. In 2009, Coach America replaced CAT as the preferred transit organization for the events at LVMS. Race fans may contact Coach America at www.nascar.coachamerica.com or (702) 948-7360. For those wishing to take a private charter to the races, LVMS recommends Key Tours. Key Tours has been providing service to the speedway for several years, and we vouch for the quality of its service. Key Tours can be contacted at www.keytourslv.com or (800) 261-2691. To reserve seats on either the Coach America or Key Tours buses, please go to www.LVMS.com and click on the "Getting to the Races" link in the NASCAR Weekend Quick Links box. The speedway will continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle.
    General parking is free at LVMS. The speedway also has a video feature to assist drivers. Videos depicting the preferred entry and exit from the speedway may now be found online. The speedway's new phone application for iPhones and Android phones is a new tool to assist race fans as they enter and exit the speedway. Tickets for all events, Neon Garage passes and Lucky 7 parking permits are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444.(LVMS)(3-1-2011)

  • Las Vegas offers free NASCAR tickets to displaced Super Bowl fans: Where the NFL and the country's largest football stadium failed 400 disappointed football fans, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Stratosphere Hotel, Casino and Tower have come through. The speedway and the country's tallest hotel-tower have partnered to offer tickets to the March 4-6 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas to those who were displaced from their seats at Sunday's Super Bowl. Some of the fans may also win airfare and three nights of accommodations at the Stratosphere as well. Fans who show proof of their displacement at the Super Bowl and choose to accept LVMS's offer will receive a ticket to NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas. Among those fans, four will have their names drawn and will receive three room nights in new Stratosphere Select accommodations at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. In order to take advantage of this offer, those displaced will need to contact Aubrey Hall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 1-800-644-4444 ext. 8251 and show proof of their displacement.(LVMS)(2-8-2011)

  • PBR executive named to head LVMS sales team: Kevin Camper has been named senior vice president of sales and marketing for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Camper comes to LVMS from his post as chief partnership and sales officer for the Professional Bull Riders Association. Prior to his stint at the PBR, Camper served as vice president of sales and marketing for Texas Motor Speedway. Camper, 39, is a graduate of Liberty University. He worked for the Texas Rangers before joining the Texas Motor Speedway sales team in 1996. Camper will relocate to Las Vegas with his wife, Meredith; son, Chase; and daughter, Emma.(LVMS)(1-20-2011)

  • LVMS to launch major youth initiative for NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be an extremely youth-friendly place during the March 4-6 NASCAR Weekend.
    Thanks to a partnership with Smith's Food & Drug Stores, the Smith's Youth Initiative will allow fans 15 years of age and younger to receive a 50% discount on all tickets for the March 6 Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series event on March 5 and the March 4 Stratosphere NASCAR Pole Day. Discounted tickets are available for weekend-package tickets as well as single-day events.
    In addition, race fans 15 years and under will receive free admission to the Neon Garage fan experience when accompanied by an adult. Both kids and accompanying adults must have a race ticket to participate in the Neon Garage promotion. The Neon Garage gives race fans the best access to drivers, Las Vegas-style entertainment and is home to the post-race Victory Lane celebration. The discounts and half-price tickets can represent a savings of more than $300 per person. The promotion will begin Thursday and will run as long as supplies last.
    Young fans also are invited to visit the new Extreme Sports Zone on the midway at LVMS during NASCAR Weekend. The Extreme Sports Zone will feature professional BMX exhibitions, a skate park and HobbyTown USA's R/C car racing track. Young fans are encouraged to bring their skateboards and bikes to enjoy the sports zone during breaks in the professional exhibitions. To take part in the Smith's Youth Initiative parents and guardians should visit www.lvms.com or call the speedway at (800) 644-4444 and ask for promote code: Smith's.(LVMS)(1-19-2011)

  • Stratosphere to sponsor Pole Day at Vegas: Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower, one of Las Vegas's most identifiable properties, has partnered with Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the title sponsor of NASCAR Pole Day on March 4. Stratosphere has hosted several driver autograph sessions for both NASCAR and NHRA over the past several years as well as press conferences and other media events. In 2011, the hotel also will host the annual Speedway Children's Charities poker tournament in October. Stratosphere Pole Day will kick off NASCAR Weekend on the superspeedway with practice for both the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and Sam's Town 300 NASCAR. Nationwide Series race as well as qualifying for the Kobalt Tools 400 on Friday, March 4. The Sam's Town 300 is set for Saturday, March 5 and the Kobalt Tools 400 will run on Sunday, March 6. Two nights of World of Outlaws Sprint Car racing will take place on the dirt track March 2 and 3. Tickets for all of these events are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS)(1-14-2011)

  • LVMS to hold open auditions to determine national anthem singer: For the third consecutive year, one aspiring singer will get the opportunity of a lifetime before the start of the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Race sponsor Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall KVVU-FOX5 and LVMS are staging an open audition called Speedway Superstar to find a singer to perform the national anthem prior to the March 5 NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the speedway. The first audition will be conducted Saturday, Feb. 5 at Sam's Town on Boulder Highway. All performers must sing the national anthem a cappella. The top 25 singers chosen will advance to the next round of competition on Saturday, Feb. 12. On that day, the winner will be announced. The Feb. 5 auditions will begin at 10 a.m. Registration will open at 9 a.m. Anyone wishing to audition must arrive at Sam's Town before noon on Feb. 5. The first 150 applicants are guaranteed an audition. For more information go to lvms.com.(LVMS)(1-13-2011)

  • Lowe's signs on as sponsor of Las Vegas Sprint Cup event: Lowe's and its Kobalt Tools brand are joining Las Vegas Motor Speedway to "build something together." The companies announced a multi-year agreement that will make the home-improvement chain's tool brand the sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Kobalt Tools 400, the 14th NASCAR Sprint Cup event to be held at LVMS, will take place March 6 on the 1.5-mile superspeedway.
    "Lowe's is one of the nation's most-recognizable companies, and we are thrilled to have a company of its stature as our partner in this event," said LVMS president Chris Powell said. "It's a tremendous opportunity to help give Lowe's more exposure to NASCAR fans. The Las Vegas race, which represents the largest sports event west of Texas, is one of the most popular on the NASCAR circuit, and together with Lowe's, we can build this event even more."
    "We're excited to bring the Kobalt Tools 400 to Las Vegas this year," said Tom Lamb, senior vice president of marketing and advertising at Lowe's. "Lowe's has been active in the Las Vegas community for years, and we know the Las Vegas Motor Speedway will provide a great place for Lowe's and Kobalt fans to experience NASCAR first-hand."
    The 2011 NASCAR Weekend will kick off with qualifying for the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Friday, March 4. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race is set for Saturday, March 5. Tickets for all 2011 events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including the Kobalt Tools 400 on March 6, can be purchased by calling 1-800-644-444 or online at www.lvms.com.(LVMS)(11-30-2010)

  • LVMS to host Gift of Lights beginning Nov. 19: The Gift of Lights is moving to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sunset Park hosted the event for the past nine years, but organizers decided to move the event to the speedway for the 2010 holiday season. "We're really excited to host the Gift of Lights," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "This is one of the real highlights of the holiday season for all Las Vegans, and we're proud to do our part in providing a facility for this event. And most importantly, children's organizations in Southern Nevada will benefit as a result of charitable contributions through Speedway Children's Charities." The speedway is donating the facility to event organizers, Meehan and Associates, but $2 from every car visiting the experience will go to the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities. All funds raised by the local chapter benefit youth organizations in Southern Nevada. The move to the speedway will allow for the largest Gift of Lights in the event's 10-year history. All displays will be in LED lighting, which will provide the most brilliant light display ever for this event. The experience will open on Friday, Nov. 19 and run nightly through Sunday, Jan. 2. Admission is $15, but any car bringing a donation to Goodwill will receive $2 off the admission price. Various youth organizations will be on hand selling hot chocolate and warm apple cider and their proceeds will help fund programs for their organizations (LVMS)(11-19-2010)

  • Smith's Food & Drug Stores to sponsor LVMS Truck race: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is welcoming back an old friend as sponsor of the Sept. 25 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. Smith's Food & Drug Stores, which cosponsored the event in 2006 and 2007, has returned as title sponsor for this year's event. The event will be called the Smith's 350. Tickets for the Smith's 350 are on sale by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com. Race fans also can purchases passes to the fan-interactive Neon Garage for just $10.(LVMS)(9-7-2010)

  • Smith blasts NASCAR for ending season at Homestead: Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith isn't a fan of NASCAR's insistence on ending the season in South Florida. Smith likened Homestead Miami Speedway to "North Cuba," arguing it is not the "proper place" for the Sprint Cup series to end the Chase for the championship. The longtime track owner says he'd prefer NASCAR to run its final Cup race at SMI-owned Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Smith said he expects IndyCar to end the 2011 season at the 1.5-mile oval next October. Despite his protests, SMI did not make a formal request for NASCAR to add a second Las Vegas race to the 2011 schedule. Smith said it's because he doesn't believe it would make a difference.(Associated Press)(9-5-2010)

  • Las Vegas race weekend returns to first week of March: Las Vegas's annual NASCAR Weekend will return to its traditional March weekend in 2011. The annual NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be held March 4-6, 2011. Earlier this year, the event was held on the final weekend in February due to a quirk in the calendar. "In reality, it's on the same weekend as the 2010 event, but our race fans have been used to coming here on the first weekend in March, so it's good to be back on those dates," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "We've been blessed with great weather on this weekend the past few years, and we look forward to having another great weekend with a packed house in 2011."(LVMS)(8-10-2010)

  • 2011 schedule changes will be "impactful": NASCAR appears ready to give its 2011 Sprint Cup schedule a facelift. CEO Brian France said before Sunday's race at Indianapolis that stock car's top series is in the "final throes" of completing next year's Cup slate and that it could feature some "impactful" changes. International Speedway Corp. is asking for a second race in Kansas, while Speedway Motorsports Inc. wants Las Vegas to get a second Cup date. SMI is also hoping to bring a Cup race to its 1.5-mile track in northern Kentucky.(Associated Press/ESPN.com)
    AND: NASCAR's 2010 Sprint Cup schedule is expected to have a considerably different look next season, including the site of the season finale. Some changes are expected in response to requests from major track owners International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports Inc., but several other race dates are believed to be in play. Several sources told the Observer and ThatsRacin.com on Sunday that changes being contemplated include the season's final race, now held at Miami-Homestead. That ISC-owned track could get the second race of the 2011 season. Auto Club Speedway currently occupies that spot on the schedule. The sources said two tracks figure in the options being considered to replace Homestead as host of the season's final race weekend: Las Vegas and Daytona. A Las Vegas finale could make it more convenient for fans, teams, media and others to attend NASCAR's season-ending awards events. Those events, held in New York City for years, moved to the desert gambling-and-resort city for the first time last year. A season finale at Daytona would add a second restrictor-plate race to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.(Charlotte Observer)(7-26-2010)

  • Las Vegas developing smart phone app: When Las Vegas Motor Speedway did research on the fan experience, parking came back as an area that needed improvement. Not surprising, given the vastness of the speedway's 1,300 acres. So to help guide fans onto the property more efficiently, LVMS is partnering with a Washington, D.C., technology company to create the first mobile application for a major speedway. LVMS, part of Speedway Motorsports Inc., is working with Thermopylae to mold a fan guide application that takes customers into the track and to their seats through information provided to a smartphone. All consumers have to do is enter their seat number into the handset app, which will be available on iPhones, certain BlackBerrys and phones that run the Android system. The app will come with loads of functions, both for the customer and the track. A virtual layout of the speedway will show users the locations of merchandise trailers, rest rooms, concessions, first aid and other vital areas. Once the users are in the speedway, they can upgrade their seats, buy pit passes or buy tickets to the Neon Garage through their mobile handset. The app is expected to go through a soft launch for the Camping World Truck Series race at LVMS on Sept. 25, with the full rollout next spring when the Sprint Cup Series returns to Las Vegas.(Scene Daily)(7-25-2010)

  • Scheduled changes, 3 tracks loses? 3 gain dates?: SPEED's Bob Dillner reported on the July 11th SPEED Report that rumors have Auto Club Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway with second race dates going to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway and Kentucky Speedway getting a Sprint Cup race. No word how this will shake up the Sprint Cup schedule, can be figured out a few different ways. Look for Atlanta Motor Speedway to keep it's Labor Day weekend date and doubtful Las Vegas would get a summer date with the heat there.(7-13-2010)

  • Some 2011 schedule speculation: It appears more likely than ever the 2011 Sprint Cup slate will have a much different look than it has in recent seasons. NASCAR acknowledged both SMI and ISC have requested realignment date changes for next year, and there are reports Kentucky and a second date for Las Vegas will be part of the SMI plan, at the expense of races in New Hampshire and Atlanta, and Kansas will gain a second NASCAR weekend when Auto Club Speedway gets stripped of its February date.(CBS Sports) to see what tracks have already confirmed their dates for next year, check out my 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 'tentative' Schedule page.(7-5-2010)

  • Las Vegas tix on sale Monday: Tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go on sale Monday, June 28, but early-bird ticket buyers won't have to wait until next year to see NASCAR action on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Race fans who purchase NASCAR Weekend tickets prior to Aug. 1 will receive two free tickets to the Sept. 25 Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. "We have had a very strong renewal period, and that's allowed us to put tickets on sale earlier than ever this year," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "We want to reward those who commit early by offering tickets to the Truck race in September. That's always one of our most exciting races, and we hope the fans of Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series racing will come out to see an exciting show on Sept. 25." As in past years, LVMS is offering a payment plan for all ticket buyers. Race fans purchasing tickets within the next two months will be required to pay only 25 percent of the value of the order. Credit cards will be charged in equal installments on monthly beginning Sept. 1 to pay the remaining balance. Tickets start as low as $49 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. The speedway also has a Family 4-Pack for both weekend tickets and Sunday's Sprint Cup event. Weekend Family 4-Packs are $316 and a Sunday-only Family 4-Pack is just $199. The NASCAR Weekend will consist of Pole Day for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series event and the 14th annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Neon Garage passes, driver introduction passes and Lucky 7 preferred parking passes also go on sale June 28. Tickets are available online at www.lvms.com, by calling the speedway's tickets services department at (800) 644-4444 or in-person at the speedway box office.(LVMS)(6-26-2010)

  • Las Vegas proposes a 2nd Cup race to SMI: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the closest it's been in years to getting a second annual Sprint Cup race -- or it could be just another move in the mental chess game of racing grandmaster Bruton Smith. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority two weeks ago submitted a proposal to Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) about landing a coveted race in the series' 10-race Chase for the Cup playoff as early as next year, possibly in mid-September. The additional race would complement the speedway's early spring Cup event. Rossi Ralenkotter, the LVCVA president, confirmed this week that "on-again, off-again" negotiations with Smith heated up over the past month. "We haven't hidden the fact that Las Vegas can and will support a second race," said Ralenkotter, who expects to hear back from Smith next week. The only way Las Vegas can get a second Cup event would be for Smith, SMI's founder and chairman, to move an existing race -- with NASCAR's approval -- from one of his six other tracks that host 11 Cup races. NASCAR has been steadfast in refusing to extend its schedule by adding races. An additional Cup weekend would be a windfall for Southern Nevada but costly for Loudon, N.H., or Atlanta. "As long as we can get a second race, we don't care where it comes from," Ralenkotter said. A source close to the negotiations said the LVCVA is offering to pay SMI between $5 million and $8 million to land a second Cup weekend. The authority is funded through a hotel room tax. Getting a second date for Las Vegas was Smith's top priority until December 2008 when he bought Kentucky Speedway, which does not have a Cup race. Smith, 83, made it clear he would find a Cup race for Kentucky before Las Vegas got a second one. A publicly held corporation like SMI should focus on maximizing profit, and it makes fiscal sense to move an Atlanta race to Las Vegas, where it will draw up to 40,000 more spectators. And let's not forget the LVCVA's multimillion-dollar inducement to SMI.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(6-25-2010)

  • LVMS NASCAR Weekend shows increase in economic impact: The 2010 NASCAR Weekend once again proved to be a huge economic windfall for the Las Vegas economy. This year's event, Feb. 26-28, contributed $165,767,400 to the local economy, according to figures released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That represents a 7.4-percent increase in economic impact over the 2009 event. According to the LVCVA survey, the 2010 event attracted an estimated 148,000 unique visitors to Las Vegas. These race fans occupied 127,000 room nights. The 2010 event also saw more out-of-town guests visit Las Vegas for the NASCAR event than each of the past four years. The race weekend included the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, zMAX Pole Day and two nights of dirt-track racing for USAC and the World of Outlaws. Tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend already are on sale at www.lvms.com or 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS)(5-24-2010)

  • What happened with Las Vegas caution lights? NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said that officials were not sure why the caution lughts malfunctioned twice during Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, causing two cautions during the event. After the second such case, NASCAR switched to a backup system and had no further issues.(Virginian Pilot)(3-3-2010)

  • LVMS records ninth consecutive sellout: Las Vegas Motor Speedway recorded its ninth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series sellout with Sunday's running of the Shelby American. Speedway officials sold the final grandstand seats Sunday morning prior to the green flag for the 13th annual event. The capacity crowd marked the largest crowd of the season. "In what are still challenging economic times, today's turnout is a testament to the popularity of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this great city and NASCAR's premier racing series," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "We really appreciate the thousands of race fans who chose to spend the day with us." Tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend are on sale now, and anyone who buys or renews tickets for 2011 will get them at 10 percent off this year's prices if they purchase by April 9. Race fans purchasing before April 9 will be able to pay 33 percent of their invoice on April 9 and have the remainder charged in two additional installments. Fans also will receive a commemorative poster.(LVMS)(2-28-2010)

  • Human Nature to perform prior to start of Shelby American: Race fans arriving early for the Feb. 28 Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be entertained by Las Vegas headliner Human Nature. The Australian group will perform on the main stage in front of the grandstands prior to the green flag, set to wave at noon. Billed as The Ultimate Celebration of Motown, Human Nature is presented by R&B music legend Smokey Robinson. Covering Motown's greatest songs, the quartet consists of Toby Allen, Andrew Tierny, Michael Tierny and Phil Burton. The group took root in Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia 20 years ago and has opened for Celine Dion and Michael Jackson. Human Nature has headlined at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino since last May. To purchase tickets for the Feb. 26-28 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS, including the fabulous Neon Garage fan experience, Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and driver introduction passes, call (800) 644-4444 or visit www.lvms.com.(LVMS)(2-27-2010)

  • Shelby and Kardashian to serve as co-grand marshals at LVMS: Automobile legend Carroll Shelby and television star Kim Kardashian will serve as co-grand marshals for Sunday's Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kardashian and Shelby will share the microphone when it comes time to give the command to start engines. "Of course, I will have my rooting interest during the race," Kardashian said, referring to Tommy Baldwin Racing's #36 Chevy driven by Mike Bliss, which will feature a special paint scheme, celebrating the launch of her new fragrance. "But I'm really looking forward to meeting all the drivers. It's such a tremendous honor to serve as co-Grand Marshal and I'm really looking forward to experiencing a Sprint Cup race up close." Kim stars in the E! network television series, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, on Sunday nights.
    Shelby has raced and designed cars for more than 50 years and is known throughout the world for his legendary Cobra and Shelby GT350. His company, Shelby Automobiles, Inc. is headquartered in Las Vegas and also is the sponsor of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at LVMS.
    To purchase tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend - as well as tickets for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shelby American and NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 (including the fabulous Neon Garage fan experience, Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and driver introduction passes), please call (800) 644-4444 or visit www.lvms.com.(LVMS)(2-25-2010)

  • 2011 Shelby GT350 to pace Shelby American: Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, so it is only fitting that the city's NASCAR race be paced by something that reflects that image. The aggressively-styled, exciting new 2011 Shelby GT350 will serve as the pace car for the Feb. 28 Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will be the public's first opportunity to see the supercharged supercar at speed - and the first time for a Shelby GT350 to pace a NASCAR event. The 2011 Shelby GT350 is constructed by Shelby American, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International, Inc. The Shelby team unveiled a supercharged concept version of the Mustang-based 2011 Shelby GT350 to the surprise of thousands of automotive enthusiasts gathered at the Barrett-Jackson Auction opening-night gala to honor the 45th anniversary of the first GT350 and first Shelby big-block Cobra. It was an immediate hit with the muscle car crowd. The Shelby GT350 is a post-title program. The customer purchases a car from their local Ford dealer, which is transformed into a GT350 by the Shelby American Team in Las Vegas. A limited number will be built in the 2011 model year. A Ford Mustang GT can be drop-shipped by a Ford dealer to Shelby's Las Vegas facility for conversion, or a customer may arrange to have a properly-specified car transported to the factory.
    Each GT350 will be adorned in the traditional white paint scheme, accented with Shelby Guardsman Blue Le Mans stripes. The GT350 will feature the new Coyote 5.0 liter Ford V8, coupled to a six-speed transmission and center-exit exhaust. Blue Shelby GT350 valve covers and billet caps set off the supercharged engine. The Baer brake system features a six-piston kit in the front, as well as 14-inch ERADISPEED rotors in the rear with cooling ducts for all four corners.
    The suspension was upgraded with new Ford Racing springs, struts, sway bars and adjustable caster/camber plates. The car also receives a new front fascia, tail light trim, front splitter, rear deck lid filler panel and rear fascia. Functional scoops are located on the side rockers and hood. The GT350 badges on the outside and inside of the car will include a Shelby serial number. The A-pillar carries a fuel pressure, oil pressure and boost gauge.
    To purchase tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend - as well as tickets for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shelby American and NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 (including the fabulous Neon Garage fan experience, Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and driver introduction passes), please call (800) 644-4444 or visit www.lvms.com.(LVMS)(2-25-2010)

  • LVMS offers discount incentives, bonuses for fans purchasing 2011 Tix: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is offering a substantial discount - and other bonuses - to its weekend ticketholders. Tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend will go on sale tomorrow and anyone who purchases or renews tickets for next year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events prior to April 10 will receive a 10-percent discount off of 2010's prices. Fans that renew their NASCAR Weekend tickets for 2011 will have the option to keep their present seat locations or upgrade them. LVMS is offering a three-payment plan for 2011 NASCAR Weekend ticket purchases or renewals. The first one-third is due at time of purchase (up to April 15) and the second and third installments will be charged to their credit cards on July 1 and Oct. 1. Fans taking part in this special offer also will receive an exclusive, commemorative poster of the 2010 LVMS NASCAR Weekend. To purchase tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend - as well as tickets for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shelby American and NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 (including the fabulous Neon Garage fan experience, Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and driver introduction passes), please call (800) 644-4444 or visit www.lvms.com.(LVMS)(2-23-2010)

  • LVMS expects highway widening to improve vehicle flow: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are expecting the smoothest vehicle flow ever for the NASCAR Weekend thanks to improvements made to Interstate 15. A design-build project by the Nevada Department of Transportation has widened I-15 to four lanes in each direction between the U.S. 95 interchange and Craig Road. This project was completed well ahead of schedule and should improve ingress and egress for the Feb. 26-28 events.
    "We are very grateful to the Nevada Department of Transportation for its efficiency in completing this project," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "When we first heard of this project in 2007, we were told it would impact NASCAR Weekend in '08, '09 and 2010. But NDOT delayed the start until after the '08 race and concluded the project before this year's big weekend - a full six months ahead of schedule."
    While commuting by car should be much easier, the speedway still encourages fans to use mass transit to attend the races. For the second consecutive year, Coach America will service the event. In 2009, Coach America replaced CAT as the preferred transit organization for the events at LVMS. Race fans can contact Coach America at nascar.coachamerica.com or (702) 948-7360.
    For those wishing to take a private charter to the races, LVMS recommends Key Tours. Key Tours has been providing service to the speedway for several years, and we vouch for the quality of its service. Key Tours can be contacted at www.keytourslv.com or 1-800-261-2691. To reserve seats on either the Coach America or Key Tours buses, please go to www.LVMS.com and click on the "Getting to the Races" link in the NASCAR Weekend Quick Links box.
    The speedway will continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. "We take caring for the handicapped very seriously at the speedway," Powell said. "It's important to us that handicapped fans coming to our race are not inconvenienced by those who are perfectly capable of parking in the general parking area." The speedway also has added a new feature to its website. Videos depicting the preferred entry and exit from the speedway can now be found online at www.lvms.com.(LVMS)(2-22-2010)

  • Bruton Smith suing Wayne Newton: Las Vegas Motor Speedway executive O. Bruton Smith is suing singer Wayne Newton, charging Newton is delinquent on a $3.35 million loan and seeking to foreclose on Newton's Casa de Shenandoah ranch in Las Vegas. The lawsuit was filed in Clark County District in Las Vegas Feb. 9 by Smith, chairman and chief executive of Speedway Motorsports Inc., against Newton, his wife, Kathleen McCrone Newton, Newton company Desert Eagle LLC and a Newton Living Trust dated Dec. 19, 2001. The lawsuit was filed by attorneys Mark Ferrario and Brandon Roos of the Las Vegas office of the law firm Greenberg Traurig on behalf of Smith, whose company based in Concord, N.C., owns tracks around the country for NASCAR and other races. Smith is also the chairman and chief executive of automotive retailer Sonic Automotive Inc. of Charlotte, N.C. The suit says that in March 2006, when Wayne Newton and Smith were friends, the Newtons approached Smith and asked him to assist the Newtons and Desert Eagle in obtaining a $3.75 million loan from Bank of America by providing a personal guarantee. The suit says Wayne Newton planned to refinance existing debt with B of A and that the loan would be secured by Newton's 38-acre residence in Las Vegas at Pecos and Sunset roads and by a private jet valued at more than $2 million.(see full article at the Las Vegas Sun)(2-18-2010)

  • Coach America shuttle service available from hotels to LVMS: Coach America once again will provide shuttle service from selected hotels to Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Feb. 26-28 NASCAR Weekend. The Coach America shuttle buses will provide one-way service (hotel to speedway) on Friday (qualifying), Saturday (Sam's Town 300) and Sunday (Shelby American) morning. Return shuttle service (speedway to hotel) will begin as soon as the event ends and will continue as needed. Shuttle service also will be available from Parking Lot 5 immediately after the World of Outlaws Sprint Car races on Friday night at the Dirt Track.
    Shuttle tickets may be purchased at the Coach America shuttle desk at the following locations: Tropicana Hotel & Casino (bus plaza lobby), T.I. Hotel & Casino (registration lobby), Riviera Hotel & Casino (south lobby), Las Vegas Hilton (east lobby-monorail connection) and the downtown Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino (south lobby). Shuttle tickets are $30 per person for Friday, $30 per person for Saturday and $40 per person on Sunday. A three-day pass also is available for $40.
    The Coach America shuttle desks will be open 6-10 p.m. on Wednesday of NASCAR Weekend; 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 7 a.m.-noon on Sunday.
    Coach America shuttle schedule (subject to change, please check updated information at desk):
    Friday, Feb. 26 - 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (one way, from hotel to speedway).
    Saturday, Feb. 27 - 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (one way, from hotel to speedway).
    Sunday, Feb. 28 - 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (one way, from hotel to speedway).
    Return shuttle service (speedway to hotel) will begin as soon as the event ends and will continue as needed.
    Shuttle service also will be available from Parking Lot 5 immediately after the World of Outlaws Sprint Car races on Friday night at the Dirt Track. To purchase shuttle service tickets online, please visit nascar.coachamerica.com.
    LVMS ticket office at (800) 644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com. Follow LVMS on Facebook and Twitter.(LVMS)(2-17-2010)

  • Hauler Parade to kick off NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas: The popular NASCAR Hauler Parade once again will thunder up the world-famous Las Vegas Strip to kick off NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas. The 2010 edition of the NASCAR Hauler Parade will begin at 6:00 pm - under the fabulous neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip - on Thursday, Feb. 25. The new, later starting time will allow more fans to view the parade. The colorful 18-wheelers that carry the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series race cars and equipment to the tracks will be staged at approximately 6 p.m. in the right lane of Las Vegas Boulevard just south of Russell Road. Once all trucks are lined up, the haulers will move north on Las Vegas Boulevard. The haulers will proceed approximately five miles to Sahara Avenue before returning to Interstate 15 and the short ride north to the speedway. The speedway expects 60-75 haulers to take part in the parade, which will conclude with the haulers arriving at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in preparation for the Feb. 28 Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Race fans will be able to watch the hauler parade from both sides of the Strip and from any of the properties along Las Vegas Boulevard. Tickets for the NASCAR and Dirt Track events may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS)(2-11-2010)

  • LVMS invites President Obama to see Las Vegas from new perspective: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is inviting the President to see firsthand how visiting Las Vegas for entertainment is a boon to the economy. LVMS president Chris Powell is inviting President Barack Obama to be the grand marshal for the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Feb. 28 [FYI - he would replace current Grand Marshal Kim Kardashian if the President chose to attend]. The invitation comes less than 24 hours after the president told a gathering in New Hampshire that Americans shouldn't "blow a bunch of cash on Vegas" during the current economic climate. "It's a shame that the president doesn't realize the impact of tourism on the Las Vegas economy," Powell said. "Telling people not to visit Las Vegas is the same as telling them not to buy vegetables would be to a farmer in the Midwest - or telling them not to buy cars would be to an autoworker in Detroit. On the last weekend of this month, NASCAR Weekend at the speedway will bring in more than $150 million to the local economy. It will generate 3,000 jobs at the speedway alone. Hotels in town have reduced room rates. We've reduced ticket prices. And the races themselves will be a showcase of American knowhow and ingenuity. I would love to have the president come to Las Vegas Motor Speedway during NASCAR Weekend and see firsthand how important tourism is to our community. We'll even let him give the command to start engines. NASCAR Weekend is the largest sporting event in Nevada, and the 300,000 people who visit here during the weekend will surpass any event in Las Vegas in 2010."(LVMS)(2-4-2010)

  • Las Vegas headliner Terry Fator to sing national anthem for Shelby American: Popular Las Vegas headliner Terry Fator has been tapped to sing the national anthem for the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 28. Fator, known throughout the world for his celebrity singing impressions and unparalleled ventriloquism, won the second season of NBC-TV's America's Got Talent and currently performs at The Mirage Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. "It is an honor for me to sing the national anthem at the Shelby American race in Las Vegas," said Fator. "I believe that my fans and NASCAR fans are one and the same, so it is a match made in Heaven. I grew up in Texas, so you know I'm a NASCAR fan!" Tickets for the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 are available by visiting www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444.(2-2-2010)

  • LVMS secures discounted hotel rooms for NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has partnered with 13 local hotels to bring deeply discounted room rates to race fans for the Feb. 26-28 NASCAR Weekend. "We understand that coming to races involves much more than just the purchase of a race ticket," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "Several months ago, we announced the decision to lower all weekend and Sunday-only tickets for the NASCAR Weekend. We have been working since that time with our hotels for more affordable rates for our race fans. We are very appreciative to our hotel partners in helping us meet the needs of the thousands of race fans who travel from out of town to attend the races here at LVMS." Participating hotels have dropped room rates by as much as 25 percent for the race weekend. In addition, many hotels are offering promotions such as free hats, free cocktail hours, discounted food options and gifts for kids. The following hotels are part of this partnership: Sam's Town, The Orleans, Harrah's, Imperial Palace, Flamingo, Bally's, South Point, MGM Grand, Luxor, Excalibur, Mirage, Palace Station and Green Valley Ranch. Race fans interested in booking one of these deeply discounted rooms can do so by visiting www.lvms.com/hotels. Tickets for the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and the Sam's Town 300 featuring the Las Vegas debut of Indy star Danica Patrick are available at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444.(1-26-2010)

  • Promotions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    Thomas Taylor has been promoted to Manager, Information Technology Services.
    Jeff Motley has been promoted to Vice President of Media Relations.
    Tara Barkis Jimenez has been promoted to Manager of Business & Development in the Sales & Marketing Dept.
    Naysan Gray and Craig Cochran have been promoted to Senior Manager, Business Development in the Sales & Marketing Dept.
    Aaron Crowley has been promoted to Senior Manager, Business Development & Advertising in the Sales & Marketing Dept.
    Brock Ita has joined the staff as Coordinator of Client Services in the Sales & Marketing Dept.(LVMS PR)(1-6-2010)

  • Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities grants $275,000 to charities: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities hosted its annual Grant Distribution and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas Chapter awarded $275,000 to 78 local children's charities at the ceremony. Children from all recipients were invited to attend and the event, which included musical entertainment by Malia Civetz and dancing by the Culture Shock dance group. The evening concluded with a visit from Santa Claus (delivered to the speedway in a Richard Petty Driving Experience stock car) and gifts for each child. Fund raising events for the 2009 season included the Mel Larson Night of Champions Presented By Autotrader.com (which honored Carroll Shelby), the 11th annual NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam's Town Live!, the chapter's seventh annual golf tournament and the sixth annual Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament at the Cannery Hotel & Casino. Making a difference in a child's life is the focus of Speedway Children's Charities. SCC strives to do this in collaboration with the non-profit organizations it supports nationwide. Individually, SCC's local chapters identify the needs of children in their communities and award grants to organizations that address them. (LVMS.com)(12-16-2009)

  • Shelby Autos returns to sponsor Vegas race: Shelby Automobiles, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc., will return in 2010 as the sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Shelby teamed up with LVMS this past March for the Shelby 427. Next year's event on Feb. 28 will be called the Shelby American to honor the 45th anniversary of the Shelby G.T. 350 and 427 Cobra introductions in 1965. March's race was known as the Shelby 427 and featured a 427-mile, 285-lap race. The event will return to its traditional 400-mile, 267-lap distance in 2010. The 2010 NASCAR Weekend will kick off with qualifying for the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Friday, Feb. 26. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race is set for Saturday, Feb. 27. Tickets for all 2010 events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including the Shelby American on Sunday, Feb. 28, can be purchased by calling 1-800-644-444 or online at www.lvms.com. Neon Garage, Lucky 7 Preferred parking and driver introduction passes also are on sale.(LVMS)(11-6-2009)

  • Las Vegas sets 2010 Cup date, tix for sale: The annual NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be a February affair in 2010. LVMS officials announced Friday that next year's event will take place Feb. 26-28. It marks the first year the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event will be run in February. "In reality, it's on the same weekend as the 2009 event, it's just a quirk in the calendar that has the event being held in February," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "We have been blessed with great weather on this weekend the past few years, and we look forward to having another great weekend with a packed house in 2010." Tickets, which start as low as $49, are on sale now. Race fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-644-4444, logging on to www.lvms.com or in person at the LVMS ticket services office. LVMS has reduced the price of all Weekend Package and single-day tickets from 2009 pricing. Neon Garage passes also have been reduced from 2009. The speedway has introduced a special Family Four Pack which starts at $199. Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and Driver Introduction passes also are available. Times for all events will be announced at a later date.(LVMS)(8-31-2009)

  • LVMS NASCAR ticket prices, tix go on sale Monday: The theme for the 2010 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: "High speeds and lower prices." Tickets will go on sale to the public on Monday. A limited number of tickets will be available for $49 - the lowest pricing of NASCAR tickets since the speedway's inception. In fact, LVMS has reduced the pricing on all Weekend Packages and Sunday-only tickets for next year's NASCAR Weekend. In addition, the speedway has implemented a new payment structure to make ticket-buying easier than ever. For the first time, race fans can secure their tickets by paying just 33 percent of the value of their purchase. The remaining balance will be charged in equal installments on Oct. 15 and Nov. 15. The speedway also has created a Family 4-Pack for both weekend tickets and Sunday's Sprint Cup event. Weekend Family 4-Packs are $316 and a Sunday-only Family 4-Pack is just $199. Some of these specials represent a 50-percent reduction in ticket prices. LVMS is using the weekend of Feb. 26-28 as the "working dates" for the 2010 NASCAR Weekend. These dates are pending the signing of sanctioning agreements with NASCAR. The NASCAR Weekend will consist of Pole Day for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series event and the 13th annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Neon Garage passes, driver introduction passes and Lucky 7 preferred parking passes also go on sale Aug. 17. Tickets are available online at www.lvms.com, by calling the speedway's tickets services department at 1-800-644-4444 or in-person at the speedway box office.(LVMS)(8-15-2009)

  • LVMS hires new excutive: Mike Mossholder has been named vice president of sales and marketing for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mossholder comes to LVMS from his post as vice president of sales and marketing for Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Prior to working at the famed horse-racing facility, Mossholder spent five years as director of marketing partnerships for the Miami Dolphins and Dolphin Stadium (now Landshark Stadium). While with the Dolphins, he was instrumental in securing corporate partnerships for the NFL team as well as for the 2007 and 2010 Super Bowls, the 2009 BCS Championship game and the Florida Marlins.(LVMS)(7-28-2009)

  • Lower ticket prices at Las Vegas; go on sale Aug. 17: The theme for the 2010 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: "High speeds and lower prices." Tickets will go on sale to the public on Monday, Aug. 17. A limited number of tickets will be available for $49 - the lowest pricing of NASCAR tickets since the speedway's inception. In fact, LVMS has reduced the pricing on all Weekend Packages and Sunday-only tickets for next year's NASCAR Weekend. In addition, the speedway has implemented a new payment structure to make ticket-buying easier than ever. For the first time, race fans can secure their tickets by paying just 33 percent of the value of their purchase. The remaining balance will be charged in equal installments on Oct. 15 and Nov. 15.
    The speedway also has created a Family 4-Pack for both weekend tickets and Sunday's Sprint Cup event. Weekend Family 4-Packs are $316 and a Sunday-only Family 4-Pack is just $199. Some of these specials represent a 50-percent reduction in ticket prices. LVMS is using the weekend of Feb. 26-28 as the "working dates" for the 2010 NASCAR Weekend. These dates are pending the signing of sanctioning agreements with NASCAR. Neon Garage passes, driver introduction passes and Lucky 7 preferred parking passes also go on sale Aug. 17. Tickets are available online at www.lvms.com, by calling the speedway's tickets services department at 1-800-644-4444 or in-person at the speedway box office.(LVMS)(7-23-2009)

  • Smith wants Las Vegas to hold season-finale: Bruton Smith wants NASCAR to yank its final race of the season out of south Florida. Never at a loss for words, the track owner said the championship-deciding race should return to Atlanta Motor Speedway, where it was held through 2001, or Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- both facilities he owns. "Why have the last race of the season at some Godforsaken area just north of Cuba?" he said, referring to Homestead Miami Speedway. Atlanta's fall race shifted a few weeks earlier in 2002 and this year it moves to an even earlier spot on Labor Day weekend. While plagued by weather issues when held in November, Smith said his track would still be a better location for NASCAR to hold the final race than Homestead. "If they'll give us our date back," he said, "we'll fill up the place again and do something major for the sport. If that doesn't work, put it in Las Vegas. We'll add more seats -- and sell out every one of them." Smith, who controls Atlanta and six other Sprint Cup tracks through Speedway Motorsports Inc., has long feuded with NASCAR and a related company that owns a majority of the facilities used on the circuit, including Homestead. NASCAR officials shrugged off Smith's complaints and disputed his claims that attendance was poor, saying last year's race was sold out. "We think Homestead-Miami is an excellent venue for NASCAR's Ford Championship Weekend," Jim Hunter, the vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement. Smith also renewed his call for NASCAR to hold a Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway, which he purchased last year. IndyCar and Nationwide Series events have been held there, but NASCAR has balked at scheduling a Cup race.(Associated Press)(3-7-2009)

  • Drivers to Conduct Fan Forums at Speedway Motorsports Races: NASCAR drivers and Speedway Motorsports are teaming up to bring fans closer to their favorite drivers than ever before. The new "PRN Up To SPEED" program will bring NASCAR's top names out for fan forums at the SPEED Stage during each of the 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends at Speedway Motorsports' seven speedways across the country. The Performance Racing Network's on-air personalities will emcee question-and-answer sessions with some of the sport's biggest personalities at the SPEED Stage leading up to SPEED's regularly scheduled weekend programming.
    "PRN Up To SPEED" will kick off Sunday at 9:30am/et, at the SPEED Stage located in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway midway. The stellar lineup will include Las Vegas-native Kyle Busch, legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. Each Speedway Motorsports track [Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas, Lowe's, New Hampshire, Texas] that hosts a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will hold "PRN Up To SPEED" sessions during their respective race weekend. The location of the SPEED Stage may vary from track to track, but at all Speedway Motorsports facilities, the stage is always located in an area where access is free of charge for fans.(SMI PR)(3-1-2009)

  • LVMS anticipating sellout for Sunday's Shelby 427; offering $50 general-admission seats: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials expect most every seat to be filled for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Shelby 427. "The recent surge in interest for Sunday's race is a testament to the strength of NASCAR and the true passion in NASCAR fans," said Chris Powell, LVMS president. "In anticipation of a sellout, we are creating a $50 general-admission credential. These admissions will go on sale Saturday at 9 a.m. and will remain on sale until Sunday's green flag at 1:30 p.m." The general-admission credential will allow race fans to sit at the lower level of the speedway's Section 4, just outside Turns 3 and 4. Seating in these rows has not been available for purchase since the speedway was reconfigured prior to the 2007 event. Powell added that today's announcement is great news locally. "Despite a challenging economy, this event continues to deliver great benefits for Las Vegas," Powell said. "I had my doubts a couple of months ago that we'd get so close to a full house, but now it looks realistic." Powell said that ticket renewals for Sunday's race, which were conducted in the late spring of 2008, were strong, but that the public sale of tickets had weakened when the economy turned sour later in the year. Recently, however, the speedway has observed a heightened interest in the event. "We're aware of some fans who, probably because of the downturn in the economy, have purchased tickets and will not be able to travel to Las Vegas for this weekend's racing activities," Powell said. "So that should explain any empty seats that are visible. Except for a couple of hundred singles that we have available, all of our tickets have been distributed." To obtain the $50 tickets, race fans should call the LVMS ticket services office at 1-800-644-4444. Tickets also remain available for Saturday's Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide race.(LVMS PR)(2-28-2009)

  • LVMS officials urge race fans to use mass transit, alternate routes: More than any previous year, race fans attending Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend events are advised to use mass transportation or alternate routes due to a highway improvement project on Interstate 15. Although the ongoing road construction poses a level of inconvenience, Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are once again working closely with the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Nevada Department of Transportation to ensure smooth entrance and exit during the weekend. Race fans who do drive to the speedway should arrive early and use alternate routes. Race fans living in Summerlin, Aliante and Southern Highlands are advised to use the 215 Beltway. Race fans coming from Henderson and areas east of the Strip should use Las Vegas Boulevard or Nellis Boulevard. Anyone on the Strip should still use Interstate 15. Speedway officials also are encouraging as many race fans as possible to use buses and shuttles for transportation to the races. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has secured two options for mass transportation to the speedway for the Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend. For those who have used the Citizens Area Transit ("CAT") buses in the past, a new option is Coach America. Coach America will be filling many of the same routes as the CAT buses have in the past. Race fans can contact Coach America at nascar.coachamerica.com or (702) 948-7360. For those wishing to take a private charter to the races, LVMS recommends Key Tours. Key Tours has been providing service to the speedway for several years, and we vouch for the quality of its service. To reserve seats on either the Coach America or Key Tours buses, please go to www.LVMS.com and click on the "Getting to the Races" link in the NASCAR Weekend Quick Links box. For those who are not aware, federal legislation now prohibits government-funded transportation units from serving as a charter service when one or more private bus companies are willing to perform the service. As a result, the federally funded CAT buses in Las Vegas no longer can serve as a charter service to LVMS. The speedway will continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. General parking is free at LVMS.(LVMS PR)(2-20-2009)

  • Helton among those to participate in LVMS "Fast Chats": NASCAR President Mike Helton and #24-Jeff Gordon will be among the NASCAR personalities who field questions from race fans next week in Las Vegas Motor Speedway's first "Fast Chats" program. There is no charge for race fans to attend Fast Chats as the lively question-and-answer sessions will take place on the LVMS midway, outside the entry gates. Others who will be "on the hot seat" for a 20-minute session include Las Vegas natives Kurt and Kyle Busch. "NASCAR is making a huge push to connect more with the race fans, and we're taking that a step farther here in Las Vegas," said LVMS President Chris Powell. "This is an opportunity for any race fan to ask a question of some of the sport's key players. My guess is that the fans' question likely will be more probing than those posed by members of the media." Fast Chats will take place on the SPEED Stage on the LVMS midway at various times throughout the weekend. There will be multiple chats each day, and a complete schedule will be posted to the speedway's website at www.lvms.com. A daily chat schedule will be posted near the SPEED Stage. A few tickets remain for the Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend. The action begins on Friday with zMAX Pole Day for the Sprint Cup Series. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race is Saturday, Feb. 28 and concludes with the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on Sunday, March 1. For tickets and information, log on to www.lvms.com or call 1-800-644-4444.(2-19-2009)

  • Las Vegas Strip to host NASCAR Hauler Parade on Feb. 26: In 2008, tens of thousands of people lined the Las Vegas Strip to watch the NASCAR team haulers parade down one of the country's most famous streets. Due to the overwhelming enthusiasm for last year's parade, the haulers are coming back this year. The 2009 edition of the NASCAR Hauler Parade will begin at 10:00am on Thursday, Feb. 26. The colorful NASCAR team haulers, transporting the Sprint Cup race cars that will compete later that week in the Shelby 427, will parade north on the Strip among the world's most well-known hotels and casinos. The transporters will be staged at approximately 10:00am in the right lane of Las Vegas Boulevard just south of Russell Road. Once all trucks are lined up, the haulers will move north on Las Vegas Boulevard. The haulers will proceed the roughly five miles to Sahara Avenue before returning to Interstate 15 and the short ride north to the speedway. The speedway expects 48-50 haulers to take part in the parade, which will conclude with the haulers arriving at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in preparation for the March 1 Shelby 427. Race fans will be able to watch the hauler parade from both sides of the Strip and from any of the properties along Las Vegas Boulevard.(LVMS PR)(2-19-2009)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway dropping beverage prices by $1: In an effort to enhance the fan experience for the Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and its concessionaire, Levy Restaurants, have worked together to offer lower prices on various concessions items. "We realize that everyone is watching what they spend these days," said LVMS president Chris Powell. "I'm pleased that we could reach an agreement with Levy Restaurants to lower some of our concession prices and provide a breakfast combo. We are taking several steps to make this year's event more enjoyable for our race fans. Lower concessions prices will have a positive effect on everyone." The price of all cold beverages (excluding cocktails) has been reduced for the 2009 Shelby 427 Sprint Cup Race weekend. Water, soft drinks and beer have been reduced by $1 at both the superspeedway and the Dirt Track. Additionally, the Midway concession stand will offer a special breakfast combo meal from 8:00am to 10:30am daily that includes a breakfast sandwich and coffee - for just $2. "In this current economic climate it's more important than ever that we provide fans with a range of options and pricing that help fans continue to enjoy race day," said Ian Orr, regional director of operations for Levy. "We're happy to partner with the speedway on the unique and exclusive pricing of select menu items that are fan friendly". Tickets are on sale for LVMS's 2009 NASCAR Weekend and may be purchased by calling (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(2-18-2009)

  • Las Vegas headliner Gordie Brown to entertain Shelby 427 crowd: Gordie Brown, a multi-talented impressionist, singer and entertainer, will headline the pre-race show prior to the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1. Brown, who starts a new show at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino this week, has spent the past year on a world tour with Celine Dion, where he has served as her opening act. Brown will perform for approximately 15 minutes immediately prior to the 1 p.m. introduction of drivers for the Shelby 427. A few tickets remain for the Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend. Neon Garage, Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and driver introduction passes also are available. Please call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com to get your tickets and passes today.(LVMS PR)(2-17-2009)

  • LVMS announces winner of "Vegas High Roller Sweepstakes" Las Vegas Motor Speedway would like to congratulate Peggy Herzog for winning the "Vegas High Roller Sweepstakes." Herzog and her guest will enjoy the ultimate VIP experience during the 2009 NASCAR Weekend. She was chosen from more than 12,500 entries to enjoy complimentary tickets to the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race, travel and accommodations, Vegas show tickets, and more. "My husband and I are so excited to be coming out for the NASCAR Weekend are looking forward to experiencing a NASCAR race like never before," said Herzog. "I have been to Vegas before, but this visit will be a whole new and exciting trip that will be very special for me." To thank everyone for their participation in the sweepstakes, LVMS is offering each entrant two tickets to the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday, Feb. 28. A few tickets remain for the Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend. Neon Garage, Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and driver introduction passes also are available. Please call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com to get your tickets and passes today.(LVMS PR)(2-10-2009)

  • Open audition to determine national anthem singer for Sam's Town 300: One aspiring singer will get the opportunity of a lifetime before the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, the race sponsor, as well as FOX 5 TV, are staging an open audition called Speedway Superstar to find a singer to perform the national anthem prior to the Feb. 28 NASCAR Nationwide Series event at LVMS. The first audition will be conducted Saturday, Jan. 24 at Sam's Town on Boulder Highway. All performers must sing the national anthem a cappella. The top 25 singers on Jan. 24 will advance to the next round of competition on Saturday, Feb. 7. On that day, the top five will have their performances shown on FOX 5 the following week with the winner being chosen by a viewer vote as well as a panel of judges. The Jan. 24 auditions will begin at 10 a.m. Anyone wishing to audition must arrive at Sam's Town before noon on Jan. 24. For more information on the competition see LVMS.com,(LVMS PR)(1-20-2009)

  • "Earnhardt & Elvis" car to debut Feb. 27 at LVMS: Race fans attending Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend will enjoy an added attraction as Motorsports Authentics, along with Elvis Presley Enterprises and Dale Earnhardt Inc., will unveil its new "Earnhardt & Elvis" car in the Neon Garage on Friday, Feb. 27. The "Earnhardt and Elvis" car, which features The King of Rock and Roll on the hood of the Intimidator's famous #3 Chevrolet, is the third car in the Enduring Legends Series from Motorsports Authentics and Dale Earnhardt Inc. The series is in its second year and has been very well received by both NASCAR fans and collectors. Last year, Earnhardt was paired with American legends Johnny Cash and John Wayne. The worldwide unveiling of the "Earnhardt & Elvis" car will take place in LVMS's Neon Garage during zMAX Pole Day and could include family members and friends of both the Earnhardt and Presley families. In addition, NASCAR fans also will be treated to a unique Elvis experience that will transform the Neon Garage into a Memphis music studio. For more information about the Enduring Legends Series, fans can log onto rccamembers.com or tune into SIRIUS' "NASCAR Collector" every Saturday morning from 7-9 am EST on SIRIUS Channel 128. See full post at LVMS.com. See full PR on my Collectors News page.(1-16-2009)

  • Las Vegas SCC to make grants during track tree lighting ceremony: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will host its annual Grant Distribution and Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 6pm, in the media center in the infield of the superspeedway. The Las Vegas Chapter will grant $290,000 to 57 local children's charities at the ceremony. The list of grant recipients includes: Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer of Southern Nevada, I Have a Dream Foundation Inc., Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, Miracle Flights for Kids, Las Vegas Sun Summer Camp, Positively Kids, and Shade Tree. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and children from all 57 organizations are scheduled to attend the event. The evening's festivities will include a performance by the Culture Shock Las Vegas inner city dance troupe and local vocalist Malia Civetz. Santa Claus also is scheduled to make an appearance and Chris Powell, LVMS's president and general manager, will light the traditional SCC holiday tree. Fundraising events for the 2008 season included the Mel Larson Night of Champions (which honored Dr. Dale Carrison), the 10th annual NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam's Town Live!, the chapter's sixth annual golf tournament, and the fifth annual Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament at the Cannery Hotel & Casino.(LVMS PR)(11-30-2008)

  • Las Vegas 2009 Test Dates Announced: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has set 2009 test dates for both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. The Nationwide cars will test on the 1.5-mile superspeedway on Wednesday, Jan. 28 and Thursday, Jan. 29. NASCAR has not announced a testing policy for the Sprint Cup teams for next year, but LVMS will be available to all Sprint Cup teams on Monday, Jan. 26 and Tuesday, Jan. 27 if testing is allowed by NASCAR. Race teams who test at LVMS will be preparing for the March 1 Shelby 427 Sprint Cup Series race and the Feb. 28 Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series event. Tickets for the 2009 NASCAR Weekend are on sale now by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com. Passes for the Neon Garage, driver introductions and Lucky 7 Preferred parking also are available.(LVMS PR)(11-12-2008)

  • Las Vegas Cup race gets new name; longer race: The Sprint Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1, 2009 will be sponsored by Shelby Automobiles. The event will be lengthened to 427 miles and will be called the "Shelby 427." Together, LVMS and Shelby will market a Las Vegas Motor Speedway Limited Edition Shelby 427 package for the Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. LVMS President Chris Powell and Shelby Automobiles founder Carroll Shelby made the announcement Wednesday at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas. "We are ecstatic to have the legendary Shelby name on our 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup race," Powell said. "It's a tremendous opportunity for us to give added exposure to the Shelby brand that has, over the years, become synonymous with the best in high-performance cars." Bruton Smith, founder and CEO of LVMS parent company Speedway Motorsports, and Carroll Shelby have been friends for many years. "We are thrilled to combine the efforts of our two companies in this sponsorship," Smith said. "Carroll and his team have long been known for the high quality of their work and the tremendous popularity of their cars."
    Carroll Shelby has driven and designed race and sports cars for more than 50 years. His company, Shelby Automobiles, located its manufacturing facility at the speedway complex as the anchor tenant in 1998. The company uses the oval and road courses for its research and development. This is the first time Shelby Automobiles has sponsored a NASCAR event. "The Shelby name will be forever linked to racing because of our unrivaled success in competition over the years," said Amy Boylan, president of Shelby Automobiles. "The Ford Shelby Mustang programs have allowed us to begin exploring motorsports options again. While we determine the series best suited to our products, we wanted to raise our profile in the racing community, and the NASCAR race next to our campus presented the ideal opportunity. Shelby was the first small American sports car and muscle car manufacturer to win world championships, and now we're the first to sponsor a NASCAR race."
    "We're thrilled to have our name on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Shelby 427," Carroll Shelby said. "From drag racing to Formula 1, I've been involved in just about every type of motor racing except NASCAR. I love the competition, passion and excitement of the fans and teams in NASCAR. We're offering real enthusiasts an opportunity to be part of something really special through this program."
    Since its inception in 1998, the Sprint Cup race at LVMS has been run at a length of 400.5 miles, which is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile oval. In order to accommodate the new event name, the race will be increased by 27 miles and will feature 285 laps.
    As part of the one-year race sponsorship, Shelby Automobiles will market a Las Vegas Motor Speedway Limited Edition Shelby 427 package for the Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Owners of 2007 and 2008 Shelby GT500s with the post title Super Snake package on their muscle car can purchase the limited edition "pace car" upgrade on a first-come, first-served basis by emailing shelby427@lvms.com. Shelby enthusiasts may have their names added to a waiting list for the package by emailing shelbywaitinglist@lvms.com. The upgraded package will include Mr. Shelby's personal autograph as well as many other event-related add-ons. Only 427 of these packages will be available through Shelby Automobiles. Those who purchase a Shelby 427 package will also receive special race tickets and other amenities, including the opportunity to serve as the race's honorary starter.
    The 2009 NASCAR Weekend will kick off with qualifying for the Shelby 427 Sprint Cup Series race on Friday, Feb. 27. The Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series race is set for Saturday, Feb. 28. Tickets for all 2009 events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including the Shelby 427 on March 1, can be purchased by calling 1-800-644-444 or online at www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(11-5-2008)

  • New SAFER barrier installed along LVMS backstretch: Construction crews spent much of this week installing SAFER barrier along the inside wall of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway back straightaway. "Speedway Motorsports is committed to driver safety at all of its speedways," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "Following this year's NASCAR Sprint Cup event, we consulted with NASCAR officials and our own engineers. We all agreed that installing the barrier on the backstretch was the proper course of action." During this year's Sprint Cup event at LVMS, #24-Jeff Gordon made contact with the wall in the area that is now protected by the SAFER barrier. The final panels of the barrier were put in place Thursday morning. The new SAFER barrier covers 1,700 feet of the inside backstretch wall. SAFER barriers now cover 7,800 feet of the retaining walls around the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The first event on the superspeedway with the new barrier will be the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday, Sept. 20.(LVMS PR)(8-22-2008)

  • 2009 Las Vegas NASCAR tickets to go on sale July 1: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has completed another strong ticket-renewal process for the 2009 NASCAR Weekend, and the speedway is making tickets available for new fans earlier than ever. Tickets for the 2009 NASCAR Weekend will go on sale Tuesday, July 1 at 8am/et. For the first time ever, race fans purchasing tickets within the next four months will be required to pay only half the cost of the tickets with the balance due on Nov. 1. This offer is good to credit card users only. LVMS is using the weekend of Feb. 27-March 1 as the "working dates" for the 2009 NASCAR Weekend. These dates are pending the signing of sanctioning agreements with NASCAR. The NASCAR Weekend will consist of Pole Day for the Sprint Cup Series event, the Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series event and the 12th annual Sprint Cup Series race.(LVMS PR)(6-19-2008)
    AND Las Vegas Motor Speedway is opening its RV lots two days earlier than usual for the 2009 NASCAR Weekend and at no extra charge to race fans. The speedway will open all RV lots at noon on Monday, Feb. 24. This is two days earlier than lots have opened in past years. Anyone who has purchased an RV spot will be allowed the early entry. RV spaces and tickets for the 2009 NASCAR Weekend will go on sale Tuesday at 8 a.m. Pacific Time. Passes for the Neon Garage, driver introductions and Lucky 7 preferred parking also will be on sale. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com for RV spaces, tickets and passes.(LVMS PR)(7-1-2008)

  • Powell promoted to president of LVMS: Chris Powell has been promoted to president and general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was announced Thursday by Speedway Motorsports. Powell has been executive vice president and general manager of the facility since December, 1998. "Chris and the LVMS staff have done an excellent job in making Las Vegas Motor Speedway one of the top motorsports facilities in the country," said Bruton Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports. "We are appreciative of the efforts of Chris and his entire staff, and we look forward to even bigger and better things in the future." Powell, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, came to LVMS after serving as the manager of media relations for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's involvement in the NASCAR Winston (now Sprint) Cup Series. "I appreciate the confidence that Bruton Smith and Speedway Motorsports have shown in me over the past nine and a half years. This promotion is a reflection of a dedicated and hard-working staff of employees who have helped make this speedway a model for others."(LVMS PR)(6-6-2008)

  • LVMS donates more than a ton of unused food from NASCAR Weekend: On Monday Las Vegas Motor Speedway, along with food and beverage partner Levy Restaurants, donated more than a ton of food to Three Square Food Bank in North Las Vegas. The food, left from this past weekend's NASCAR events, was recovered from the speedway's suites, corporate hospitality area and concession stands. LVMS partnered with Rock and Wrap It Up, a non-profit organization, to ensure the safe delivery of the food. Rock and Wrap It Up's volunteers assisted speedway and Levy employees in loading and unloading the food. Approximately 2,200 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables were delivered to the food bank. According to Three Square CEO Julie Murray, the food will be sent to Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. Three Square was established to eradicate hunger in the valley and provides wholesome, nutritious meals to non-profit organizations that serve a wide range of Southern Nevadans in need. A national model project inspired by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Three Square is a community collaborative partnership with the gaming industry, businesses, non-profit agencies, food distributors, UNLV, Clark County School District, governmental entities, several media outlets and hundreds of volunteers.(LVMS PR)(3-7-2008)

  • Gordon calls for more SAFER walls at Vegas UPDATE LVMS statement: #24-Jeff Gordon, who escaped injury after crashing hard into the inside retaining wall in Turn 2 in the closing laps of Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400, called on Las Vegas Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith to add 'soft walls' in the area. Gordon crashed on lap 263 of the 267-lap race and hit a spot in the wall where there is a gap. "I'm really disappointed right now in this speedway for not having a soft wall back there," Gordon said. "And even being able to get to that part of the wall shouldn't happen. I've got two things to say: 'Bruton, you need a soft wall and to change the wall back there on the back straightaway'. Thankfully, Hendrick Motorsports ... builds an unbelievable race car because that's the hardest I've ever hit." Greg Biffle, who finished third in the race and was behind Gordon on the track when he crashed, agreed with Gordon and said there is no excuse for having gaps in the walls. "There shouldn't be any gaps anywhere," Biffle said. "There should be SAFER barriers all the way around the inside and the outside of these racetracks. You can't say we don't have the time or money to do it because we're coming back here next year and going to race again."(Las Vegas Sun)
    UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway statement concerning Gordon's comments: "We began evaluating that section of the speedway today. As we have done since the SAFER barrier program began, we will work with NASCAR, and we will do whatever it recommends."(3-3-2008)

  • Winner of spa treatment at LVMS Spa: Hundreds of thousands of race fans will enjoy NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. Judy Kelly of Placerville, Calif., will enjoy it just a little bit more. On Feb. 6, LVMS announced a contest to reward a lucky fan with a free spa treatment package at The Spa, located in the Neon Garage. All fans who purchased a weekend Neon Garage pass before the Feb. 15 deadline were eligible for the random drawing. Judy's name was selected at random and she was notified while driving to LVMS from her home in Placerville.(LVMS PR)(2-29-2008)

  • LVMS announces virtual sellout for 7th consecutive year: The Sprint Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a virtual sellout for the seventh consecutive year, but Dodge has made sure that at least 700 more race fans can attend Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400. The LVMS ticket services office had only single seats remaining for Sunday's race at the close of business on Thursday. However, event co-sponsor Dodge has made 700 tickets available to race fans. These tickets were part of the Dodge allotment as part of its race entitlement with the United Auto Workers. "Announcing a virtual sellout for the seventh consecutive year really confirms the demand for NASCAR tickets in Las Vegas," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "We had a higher renewal rate this year, which also suggests the facilities and service race fans are receiving are like no other." Race fans can purchase one of the 700 tickets only by calling the speedway ticket services department at (800) 644-4444 or in person at the speedway box office. Tickets are still available for Saturday's Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race as well as Pole Day on Friday, Feb. 29. Tickets for Friday and Saturday may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (800) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(PR)(2-29-2008)

  • LVMS expects smooth vehicle flow for NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's ever-improving vehicle flow for its Feb. 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend should be even better for this year's event, according to LVMS officials. Over the past few years, the 215 Beltway, new interchanges and wider roads have helped make ingress and egress from the speedway's property a constantly improving experience for race fans. "The combination of better planning, cooperation from all areas of transportation and law enforcement and the continued education of our race fans has dramatically improved vehicle flow over the past several years," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. The speedway is reminding race fans using Interstate 15 that there are three exit lanes on the ramp leading into the speedway. Local fans living in the northern and western parts of the valley are encouraged to use the 215 Beltway.
    Speedway officials also are encouraging as many race fans as possible to use buses and shuttles such as the Regional Transportation Commission's Race Transit for transportation to the races. The speedway will continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. Tickets for the UAW-Dodge 400, Sam's Town 300, Qualifying Day (Friday, Feb. 29) and the Neon Garage fan experience may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(2-27-2008)

  • Blue Man Group, Mama Mia's Carol Linnea Johnson headline entertainment at LVMS: The world-famous Blue Man Group [Jayski fave] and award-winning Las Vegas stage star Carol Johnson are just two of the entertainment options Las Vegas Motor Speedway will offer to race fans during the Feb. 28-March 2 NASCAR Weekend. Blue Man Group, which performs nightly at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino will perform throughout the day Saturday and Sunday in the Neon Garage and put on a 15-minute show on the pre-race stage prior to the start of the Sprint Cup Series UAW-Dodge 400 on Sunday, March 2. Carol Linnea Johnson will sing the National Anthem prior to the start of the UAW-Dodge 400. Johnson is the star of the Broadway hit, "Mama Mia!" (she plays the part of Donna) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Popular country music artist Josh Gracin ("Nothin' To Lose") will sing the National Anthem on Saturday prior to the start of the Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 on Saturday, March 1. Gracin, a former American Idol TV show contestant, also will perform at the Official After-Race Concert on Saturday evening at Sam's Town Live! in the Sam's Town Hotel & Casino. Jason Michael Carroll, who was named "Top New Country Artist of 2007" by Billboard Magazine, will perform on stage in the midway behind the main grandstands on Sunday morning. The United States Air Force Thunderbirds, who are based at nearby Nellis Air Force Base, will provide a unique flyover for Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400. Tickets for the UAW-Dodge 400, Sam's Town 300, Qualifying Day (Friday, Feb. 29) and the Neon Garage fan experience may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(2-26-2008)

  • Las Vegas Strip to host NASCAR Hauler Parade on Feb. 28: The world-famous Las Vegas Strip, through the years, has seen it all. It's been the site of Evel Knievel's death-defying motorcycle jumps, attracted thousands of New Year's Eve revelers and served as the backdrop for hundreds of movies. And on Thursday, Feb. 28, a new spectacle will take place on one of the world's most famous streets. The colorful NASCAR team haulers, transporting the Sprint Cup race cars that will compete later that week, will parade north on the Strip among the world's most well-known hotels and casinos. "During the week of the NASCAR event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this entire town becomes NASCAR crazy," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "Every opportunity we get to take NASCAR to the Strip is something special. Parades of any kind are very rare on the Strip, so we are very appreciative of the support from the various public agencies that have helped make this happen." The transporters will be staged at approximately 2:30pm in the right lane of Las Vegas Boulevard just south of Russell Road. Once all trucks are lined up, the haulers will move north using the middle lane of northbound Las Vegas Boulevard. The haulers will proceed the roughly five miles to Sahara Avenue before returning to Interstate 15 and the short ride north to the speedway. The speedway expects 48-50 haulers to take part in the parade, which will conclude with the haulers parking in their assigned spaces in the LVMS garage in preparation for the March 2 UAW-Dodge 400. Race fans will be able to watch the hauler parade from both sides of the Strip and from any of the properties along Las Vegas Boulevard.(LVMS PR)(2-25-2008)

  • LVMS to give rain-weary race fans a little sunshine: If a couple of rainy race days have gotten you down, Las Vegas Motor Speedway wants to brighten your day. LVMS is offering $25 tickets for Saturday's Sam's Town 300 Nationwide series race to race fans who have a ticket stub from the rain-delayed Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California."As our friends at Nationwide say, life comes at you fast," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "Nationwide has been a great sponsor at LVMS for several years, and it's also bringing renewed enthusiasm to NASCAR racing. We're making this gesture to do our part to help the series grow. While we have sold more than 100,000 tickets to the Sam's Town 300 this Saturday, we have plenty of room to accommodate those loyal race fans who have endured the poor weather in Southern California." Race fans who want to take advantage of this offer can come to the LVMS Ticket Services office beginning Monday to purchase their tickets. Race fans will receive one $25 ticket for every ticket stub from the scheduled Feb. 23 Nationwide Series event in California. For more information, race fans can call the LVMS ticket office at 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS PR)(2-24-2008)

  • Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot has LVMS phones buzzing: Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot has kicked off and already the phones at LVMS are ringing ... and ringing ... and .... The speedway ticket services department fielded hundreds of calls within the first couple of hours of the promotion and there are no signs of a slowdown. "I believe there are several factors that have turned this promotion into the success we hoped it would be," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "First off, race fans love coming to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and we have many loyal fans who make this a must-see event each year. Secondly, the promotion involves Dale Earnhardt Jr., easily the most popular driver on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. And finally, Dale Jr.'s win in the Bud Shootout last Saturday night has race fans taking notice that this could be a special year for him and his team." Race fans renewing the first 8,888 tickets - reflecting Earnhardt Jr.'s car #88 - will be refunded the entire ticket amount for next spring's Sprint Cup event on Sunday of NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas - if Dale Jr. wins the 2008 Sprint Cup championship. As long as the number has not exceeded 8,888, the speedway will continue renewals until the scheduled start of the Daytona 500 on Sunday (3:30pm/et). The only way to participate in Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot is to call the LVMS Ticket Services department at 1-800-644-4444 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. before Sunday's scheduled start. Tickets for the 2008 NASCAR Weekend, as well as credentials for the fan-interactive Neon Garage, are still available. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com.(2-13-2008)

  • The Spa at LVMS not just for drivers and team owners: The Spa at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a hit with NASCAR's biggest stars and their families last year. This year, a lucky race fan will get a chance to experience one of the speedway's true treasures. All fans who have purchased a weekend Neon Garage pass before Feb. 15 will be entered into a drawing to receive a free, full-service spa treatment during the Feb. 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend. The spa offers a full menu with various levels of massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, body wraps and designer haircuts. The spa's beds are outfitted with 750-threadcount sheets and cashmere blankets. Each room is equipped with a Swiss shower, which has water raining from above and three-way jets on the sides. Tickets and Neon Garage passes for the NASCAR Weekend are available by calling the speedway's Ticket Service office at 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com. The deadline for the drawing and weekend Neon Garage passes is Feb. 15.(LVMS PR)(2-11-2008)

  • LVMS race fans pinning their hopes on a Dale Jr. title run: What would a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship by Dale Earnhardt Jr. mean to race fans? Answer: For 8,888 fans who participate in a unique promotion offered by Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it would mean free tickets to the spring 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at LVMS. In one of the most extraordinary promotions in sports history, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is offering free tickets to thousands of race fans should Dale Earnhardt Jr. power his No. 88 Chevrolet to the 2008 Sprint Cup title.
    The promotion, known as Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot, is sponsored by the South Point Hotel of Las Vegas. Fans can renew their weekend race tickets for 2009 - and be included in the promotion - Wednesday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 17. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entries for the promotion will end at the scheduled start of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17 (12:30 p.m. PST)
    "Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been the most popular driver in NASCAR for the past five years, and we're excited to give race fans a stake in his quest for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "This promotion is unprecedented in our sport. We've bought the best insurance policy available, so if Dale Jr. is fortunate enough to win the title, we'll be ecstatic for all the fans who receive free tickets to our spring 2009 event."
    Said South Point Hotel owner Michael Gaughan: "The South Point has become synonymous with NASCAR, and we're thrilled to be a part of Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot. Our family has been involved in racing for many years, and we have a very strong relationship with Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the entire racing community. Thousands of race fans stay at the South Point during NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas, so we're excited about the fans' opportunities to take advantage of this creative promotion. We wish the best of luck to Dale Jr. and his legions of followers."
    Individual ticket-holders will have five days next week (Feb. 13-17) to renew their Weekend Package tickets for the spring 2009 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS. The people renewing the first 8,888 tickets - reflecting Earnhardt Jr.'s car No. 88 - will be refunded the entire ticket amount for next spring's Sprint Cup event on Sunday of NASCAR Weekend - if Dale Jr. wins the 2008 Sprint Cup championship. As long as the number has not exceeded 8,888, the speedway will continue renewals until the scheduled start of the Daytona 500. The only way to participate in Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot is to call the LVMS Ticket Services department at 1-800-644-4444 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Feb. 13-16 and 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. (All times PST.) Tickets for the 2008 NASCAR Weekend, as well as credentials for the fan-interactive Neon Garage, are still available. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com.

    Q&A with Las Vegas Motor Speedway General Manager Chris Powell
    Question: What was the motivation behind this promotion known as Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot?
    Answer: We're always looking for ways to make racing more exciting for the fans. There is a tremendous amount of attention and anticipation surrounding Dale Jr.'s move to Hendrick Motorsports, and this allows our race fans to share in his quest for his first-ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.
    Q: Given the cost involved with refunding ticket revenues, are you rooting against Dale Jr. this year?
    A: Absolutely not. We've purchased an insurance policy that will cover every dime that we would pay out. So if Dale Jr. is fortunate enough to win his first Sprint Cup championship, we'll be ecstatic for the race fans who'll have the cost of their tickets refunded.
    Q: Why did you pick Dale Jr.?
    A: He's been NASCAR's most popular driver for the past five years, and I believe his popularity transcends NASCAR and motorsports. Combine his popularity with his switch to a new race team, and he's the logical choice. Imagine the excitement if Dale Jr. makes the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year as 8,888 ticketholders sit on the edge of their seats hoping he wins the title.
    Q: What about the ticketholders who don't participate? Can they still renew their tickets in the same seats.
    A: Absolutely. All Weekend Package holders are eligible to renew their same seats regardless of whether they participate in the promotion.
    Q: What's the role of the South Point Hotel?
    A: There is no greater supporter of motorsports in the Las Vegas community than Michael Gaughan, owner of the South Point Hotel. As soon as we mentioned this promotion to Michael, he was captivated by it. Michael's from "old-school Las Vegas." He still works in the sports book on Super Bowl Sundays. He knows a fun wager when he sees one. And he immediately agreed for the South Point to become the sponsor. It's not a coincidence that NASCAR fans flock to the South Point when they're in town for our NASCAR Weekend.
    Q: How does this promotion benefit Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
    A: First off, we want it to benefit our returning ticketholders. We also want to entice people to purchase the few tickets that we have remaining for our NASCAR Weekend in three weeks. And I'm confident that Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot will help build goodwill with the race fans who participate, and it should draw the attention of anyone who follows Dale Jr.'s progress throughout the year. So this promotion benefits our speedway as well as NASCAR and its fans.
    www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(2-7-2008) .

  • Feb. 15 is deadline to buy weekend Neon Garage passes at LVMS: Race fans wanting the best deal on Neon Garage passes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway need to buy their passes in the next two weeks. The speedway has set a Feb. 15 deadline for race fans to purchase a weekend pass for the Neon Garage. After that date, only single-day Neon Garage passes will be available for the Feb. 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend. Race fans who purchase weekend passes can save up to $132. Weekend passes cost $275 while single-day passes are $129 on Friday and Saturday and $149 on Sunday. The Neon Garage is a fan-interactive, entertainment area located in the center of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage. Unprecedented access to drivers and teams, Vegas-style entertainment including celebrity impersonators such as Elvis and Madonna, the Winner's Circle and specialty concessions are just some of the highlights of the Neon Garage. Race fans can order Neon Garage passes as well as tickets for the UAW-Dodge 400 Sprint Cup Series and Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series races by calling the LVMS ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to our website at www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(2-2-2008)

  • LVMS inviting fans to "leap" for Pole Day tickets: For race fans who get to celebrate their birthday only once every four years, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is inviting them to spend it at the speedway. NASCAR Sprint Cup Pole Day is Feb. 29, and LVMS is offering free Pole Day tickets as a birthday gift to anyone celebrating a birthday on the same day."We realize that people born on Feb. 29 don't get to celebrate their birthdays as often as others, so we want to make it extra special for those people who choose to spend their birthdays here at the speedway," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. Race fans taking advantage of this offer must contact our ticket office by phone at 1-800-644-4444 or in person. They will need to show proof of their birth date in order to receive this offer.(LVMS PR)(1-23-2008)

  • NASCAR cites LVMS for improvement in security: Las Vegas Motor Speedway was selected as one of three tracks to be recognized by NASCAR for its "improvement in exhibiting security and public safety." The speedway was chosen along with New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. The announcement was made at the NASCAR Security Summit held last week in Charlotte, N.C. "We take the security and safety of our race fans very seriously," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "I salute David Stetzer and our operations team for spending countless hours working with various local and national law enforcement agencies to make sure that everyone who comes to the speedway is able to enjoy NASCAR racing in a safe environment. We are honored that NASCAR has noticed the work we have put into this area."(LVMS PR)(1-17-2008)

  • Clinton, Huckabee, Obama In Line For Free Neon Garage Passes: The all-important Nevada caucus is slated for Saturday, Jan. 19 and presidential hopefuls from both the Democratic and Republican parties are eligible for free credentials to Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Neon Garage during NASCAR Weekend Feb. 29-March 1-2. Beginning Monday, Jan. 14, the first race fans - whose surnames match any of the primary candidates' last names - who purchase Neon Garage passes will have their money refunded to them. Fans and candidates eligible for such a refund must share the last names of either Democrats Hillary Clinton, John Edwards or Barack Obama or Republicans Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson. The offer is good until 5pm on Jan. 19 [Saturday], the day of the Nevada caucus. "We gave strong consideration to anyone named 'Kucinich'," said Chris Powell, general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "But the poor showing of Dennis Kucinich in both Iowa and New Hampshire simply made that impossible." The Neon Garage is a fan interactive, entertainment zone located in the center of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage. Unprecedented access to drivers and teams, Vegas-style entertainment including celebrity impersonators such as Elvis and Madonna, the Winner's Circle and specialty concessions are just some of the highlights of the Neon Garage. The Feb. 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend is the largest sporting event in the western United States. The highlight of the weekend is the 11th running of the UAW-Dodge 400 Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, March 2. The Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series event is set for Saturday, March 1. Qualifying for the UAW-Dodge 400 will be Friday, Feb. 29. The candidates themselves are eligible for the free credentials to the Neon Garage even if they are not first to make their purchases. "They're quite busy getting ready for the caucus here in the Silver State, so they deserve special dispensation," Powell said. "But by the time our NASCAR Weekend rolls around at the end of February, a couple of the candidates might deserve an opportunity to speak to the estimated gathering of 155,000 voters and race fans, and the others can join the impersonators performing in the Neon Garage." To order tickets, go to lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(1-14-2008)

  • "COT" to make first appearance at LVMS: NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow" will make take its first laps around the high-banked Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Dec. 11 as five drivers will conduct a tire test on behalf of Goodyear. #20-Tony Stewart, #17-Matt Kenseth, #31-Jeff Burton, #9-Kasey Kahne and #28-Travis Kvapil will take part in the two-day test. It will be a significant test for both the race teams and the speedway. This past year's Nextel Cup and Busch events were the first for each series since the speedway's banking was increased from 12 to 20 degrees. The five drivers will help Goodyear select a tire for the UAW-Dodge 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on March 2, 2008. The test is not open to the public. Tickets for both the UAW-Dodge 400 and Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series event are on sale now by calling the speedway's box office at 1-800-644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com. Neon Garage, Lucky 7 parking and Driver Introduction passes also are available.(LVMS PR)(11-21-2007)

  • SMI buying NHIS? UPDATE2: There is talk of an announcement on Thursday that will go a long way toward determining if Lowe's Motor Speedway will remain in its present location or go on the road to a neighboring community, as Smith has threatened. It all started in August, when Smith announced plans for a mega-drag strip complex on land adjacent to Lowe's Motor Speedway. SMI and city / county government had been discussing an economic package that could offer as much as $2.4 million for the construction of the strip, plus address the reported $200 million in improvements to LMS that Smith has been contemplating. On Friday of last week, Concord City Council reversed its earlier zoning decision, but that doesn't mean Smith will necessarily stay put. The announcement on Thursday will likely give the answer. Compare Smith's likely success in his quest to both improve his product by adding a drag strip and get help with needed improvements to infrastructure with the International Speedway Corp.'s failure to build a racetrack on Staten Island in New York City. Smith, if he chooses to make the improvements to the current facility, will have come out of the ruckus with tax incentives and possibly even a road (Speedway Boulevard) named in his honor. Thursday's rumored announcement will tell the tale.(NASCAR.com) and have heard that Smith could be buying the New Hampshire track, which could be the announcement....from a Charotte Observer article in part: [Bruton] Smith did give a couple of interviews on Charlotte radio stations on Wednesday [Oct 31]. He told WBT-AM (1110) and WFNZ-AM (610) that he has a "big" announcement planned for 2pm Friday. Presumably, that would come at Texas Motor Speedway, the track he owns near Fort Worth where NASCAR's top three series will be racing this weekend. What (David Poole) called Smith to ask about Wednesday was whether he'd made a deal to buy New Hampshire International Speedway. Smith told (Poole) he has heard that John Henry and Jack Roush, the owners of Roush Fenway Racing (and, in Henry's case, of the Boston Red Sox) were interested in buying that track. Smith said he has also heard that George Gillett, Ray Evernham's partner, might want it. Or that Kentucky Speedway owner Jerry Carroll wants it. What (Poole) asked him, though, was whether he's bought it, or has a deal to buy it. He tried to change the subject again, then finally said, "It's unfortunate that you weren't able to get up with me for a comment today." But he also said that I might be able to reach him later this week [at Texas].(11-1-2007)
    UPDATE 2: sources with knowledge of the deal indicated last night that O. Bruton Smith, CEO and chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., had entered into an agreement to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob Bahre, the track's 80-year-old chairman who is among a rare breed in NASCAR: the independent track owner/operator. A press conference is expected to be held tomorrow at Texas Motor Speedway, one of six SMI-owned racing venues that stage 10 Nextel Cup events. With the acquisition of NHIS, that stands to grow to 12 Cup dates. Efforts to reach Bahre last night were unsuccessful. Reached last night, NHIS spokesman Fred Neergaard said, "There's nothing new to report." An SMI source, however, indicated Smith had reached an accord with Bahre, but was not clear as to the terms. SMI's racing empire includes Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which host one Cup event, and Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and Texas, which host two Cup dates. Texas won its second Cup date as part of a lawsuit settlement stemming from a complaint brought by Francis Ferko, an SMI shareholder, against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. Smith acquired his first Texas date and Bahre his second NHIS date after they partnered in 1996 to purchase North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and split its two Cup dates. NASCAR, though, must approve and sanction all dates and race locations before any changes are made to the schedule. NASCAR, which has released its 2008 Sprint Cup schedule, has signed agreements with tracks for all 36 races next season. It had long been speculated that if NHIS were to be sold to Smith, it would take him no time to strip the track of its Cup dates. But, the SMI source suggested, that may not be the case. While NHIS could lose its July date to Las Vegas, SMI could salvage NHIS's spot on the NASCAR schedule by swapping Chase dates with Texas, thus making it the start of the Chase.(Boston Globe)(11-1-2007)

  • NHIS sale to Roush-Fenway possible? UPDATE 2: New Hampshire International Speedway's president, Bob Bahre, confirmed to FOX Sports today that he and Boston Red Sox owner John Henry have had discussions in the past month about the sale of the Loudon track to Henry's Roush Fenway Racing. No deal has been made.(Union Leader)(9-10-2007)
    UPDATE: Fenway Sports president Mike Dee said buying the track in the future had been discussed, though not at length, between the Henry camp and that of Bob Bahre, who owns the track. "I won't deny that it has come up. But at this stage of the game, [portraying] that it's a live and intense discussion is grossly exaggerated. We're obviously new to the sport," Dee said. "I think that he's probably at a very early stage of understanding what he's going to do with it, and we're at an earlier stage of figuring out whether we're interested." Dee downplayed the discussions, saying that Bahre and Fenway Sports speak regularly about the business of racing. Beyond that, there is much Fenway Sports doesn't know about operating a race track, particularly how to wring revenue out of a facility that hosts major NASCAR races just twice a year. "I don't know the economics of the business enough. You can look at it and say if they had 15 races, it'd be better than two. I'd like to tell you that it was in my wheelhouse in terms of core competencies, but I haven't looked at it at all," he said.(Boston Globe)(9-11-2007)
    UPDATE 2: A day after speculation spread that Roush-Fenway had interest in buying NHIS from Bob Bahre, ESPN reported there was another potential suitor expressing his interest. Bruton Smith, whose Speedway Motorsports, Inc., owns six current Cup tracks, told the network that while nothing is imminent he'd like to buy the Loudon facility at some point in the future for the purpose of moving the first Chase race to his track in Las Vegas.(Concord Monitor)(9-13-2007)

  • Name change, new race date for NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is announcing the following points of interest regarding the 2008 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS:
    Tickets for the 2008 NASCAR Weekend are slated to go on sale Monday, Aug. 6. Neon Garage passes (which in 2008 will include pit access), pre-race activities passes and Lucky 7 preferred parking also will be available that day. Race fans may order tickets by logging onto the LVMS website at www.lvms.com and clicking on "Tickets" or by calling 800-644-4444.
    The 2008 Sprint (formerly Nextel) Cup Series event will be known as the UAW-Dodge 400. The proposed purchase of a majority stake of Chrysler from DaimlerBenz by Cerberus Capital Management necessitates the name change.
    NASCAR Weekend is set for Feb. 29-March 2 - one week earlier than the 2007 event. The new dates call for the following schedule: Qualifying for both the UAW-Dodge 400 and Sam's Town 300 will be Friday, Feb. 29. The Sam's Town 300 event will be Saturday, March 1 and the 11th annual UAW-Dodge 400 will be run on Sunday, March 2. "Our ticket-renewal process yielded the highest renewal rates that we've ever experienced," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "Our Ticket Services group has worked overtime in order to launch public-sale tickets a month earlier than in the past. I want to add that we've also had a very successful relationship with the United Auto Workers and its National Training Center, and we look forward to continuing that sponsorship under the name of the Dodge brand. The earlier race date is not new for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From 1998-2004, NASCAR Weekend at LVMS was the first weekend in March. This date change in 2008 will allow NASCAR to continue the momentum from the start of the season without an open date just two weeks into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule."(LVMS PR)(8-3-2007)

  • Kentucky Cup race? Vegas 2nd race? NASCAR executives may be ready to settle one of those thorny legal situations they face, according to sources who say that a settlement with Kentucky Speedway could be coming - by adding the 11/2-mile track south of Cincinnati to the Nextel Cup tour next season. And there is also an unconfirmed report that NASCAR could be looking at adding a second Nextel Cup event at Bruton Smith's Las Vegas track for next season.(Winston Salem Journal), so what tracks lose a date?(6-23-2007)

  • Name change for Vegas Cup race: DaimlerChrysler will be dropped from the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 title pending finalization of the sale of 80 percent of Chrysler divisions to a private equity firm. LVMS general manager Chris Powell said he expects a name change and should know by June what the 11th annual Las Vegas Cup race will be called. He said the sponsorship with the company is good through at least 2008 but would not disclose the length of agreement.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(5-19-2007)

  • 2007 NASCAR Weekend has huge impact in Las Vegas: There were many changes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the past year, but one thing that didn't change was the tremendous impact its NASCAR Weekend had on the Las Vegas economy. The 2007 event weekend, March 9-11, kept its place as one of the most lucrative on the city's calendar. For the sixth consecutive year, the state's largest sporting event saw an increase in its economic value on the Las Vegas community. This year's event had an estimated economic impact of more than $198 million. That represents a slight increase from the $197 million impact from the 2006 NASCAR Weekend, according to figures released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The highlight of the 2007 event weekend was the debut of the Neon Garage. This new fan-interactive area located in the infield of the superspeedway drew 12,000 fans daily and has become one of the top fan attractions on the NASCAR circuit. The speedway also increased its banking from 12 to 20 degrees to produce more competitive racing, moved its pit road 275 feet closer to the grandstands and constructed a new media center. The study showed a significant increase in out-of-town visitors. According to the LVCVA, 114,450 people attended the event from outside Southern Nevada. That's a 20.6 percent increase from the 94,875 in 2006. Figures released earlier this month showed a 3.3 percent increase in passenger traffic at McCarran International Airport in March of 2007 compared to 2006.(LVMS PR)(5-11-2007)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway to ban fans who threw objects at Talladega: The spectators who are found guilty of throwing cans and other debris on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway will not be welcome at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. LVMS general manager Chris Powell said Wednesday that fans banned from Talladega as a result of Sunday's trash-throwing incident will not be allowed to purchase tickets at LVMS. On Tuesday, Talladega Superspeedway president Grant Lynch announced that the fans who threw debris have received a lifetime ban from the facility. On Wednesday, Lynch encouraged other NASCAR tracks to follow suit.(LVMS PR)(5-3-2007)

  • Neon Garage sells out in its inaugural year: No passes remain for the Neon Garage, the new fan-interactive area located in the center of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's infield. "We knew as soon as we started drawing the plans for the Neon Garage that it would be a hit with race fans," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "The overwhelming response from fans to the Neon Garage is a testament to the importance of elevating the entire fan experience at the speedway." The Neon Garage allows race fans the opportunity to view the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams from both ground level and an elevated position as they prepare their cars for practice, qualifying and the race. Continuous Vegas-style entertainment, a sports bar and the Winner's Circle make the Neon Garage the ultimate fan experience in motorsports.(LVMS PR)(3-9-2007)

  • Blue Man Group, Uncle Kracker headline entertainment at LVMS: The world-famous Blue Man Group [huge Jayski fave] and recording star Uncle Kracker are just two of the entertainment options Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be offering to race fans during the March 9-11 NASCAR Weekend. Blue Man Group, which performs nightly at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino will perform throughout the day Saturday and Sunday in the Neon Garage and put on a 17-minute show on the pre-race stage prior to the start of Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Uncle Kracker will play at 11:30 a.m. on the Garnier Fructis Stage in the speedway's midway on Sunday. Sierra Boggess and Darryl Worley will sing the National Anthem on Sunday and Saturday respectively. Boggess will be performing after Saturday's Sam's Town 300 at the Fremont Street Experience. The United States Air Force Thunderbirds, who are based at nearby Nellis Air Force Base, will provide a unique flyover for Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. A pair of F-16s from the 64th Aggressor Squadron from Nellis will provide the flyover for Saturday. Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is sold out, but tickets remain for both the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday and Friday's Pole Day. Call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com for details.(LVMS PR)(3-9-2007)

  • LVMS expects smooth vehicle flow for NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's ever-improving vehicle flow for its March 9-11 NASCAR Weekend should be even better for this year's event, according to LVMS officials. Over the past few years, the 215 Beltway, new interchanges and wider roads have helped make ingress and egress from the speedway's property a constantly improving experience for race fans. Race fans are encouraged to arrive early. This year's Sam's Town 300 Busch Series race will begin at noon Pacific Time, which is three and a half hours earlier than last year's event. Race fans also are reminded to turn their clocks forward on Saturday [Sunday at 2am] night in recognition of Daylight Saving Time. Local fans living in the northern and western parts of the valley are encouraged to use the 215 Beltway. Speedway officials also are encouraging as many race fans as possible to use buses and shuttles such as Citizens Area Transit (CAT) for transportation to the races. The speedway will continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. General parking is free at LVMS.(LVMS PR)(3-5-2007)

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr., Richard Petty wax figures to be unveiled at LVMS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Petty will appear in the flesh and in wax in Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Neon Garage. Earnhardt Jr. and Petty, the seven-time NASCAR champion, will unveil their wax figures at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 9. The two figures will remain in the Neon Garage throughout the weekend. Once the NASCAR Weekend is completed, the two figures will go to their home at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. The figures will join those of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt and four-time champ Jeff Gordon in Madame Tussauds SPEED attraction. Tickets for the March 9-11 NASCAR Weekend are available by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com. Madame Tussauds will be open throughout the racing weekend. For attraction hours and pricing, call 702-862-7800 or visit online at www.mtvegas.com.(LVMS PR)(3-5-2007)

  • LVMS officials announce UAW-DaimlerChryler 400 sellout: Aside from a handful of available singles, the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a sellout. "The demand for NASCAR tickets in Las Vegas confirms once again that Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the premier destination on the NASCAR circuit," said Chris Powell, general manager of LVMS. "This year we've sold out of Sunday's event earlier than any other year. Obviously, the buzz that's been created by raising the speedway's banking and the building of the Neon Garage has spurred an unprecedented level of interest." Tickets do remain for Saturday's Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race as well as Pole Day on Friday, March 9. One option for fans to see the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is the newly built Blackjack Club, which occupies the third floor of the new infield media center. A few Blackjack Club passes are available, and they include food and beverage throughout the weekend. Since last March's race, construction crews have raised the banking in the turns from 12 to 20 degrees, moved pit road 275 feet closer to the grandstands, constructed the new Neon Garage and built a new media center. LVMS's ticketing partner, TicketMaster, offers another possibility for fans who don't want to be left out of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. TM's "TicketExchange" can be accessed through the LVMS website (lvms.com). Fans who've already purchased tickets to the event have an opportunity to sell unneeded tickets on TicketExchange. For those fans already in possession of tickets, a few passes into the Neon Garage remain available, as do the always-popular pre-race activities passes. Tickets for Qualifying Day and the NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(3-2-2007)

  • Smaller fuel tank, new tire for Vegas UPDATE: NASCAR announced that the Nextel Cup cars will be required to use 13-gallon fuel cells at Las Vegas, instead of the 17 gallon tank that is to be used for the rest of the tracks this season. Also the tire that was used in Las Vegas testing in January will be changed. The reason: the new track surface and configuration at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There were many accidents and the speeds were much higher. NASCAR did the same thing a couple years ago when Lowe's Motor Speedway levitated then resurfaced the track.(2-11-2007)
    UPDATE: NASCAR will use a smaller fuel cell and a different tire compound for the Nextel Cup and Busch races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 10-11. "We decided to go with a 13-gallon fuel tank for Las Vegas," said Pemberton. "We discussed it with Goodyear and felt we have the potential for some of the same issues we had at the Charlotte track last year." The fuel cell this season for most races is 17.5 gallons. Using a smaller fuel cell will cause the teams to pit at shorter intervals, enabling crew members to check tire wear and make changes frequently, if needed. NASCAR officials were concerned with tire wear last year at Lowe's Motor Speedway after the surface was repaved, which added additional grip. The Las Vegas track was completely rebuilt in the offseason, adding increased banking to the new surface. Cup teams tested at the 1.5-mile two weeks ago and the Busch teams were there last week. Some drivers complained about the speeds the cars were reaching on the new asphalt, along with the hardness of the tires. "Goodyear has decided to change the left-side compound [at Las Vegas] and maybe a construction that is different from the tests," Pemberton said. "As we go into the day and age with new pavement, the surface is a little too abrasive right off. We just need one race under our belts. We have to get a little time on the racetrack." (ESPN.com)
    AND LVMS statement regarding smaller fuel cells for NASCAR Weekend: "NASCAR's decision to use 13-gallon fuel cells for both the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 will make for an even more exciting race," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "With the increase in the banking from 12 to 20 degrees, there are a lot of unknowns including race set up and tire compounds the teams will face for both races. This decision should keep the racing tighter and give the teams more opportunities to measure tire wear." "Plus, we moved the pit road 275 feet closer to the grandstands, so this will give all of the race fans even more opportunities to watch the excitement of the all-important pit stops."(LVMS PR)(2-11-2007)

  • LVMS to add seating for UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will add bleacher seating in Turn 3 for the March 9-11 NASCAR Weekend. With most of the seats in the main grandstand already sold, the speedway is offering $99 tickets that will include tickets for each day of the racing weekend. "Race fans are aware of the many changes we're undergoing here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and that awareness is apparent in the demand for tickets here in March," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "The new 20-degree banking in the turns is certain to improve the competition. Pit road is closer to the front-stretch grandstands, and the new Neon Garage is sure to be the talk of the sport. The excitement generated by these improvements has yielded a significant increase in ticket sales - more tickets sold at this point than in any previous year." Construction crews have spent the past 10 months raising the banking and moving pit road 275 feet closer to the grandstands. Tickets in the Turn 3 bleachers go on sale Saturday at 8:00am/pt. These "Triple Play" tickets include reserved seats for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race as well as a ticket for Friday's Pole Day.Passes for the speedway's newest attraction - the fan-interactive Neon Garage - also are available. In addition, there are a limited number of camping spots, pre-race activities passes and Lucky 7 Preferred parking passes available. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com for tickets, camping and pre-race passes.(LVMS PR)(1-29-2007)

  • Blackjack Club to put race fans in the center of the action at LVMS: There's a new club in Las Vegas. This new club doesn't have a dance floor, disco ball or DJ booth; but it has unlimited food and drinks, VIP parking and unprecedented access to Nevada's largest sporting event. The Blackjack Club will be located on the third floor of the speedway's new infield media center. It will give race fans a bird's eye view of the front straightaway, provide access to both the pits and the new Neon Garage and give them a patio from which to watch the racing action. LVMS has sold all seats in its suites and Vegas Clubhouse along the front straightaway making the Blackjack Club the only premium access remaining for the March 9-11 NASCAR Weekend, which includes the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event and 10th annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Passes for the Blackjack Club are available by calling the LVMS sales and marketing department at (702) 632-8254. All passes are good for all three days and include pit passes, Neon Garage access and VIP parking.(LVMS PR)(1-17-2007)

  • Holidays provide little break for construction crews at LVMS: While many Americans will be taking an extended holiday throughout the end of December, construction crews at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be hard at work. Workers are in the midst of LVMS' most ambitious construction project in years as they continue building the Neon Garage and new media center. Work began on the project immediately following the March 12 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and will be completed in time for the March 9-11, 2007 NASCAR Weekend. "These guys have been working hard to get this project completed on time," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "We're going to make sure all of the workers take Christmas Day and New Year's Day off to be with their families, but every other day between now and race week will be full speed ahead." Since this past March, crews have leveled most of the infield building, repaved and re-banked the superspeedway, moved pit road 275 feet closer to the grandstands and begun the construction of the Neon Garage and media center. In the past week, crews have erected the steel truss and attached canopy that will make up the center stage of the Neon Garage. The final steel additions for the Neon Garage have started to be put in place this week, while most of the drywall is completed in the new media center.(LVMS PR)(12-21-2006)

  • Elvis, Madonna, Prince head Neon Garage lineup at Las Vegas: Elvis Presley, Madonna and many of the biggest names in the music industry have signed on to entertain race fans in the Neon Garage, Las Vegas Motor Speedway's newest attraction. The performers - or a reasonable impersonator thereof - will be on stage throughout the March 9-11, 2007 race weekend. These legends of the music industry will join Blue Man Group and the Sirens of the TI among the acts confirmed for performing in the Neon Garage.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(12-17-2006)

  • Speedway Motorsports distributes to Speedway Children's Charities:
    Las Vegas: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities held its annual Grant Distribution and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Busch garage in the infield of the superspeedway. The Las Vegas Chapter granted $299,000 to 64 local children's charities at the ceremony.(LVMS.com)
    Speedway Children's Charities is the primary charitable arm of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which owns and operates Infineon Raceway. Speedway Children's Charities is a non-profit organization with the purpose of raising funds to be distributed to qualified children's organizations. Founded in 1984 by Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., Speedway Children's Charities originated at Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Fifty-five youth groups will receive funding from Speedway Children's Charities in 2006.(12-8-2006)

  • Blue Man Group to sponsor pre-race show at LVMS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is bringing Blue Man Group from the Las Vegas Strip to the front straightaway. The world famous group, which performs nightly at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in their custom-built Blue Man Theatre, will be the headline attraction during the Pre-Race Show prior to the March 11, 2007 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at LVMS. Race fans can purchase pre-race activities passes and watch all of the pre-race ceremonies trackside. A limited number remain available. Blue Man Group currently has productions also running in New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Toronto and London. In December, Blue Man Group will open its latest international production in Amsterdam and in June 2007, they will open at Universal Orlando Resort. This will be the group's first appearance at a speedway or a NASCAR event. In addition to its performance on the pre-race stage, Blue Man Group also has become the first act to commit to performing in the Neon Garage. LVMS expects to announce many more entertainment acts for the Neon Garage over the next several weeks. The Neon Garage will be positioned in the center of the LVMS infield. It will be comprised of four buildings - constructed in the shape of a diamond - in which the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams will prepare their cars to race. Each building will be two stories, which will allow race fans to watch the teams work from ground level or from an elevated position. The center of the Neon Garage will be open to race fans. There will be a sports bar with big screens to watch the on-track action, concession stands and continuous entertainment acts that represent Las Vegas' best shows. As an added bonus, the speedway is moving its Winner's Circle into the Neon Garage as well.(LVMS PR)(11-28-2006)

  • LVMS tickets bought before Dec.1 will arrive for holidays: Race fans planning to give NASCAR tickets as Christmas gifts have three weeks remaining in order to ensure delivery by Dec. 25. Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Ticket Services department will guarantee a pre-Christmas delivery of any tickets ordered by Dec. 1. Tickets ordered after Dec. 1 are not guaranteed to arrive by the holiday season. NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas is set for March 9-11, 2007. More info at LVMS.com.(11-16-2006)

  • Biffle visits new-and-improved Las Vegas Motor Speedway: #16-Greg Biffle was in Las Vegas on Thursday [Nov 9] and visited Las Vegas Motor Speedway as part of promotion for Kraft Foods and Planters Peanuts. Two lucky winners were flown to Las Vegas to receive ride-alongs with Greg at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at LVMS. The promotion afforded Biffle - a native of Vancouver, Wash., an opportunity to see the 1.5-mile superspeedway in its new configuration, with banking in the turns increased to 20 degrees. "We're out here doing some promotions with Kraft - one of my sponsors on my car - and I'm having a lot of fun," said Biffle. "Giving people rides is fun and it gives them a feel for what we do. This is my first time on the new configuration. It looks like it's going to be fun to race on. Obviously, the Richard Petty (Driving Experience) cars are a (little) slower than what we go here, so it's a little hard to get a feel for how it's actually going to be, but it's a lot different than what it used to be. I think running up off the bottom of the race track is going to be the fast way around. These guys (Petty instructors) are running around the middle groove and it looks like it's going to produce some pretty good side-by-side racing. I'm looking forward to coming out here next month to test for Goodyear in my race car."(LVMS PR)(11-11-2006)

  • Starting times announced for 2007 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS: Starting times for Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 2007 NASCAR Weekend are set. For the second straight year, the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on Sunday, March 11, 2007 will start at 1:40 p.m. (Pacific Time). The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series on Saturday, March 10 will start at 2 p.m. The Busch race starting time is 90 minutes earlier than this past year. "We had several discussions with NASCAR about the starting time of the Sam's Town 300," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "We decided that an earlier start time will allow the race fans to enjoy a great day of racing and still have time to enjoy the excitement and nightlife for which Las Vegas is famous." Speedway officials also announced that Saturday's Sam's Town 300 will be televised by ABC Sports. It will be the first over-the-air network for a Busch Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. FOX Sports will televise the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 for the seventh consecutive year. Tickets for all NASCAR Weekend events as well as passes to the new Neon Garage are on sale now by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(10-31-2006)

  • Construction crews start work on inspection bay in Neon Garage at LVMS: Race teams refer to the NASCAR inspection bay as the "Room of Doom," and race fans who buy passes to the Neon Garage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will get a first-hand account of what the crew chiefs face every week. Construction crews began erecting the walls for the inspection bay this week as part of the ongoing, multi-million dollar infield renovation of the LVMS infield. Once completed, the inspection area will have large windows facing toward the interior of the Neon Garage to allow fans to watch the NASCAR officials at work. In addition to the work on the inspection station, construction crews began pouring concrete for the third-floor observation deck of the media center, continued placing the metal panels on the front of the media center and continued work on the second-floor viewing area for the Neon Garage. Tickets for March 9-11, 2007 NASCAR Weekend as well as passes for the Neon Garage are on sale now by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(10-21-2006)

  • Construction crews starting adding second floor of Neon Garage at LVMS: America's premier motorsports attraction is growing in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway infield. Construction crews have started adding the second floor to LVMS' Neon Garage. The second level will allow race fans who have purchased passes to the Neon Garage to look directly down into the garage bays as the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series crewmen tune their cars. The Neon Garage will be positioned in the center of the infield. It will be composed of four buildings - constructed in the shape of a diamond - in which the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams will prepare their cars to race. The center of the Neon Garage will be open to credentialed race fans. There will be a sports bar with big screens to watch the on-track action, concession stands and continuous entertainment acts that represent Las Vegas' best shows. As an added bonus, the speedway is moving its Winner's Circle into the Neon Garage. In addition to the Neon Garage work, crews have been adding the façade to the speedway's new media center. More than half of the metal panels are in place as the new facility starts to take shape. Race fans can purchase race tickets as well as passes to the Neon Garage by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(10-15-2006)

  • Pit passes sold out for 2007 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS: The popularity of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's newest attraction has led to the sellout of all pit passes for the March 9-11, 2007 NASCAR Weekend. An overwhelming response to the speedway's Jackpot Pass has forced the speedway to suspend sales of pit passes for the event. The Jackpot Pass allows access to both the Neon Garage and the pits for all three days and is the only remaining way for race fans to gain pit access. Race fans can get race tickets, Jackpot Passes, Neon Garage passes and Lucky 7 Preferred parking passes by calling the speedway at 1-800-644-4444 or on the web at www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(10-7-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update Sept. 11-15: The most exciting attraction in motorsports is taking shape in Las Vegas Motor Speedway's infield. Construction crews began raising the preformed concrete walls of the Neon Garage this week as work continued on the speedway's multi-million dollar infield renovation project. Once completed, the Neon Garage will help set Las Vegas Motor Speedway apart from all other race tracks. It will be positioned in the center of the LVMS infield and will be comprised of four buildings - constructed in the shape of a diamond - in which the Nextel Cup teams will prepare their cars to race. Each building will be two stories, which will allow race fans to watch the teams work from ground level or from an elevated position. The center of the Neon Garage will be open to race fans. There will be a sports bar with big screens to watch the on-track action, concession stands and continuous entertainment acts that represent Las Vegas' best shows. As an added bonus, the speedway is moving its Winner's Circle into the Neon Garage as well. In other construction news, paving crews began laying asphalt around the Craftsman Truck Series garage area in preparation for the Smith's Las Vegas 350 Craftsman Truck Series race on Sept. 23; work continued on the new cloverleaf at the vehicular tunnel and preparations to put the metal facing on the new media center got under way.(LVMS PR)(9-17-2006)

  • NASCAR tickets go on sale Saturday at LVMS: Twenty degrees of banking and a completely revamped infield - featuring the most fan-friendly garage in motorsports - have driven ticket demand to new heights for the 2007 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Fast-acting fans will get their opportunity beginning Saturday [Sept 16th] to secure their seats, for 2007 and beyond, when tickets go on sale to the public. Fans are encouraged to buy early as tickets for the big weekend go on sale at 8:00am/pt [11:00am/et]. The 10th annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Nextel Cup event is set for March 11, 2007. Also that weekend are the Sam's Town 300 Busch Series event (March 10) and qualifying and practice sessions for the Nextel Cup Series (March 9). Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com to purchase tickets. Race fans purchasing weekend packages receive seating priority from year to year. Weekend packages include front-stretch seats for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 as well as a free ticket to Friday's qualifying. Passes for the new Neon Garage also will go on sale Saturday. The Neon Garage will be positioned in the center of the LVMS infield. It will be comprised of four buildings - constructed in the shape of a diamond - in which the Nextel Cup teams will prepare their cars to race. Each building will be two stories, which will allow race fans to watch the teams work from ground level or from an elevated position. The center of the Neon Garage will be open to race fans. There will be a sports bar with big screens to watch the on-track action, concession stands and continuous entertainment acts that represent Las Vegas' best shows. As an added bonus, the speedway is moving its Winner's Circle into the Neon Garage as well.(LVMS PR)(9-14-2006)

  • LVMS construction update (Sept. 4-8): Construction crews using earth-moving equipment spent a major portion of the past week grading out the new cloverleaf that will make for easier access in and out of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's infield. The new road design will give vehicles leaving the infield and needing to go behind the backstretch and a route that will take them over the tunnel and prevent those vehicles from having to turn across traffic. The new entry and exit interchange is expected to be completed in time for the Sept. 23 Smith's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. In other construction news this past week:
    * Construction continued on the inside of the new garage building that will be home to the NASCAR Busch Series teams next year as well as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams in two weeks.
    * Crews continued pouring the walls for the new Neon Garage. Once all walls are poured, a crane will lift the walls in to place.
    * Framework for the new media center continues to be erected.
    * NASCAR's scoring loops were installed into the racing surface.(LVMS PR)(9-10-2006)

  • Concrete poured in pit area, sod laid this week at LVMS: Work crews continued their work inside of Las Vegas Motor Speedway by pouring the concrete pit stalls behind the pit wall and completing the landscaping of the superspeedway's tri-oval. With the Smith's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race just three weeks away, the 1.5-mile superspeedway is starting to look like a race track again. With the pouring of the concrete area behind the pit wall, most of the work to have the speedway ready for the Sept. 23 Truck race has been completed. On Wednesday, landscapers laid the final piece of lush green sod in the tri-oval. In addition, most of the steel has been erected for the new media center building, crews are putting the final touches on the garage that will house the Truck Series in a few weeks and work is continuing on the Neon Garage. Once the multi-million dollar project is completed, LVMS will be home to the most modern of fan-interactive attractions with the Neon Garage. The Neon Garage will give race fans an opportunity to get closer than ever before to the men and machines of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. In addition, the 20-degree banking and relocated pit road will make for a much better experience for the thousands of race fans who attend events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(LVMS PR)(9-1-2006)

  • Infield at Las Vegas Motor Speedway goes green: Although we're headed into the final week of August, it's beginning to look like spring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After enduring months of drab brown (dirt) and black (pavement), the color green has emerged in the infield of the tri-oval of the 1.5-mile superspeedway as four acres of sod was planted between pit road and the front straightaway. Construction continues on the Neon Garage fan zone, state-of-the-art media center and NASCAR Busch Series garage. The first event to be held on LVMS' new pavement and 20-degree banked turns will be the Smith's Las Vegas 350 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Sept. 23. Tickets for the event may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(8-26-2006)

  • LVMS media center starting to take shape; Speedway's high banks get first workout: While four Craftsman Truck Series teams tested the new 20 degrees of banking at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, construction crews were continuing their work on the speedway's new media center and the Neon Garage. During the past week, cranes set in place most of the steel for the three-level, state-of-the-art media center. Crews also continued pouring the walls that will be lifted to help form the Neon Garage. The week also marked the first real test for the new pavement and the high banks as Goodyear brought four truck teams to the speedway to help prepare a tire compound for the Sept. 23 Smith's Las Vegas 350. Other progress made this week by construction crews included:
    * Completed the striping of white lines on the superspeedway.
    * Completed the installation of the billboards behind Turns 1 and 2.
    * Began work on establishing a more efficient entry and exit to the vehicle tunnel.
    * Continued internal construction of the new Busch Series garage.
    * Graded the tri-oval grass to make way for fresh sod that will be placed next week.(LVMS PR/Site)(8-19-2006)

  • Four Truck Series teams conclude tire tests at LVMS: Four Truck Series teams concluded tire tests for Goodyear at Las Vegas Motor Speedway tonight. The next time they see the track will be Smith's Las Vegas 350 on Saturday, Sept. 23. Each of the four participating manufacturers were represented: Dodge (Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas), Chevrolet (Dennis Setzer), Toyota (Todd Bodine) and Ford (Rick Crawford). The track qualifying record of 165.320mph was set by Mike Skinner in 2004 [the Nextel Cup track record in 174.904mph, set in 2004], and the teams ran in the 170mph in race trim [reports from Tuesday had the speeds close to 180mph]. Tickets for the Smith's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Sept. 23 may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(8-17-2006)

  • Four Truck Series teams test tires at LVMS: four Truck Series teams are testing tires for Goodyear in a closed session on Las Vegas Motor Speedway's new pavement and banked turns Tuesday and Wednesday: #14-Rick Crawford [Ford], #85-Dennis Setzer [Chevy], #30-Todd Bodine [Toyota] abd #77-Brendan Gaughan [Dodge]
    For three of the four drivers, it was their first time out on LVMS' new pavement and high-banked turns. Having won the 2001 NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 and last year's Truck Series Las Vegas 350 at LVMS, Todd Bodine perhaps knows his way around the 1.5-mile superspeedway better than any of the other participating drivers. The new banking surprised Bodine. "I'll tell you, I was a little skeptical at first, riding around in a (stock) Tundra," Bodine admitted. "But then I got in the race truck and I was very impressed. The track itself - the shape, the entries and exits, the corners - they're much better than they appear to be. I think it's going to be a really good track to race on. I've won here in Busch and Truck and I've always loved coming to Vegas. Hopefully we can get our truck just as good as it was last time." "It's a big, big change," said Chevrolet's Setzer. "It's a huge change - I cannot believe how much has been changed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The banking's going to be fun to work with, I think. It's got some characteristics unique to Vegas already. We'll see how it works." Testing will continue Wednesday at 4 p.m. The session is not open to the public.(images at LVMS.com), hearing top speeds early in the session reached 180mph, the Nextel Cup track record in 174.904mph, set in 2004.(8-16-2006)

  • Steel framework for new media center being erected at LVMS: Construction crews began erecting the steel girders that will provide the framework for Las Vegas Motor Speedway's new state-of-the-art media center this week. As the speedway's renovation project completed its fifth month, crews have completed the re-banking of the 1.5-mile superspeedway from 12 degrees to 20 degrees and have completed the moving of pit road approximately 275 feet closer to the grandstands. This past week, crews turned their attention to the new media center and the Neon Garage. The Neon Garage - an ultra-modern, fan-interactive area - is a place where race fans can watch the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams prepare their cars while being entertained by various acts that represent the famous Las Vegas Strip. Other progress made this week by construction crews included:
    * Began pouring the forms that will become the walls for the Neon Garage.
    * Used NASCAR drivers Kurt Busch and Brendan Gaughan to test the new pavement.
    * Completed the restoration of the SAFER barrier and catch fence.
    * Continued internal construction of the new Busch Series garage.
    * Completed the installation of the irrigation system for the tri-oval grass.
    * Began replacing the giant billboards above Turns 1 and 2.
    * Continued grading parts of the infield to make room for more camping spaces.(LVMS PR)(8-12-2006)

  • Neon Garage to bring Vegas glitz to LVMS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials announced that the new fan-interactive garage area being built in the speedway's infield will be known as the Neon Garage. The name is derived from the neon lights that represent the glamour of Las Vegas as well as the garage that is the centerpiece of NASCAR tracks across the country. "It's not often that you get the opportunity to invent something, but with the Neon Garage, we truly believe that Las Vegas Motor Speedway is creating a new way for fans to experience a NASCAR race," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. The Neon Garage will be positioned in the center of the LVMS infield. It will be comprised of four buildings - constructed in the shape of a diamond - in which the Nextel Cup teams will prepare their cars to race. Each building will be two stories, which will allow race fans to watch the teams work from ground level or from an elevated position. The center of the Neon Garage will be open to race fans. There will be a sports bar with big screens to watch the on-track action, concession stands and continuous entertainment acts that represent Las Vegas' best shows. As an added bonus, the speedway is moving its Winner's Circle into the Neon Garage as well. Tickets for the Neon Garage are on sale now for the March 9-11, 2007 NASCAR Weekend. Race fans can get tickets and Neon Garage passes by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR/Site)(8-10-2006)

  • Kurt Busch first to drive on new LVMS high banks: #2-Kurt Busch on Tuesday became the first driver to turn laps on Las Vegas Motor Speedway's new pavement and high-banked turns. The Las Vegas native drove a car from the Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) which was painted to resemble his #2 Miller Lite Dodge. Busch had nothing but praise for the new asphalt surface and 20-degree banked turns as he exited the car. "First, I am honored to be here to take the first laps on the new track," Busch said. "I just can't wait for the completed product, because what's available right now is so much speed. Everything about it is right -- the transitions into the corners, the new banking, the speed that it's going to (generate). When we qualify here, it'll be beyond the track record. It's hard to tell right now exactly how fast it will be, but I think it will be five-to-10 miles per hour quicker. And what that means for a lap time is probably two or three seconds. It's that much quicker. And what teams are going to have to do to adjust to all this newness is going to be incredible. I can't wait for the test session we have here in January." Busch wasn't the only NASCAR driver to tour the track today. Fellow Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan, who competes in the Truck Series, also turned laps in an RPDE car. "I liked the old track, so I'm not one of those guys that didn't like the old LVMS configuration," said Gaughan, who drives the Orleans Racing Dodge. "I got to talk to the guys who constructed it and they're really proud of it. There are no seams where the banking rises. Las Vegas Motor Speedway's front straight lends itself to a much more friendly and racy straightaway. At Charlotte, Atlanta and Texas, with their flat double-dogleg, it can get dicey where you get a little nervous getting through there. This place seems like you're going to be able to go two or three-wide at the start-finish line much easier than those other tracks. You'll definitely be able to run more grooves. Like Homestead, where they went to multiple banking, the top groove could be pretty quick. I can't wait for the Goodyear tire test here next week. Then the Smith's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race is the first event on the new surface." Tickets for the Sept. 23 Smith's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on LVMS' repaved, high-banked 1.5-mile superspeedway are now on sale and may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at www.LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(8-9-2006)

  • LVMS Construction update (July 31-Aug. 4): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Completed all paving on the superspeedway.
    * Restored approximately 80 percent of the SAFER barrier.
    * Began internal construction of the new Busch Series garage.
    * Started installation of the irrigation system for the tri-oval grass.
    * Completed all infrastructure and underground work on the new media center.
    * Began grading parts of the infield to make room for more camping spaces.
    * Continued the widening of the entrance road to the vehicular tunnel.(LVMS PR)(8-5-2006)

  • Paving continues on LVMS superspeedway; Construction update (July 24-28): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Completed paving on the new, 20-degree banked turns.
    * Paving nearly complete on the superspeedway apron, Legends Cars track and pit road. (Paving on these areas expected to be completed by Aug. 3).
    * Infield electrical and plumbing infrastructure in progress.(LVMS PR)(7-29-2006)

  • Vegas Cup Tix go on sale in September: Records will fall and excitement will rise when the stars of the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the annual NASCAR Weekend March 9-11, 2007. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 16. This will mark the first visit to the speedway for NASCAR's premier series since the speedway raised its banks from 12 to 20 degrees, moved pit road approximately 250 feet closer to the grandstand and erected the state-of-the-art, fan-interactive area as part of the Nextel Cup garage. Again in 2007, the March 11 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is scheduled to be the third stop on the NASCAR Nextel Cup tour. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event will precede the NASCAR Nextel Cup event on Saturday, March 10. Qualifying for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is set for Friday, March 9. Race fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-644-4444, logging on to www.lvms.com or in person at the LVMS ticket services office. Las Vegas Motor Speedway also is offering a special Jackpot Pass, which allows fans access to both the fan-interactive area and the pits throughout the three-day event. All tickets to the fan-interactive area and pit passes must be accompanied by a race ticket. For the third consecutive year, LVMS is offering pre-race activities passes, which allow fans to stand on the racing surface during all pre-race activities including Sunday's driver introductions and VIP speeches. Times for all events will be announced at a later date.(LVMS PR)(7-27-2006)

  • Paving under way on LVMS superspeedway - Construction update (July 17-21): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Completed most of the first layer of asphalt on the superspeedway.
    * Erected the walls for the new NASCAR Busch Series garage.
    * Began adding the roof for the new NASCAR Busch Series garage.
    * Completion of all underground wiring, water and sewer work.
    * Completed most of the catchfence around the superspeedway.(LVMS PR)(7-24-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (July 10-14): In the past week, construction crews at Las Vegas Motor Speedway have completed the following tasks:
    * Started paving the apron, pit road and Legends oval with the base course of asphalt. * Continued erecting the catchfence around the superspeedway. * Completed approximately 85 percent of the installation of lights and mirrors for the new pit road. * Nearing completion of all underground wiring, water and sewer work.(LVMS PR)(7-15-2006)

  • 2nd Cup race at Las Vegas? The hottest rumor in the garage area won't go away. If the Nextel Cup series is going to add a second race to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it's news to them. Racetrack officials called the rumor "interesting" but said they haven't heard anything official. Stay tuned.(Augusta Chronicle)(7-8-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (July 3-7): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Scraped away the remaining asphalt near the superspeedway's start-finish line to prepare for paving.
    * Began attaching the mesh fencing to the catchfence posts around the superspeedway.
    * Completed pouring the concrete walls for the new NASCAR Busch Series garage building.
    * Completed the base of the new media center in preparation for steel installation.(LVMS.com)(7-8-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (June 26-30): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Completed the installation of the Musco lighting system around the entire superspeedway. * Have completed the erection of most of the catchfence along the front stretch as well as through both turns. * Completed all grading on the superspeedway. The high banks of Vegas are ready for paving. * Begun pouring the concrete walls for the new NASCAR Busch Series garage building. * Completed the backfilling of dirt behind the crash wall and around the vehicular tunnel.(LVMS.com, see images)(7-4-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (June 19-23): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Completed the inside retaining wall around the entire superspeedway.
    * Began installing the Musco lighting system in the infield. Lights and mirrors have been erected through turns 1 and 2 and down the back straightaway.
    * Began putting the poles for the catch fence along the front straightaway.
    * Completed the application of the base course foundation of the superspeedway.
    * Continued infrastructure work for the new Busch Series garage and media center.(LVMS PR)(6-24-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (June 12-16): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Completed the inside retaining wall through Turns 1 and 2 and along the back straightaway.
    * Poured the concrete pad for new NASCAR Busch Series garage.
    * Completed the grading for the new fan interactive Nextel Cup garage area.
    * Began the smoothing process of the superspeedway.
    * Begun the process of widening the entrance road leading in to the vehicular tunnels.
    For a complete look at all of this week's construction photos please log on to the following website: lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(6-17-2006)

  • LVMS to put terrace seats on sale for 2007: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is giving race fans a head start on buying the tickets that offer the best views of the speedway's new 20-degree banking and reconfigured pit road. Seats in the Dale Earnhardt Terrace and Richard Petty Terrace for the 2007 NASCAR Weekend will go on sale Thursday [June 15th] at 8:00am/pt [11:00am/et]. The views from both grandstands will be even better in 2007. The speedway's new pit road is 250 feet closer to the frontstretch grandstands, and banking in the turns is increasing from 12 to 20 degrees. The project will enhance the sightlines in the Earnhardt and Petty terraces, bring the pit-road action nearer the fans and should make the racing more competitive. Seats in the rest of the main grandstand will go on sale in September. Race fans can order tickets by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS.com)(6-13-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (June 5-9): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Finished grading the banking in turns 3 and 4 and began pouring the base course stone on the superspeedway.
    * Completed the foundation for both the new NASCAR Busch Series garage and the new media center.
    * Began digging out the building pad for the new fan interactive garage area for the Nextel Cup teams.
    * Completed the extension of the vehicular tunnels and began the widening of the road to the tunnels.
    * Completed the pouring of concrete for the new pit boxes.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway)(6-10-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (May 30-June 2): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    * Finished grading the banking in turns 1 and 2 and began the process of grading the banking in turns 3 and 4.
    * Completed the outer retaining wall around the entire superspeedway. Work has begun on the inside retaining wall.
    * All concrete has been poured for the pit boxes on the new pit road.
    * Completed the building pad for the new media center and started the foundation for the NASCAR Busch Series garage.
    * Finished all grading for the new ¼-mile Legends oval.(LVMS PR/Site images)(6-6-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (May 22-26): In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    1. Completed the building pad for the new media center (construction on the new Busch garage and media center will begin next week). 2. 140,000 cubic yards of fill material now in place for the new track surface (i.e. banking in Turns 1 and 2). 3. "Tunnel retrofit" (extending the infield tunnel outside Turns 1 and 2 while shortening the tunnel on the inside) is 99% complete. 4. Layout of the new ¼-mile oval which joins pit road and the front straightaway. This will be used for Legends Car and Bandolero racing, similar to LVMS' SMI-owned "sister tracks" Atlanta Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. 5. The new concrete retaining wall is 98% complete and will be finished in early June.(LVMS PR)(5-27-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update (May 15-19): Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Public Relations Department will be providing weekly construction updates as the speedway undergoes its multi-million dollar facelift, which will result in a new fan interactive garage area, a pit road closer to the grandstands, resurfaced and re-banked racing surface and state-of-the-art media center. In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks:
    · Brought 40,000 more cubic yards of dirt into the infield. This dirt will make up the fill needed for the new 20-degree banked turns. So far, 80,000 of the 120,000 cubic yards of dirt needed for the project has been put in place.
    · Completed the construction of the back stretch and Turn 2 retaining wall. Crews should be finished building the wall in Turns 1 and 2 by the end of the weekend.
    · Completed the building pad for the new Busch garage.
    · Work is half completed on the building pad for the new media center.
    · The sub-grade and base is completed for the new pit lane. The setting of the concrete pit boxes is scheduled to begin next week.
    · Two of the three infield tunnels have been extended.(see more at LVMS.com)(5-20-2006)

  • Recycling LVMS: Everything old is new again: A lot of Las Vegas Motor Speedway is being torn down, but very little is being thrown away. The speedway's multi-million dollar construction project has created a considerable amount of rubble which might be misconstrued as waste. But quite a bit of what was demolished will be reused. "We have made a concerted effort to recycle as much of the old facility as possible," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "In doing so, we are being both fiscally and environmentally responsible. In the past, we have recycled parts of the grandstands when we built the Earnhardt and Petty Terraces, but this project is much larger than any of those." The estimated 500,000 tons of asphalt removed from the superspeedway's turns, back straightaway, infield and access roads will be recycled to pave five acres of parking lots and 25 acres of campground around the track. The infield top soil - estimated at 100,000 cubic yards - will be enhanced with peat moss and reused in the tri-oval area and elsewhere around the LVMS property. Even the three-lane tunnel will undergo recycling. Its corrugated steel walls from the infield side will be moved to the entrance of the tunnel due to the reshaping of Turns 1 and 2. "The barrier wall is moving out 200 feet, so we had a lot of extra tunnel on the infield side that we don't need," said Devin Horihan, LVMS director of development. "We need it on the outside of the tunnel because we're changing the banking of the track. We took the tunnel apart on the infield side, now we're reassembling it on the outside. "There will be 3,000 feet of wheel fence that will be reused on the backstretch and in Turns 1 and 2. The garage doors from the pit buildings were picked up by a local recycler. The base stone under the asphalt on the track was recycled. It's a high-quality fractured limestone and will be used again under the new track. When you think about it, there really isn't that much waste." Thirty-six palm trees were removed from the tunnel entrance to the superspeedway and will be replanted around the LVMS property. The new speedway surface, which will be banked 20 degrees in the turns and 10 degrees on the back straightaway, will be ready for the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event Sept. 23.(see more at LVMS.com)(5-19-2006)

  • NASCAR Weekend nets record $197 million for Las Vegas economy: More visitors came to Las Vegas this past March and spent more money than any other month in Las Vegas' 101-year history. No entity played a bigger role in that milestone than Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 2006 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas had a record $197 million impact on the state's economy, the greatest expenditure figure in the nine-year history of the event and an astounding 18.4-percent increase from 2005. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual study revealed that the final number was $197,891,200, up from $167,127,800 in 2005. The numbers, a product of one-time expenditures, are based on interviews with race fans during the March 10-12 weekend and reflect the amount of money spent - both gaming and non-gaming - during the four-day event at LVMS. The study estimated approximately 94,875 visitors attended the race from outside Nevada. The event weekend is estimated to have drawn more than 340,000 people through the gates at the speedway. The events included the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race, Friday's qualifying day and two nights of the World of Outlaws. According to the economics research department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, each dollar brought into the area creates a little more than one additional dollar. Based on UNLV's analysis, the event generated more than $400 million as the money cycled throughout the Nevada economy.(see more at LVMS.com)(5-18-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update May 12th: In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks:
    * Begun the process of bringing in dirt to create the 20-degree banked turns and the elevated back stretch. As of Friday, approximately 40,000 cubic yards of fill had been brought into the infield, which is about one-third of the dirt needed to finish the project. * Completed the installation of the new pit wall.
    * Begun the construction of the retaining wall on the backstretch. (Beginning Monday, crews will begin working 24-hour shifts to complete the crash wall around the speedway.)
    * Crews have removed most of the debris from demolished infield buildings.
    * Completed the rewiring of the Musco Lighting System on both the inside and outside of the track.
    * Halfway through the infield tunnel extension project.
    See more at LVMS.com)(5-13-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update: In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks:
    * Begun the construction of the new pit wall in the speedway's tri-oval.
    * Completed the demolition of Garage 1 to make way for the new Busch Series garage.
    * Begun the demolition of the retaining wall in turns 1 and 2.
    * Started the process of replacing the vehicular tunnel to allow for fill to increase the banking in the turns.
    * Completed the removal of the old racing surface.
    See more at LVMS.com)(5-10-2006)

  • LVMS Construction Update: In the past week, construction crews have completed the following tasks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
    " Completed the demolition of the old pit road including the removal of all concrete retaining walls and pavement.
    " Scraped all asphalt from the back straightaway and have begun the process of building the base to elevate the back stretch.
    " Begun the removal of asphalt from all turns and the lights on the inside of the racing surface.
    " Removed debris associated with the demolition of the media center.
    " Begun the soft demolition of Garage 1, which will be torn down to make way for the new Busch Series garage. See picture at LVMS.com)(5-3-2006)

  • Demolition of LVMS infield in full force: Construction crews are working in high gear demolishing buildings in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway infield in preparation for the new fan-interactive garage area, media center and track resurfacing. After two weeks of soft demolition, construction crews have knocked down Garage 2 and are in the process of tearing down Garage 3. Speedway officials expect to raze the media center early next week. In addition to tearing down the garages, much of the catch fencing and SAFER barriers around the 1.5-mile superspeedway have been removed. Sod has been extracted from the tri-oval to make way for the new pit road, which will be approximately 200 feet closer to the grandstand. Crews will begin the process of moving pit road and re-banking the speedway from 12 to 20 degrees in late April. Once completed, the multi-million project will create a new fan-friendly garage area, a pit road that is much closer to the grandstands, a faster and more competitive racing surface and a new state-of-the-art media center. The track resurfacing and pit road relocation project will be completed in time for the Sept. 23 Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. The new fan-interactive garage area is scheduled to open for the 2007 NASCAR Weekend.(LVMS PR, for images and more, see lvms.com)(4-6-2006)

  • Martinsville to 1 race, Vegas to 2? Might Martinsville Speedway lose one of its two NASCAR Cup dates to Las Vegas next season? Speculation is growing that something like that might be in the works. If so, Martinsville's fall race - in the middle of NASCAR's championship chase - might be the chip on the table between the France family and Bruton Smith.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-1-2006)

  • Cup weekend Vegas' biggest sporting event: Acording to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the three-day racing weekend was worth about $167 million to Las Vegas. More important, about $106 million of that was non-gambling revenue. The town used to consider the national rodeo finals as its biggest sporting event, but that 11-day show has clearly been replaced by the NASCAR weekend, according to one executive at Harrah's Casino.(Augusta Chronicle)(3-13-2006)

  • Threat taken serious: An FBI directive stated that a posting on an extremist message board "advocated suicide attacks against sporting events as a cost-effective means of killing thousands of Americans," according to an ABC News report. The ABC report also states that the government does not believe there is an imminent threat. Sunday's Cup race is expected to draw more than 130,000 fans, making it the largest concentration of Americans at a single sporting event that day. A NASCAR spokesman touts the series security as "some of the best security in sports." NASCAR's head of security is a former secret service officer.(Roanoke Times)(3-11-2006)

  • Bruton NOT moving a date to Vegas from an SMI track: Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith reiterated Friday that he would not move dates from one of his tracks to add a second date to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Smith did not rule out, however, that he could buy an existing track and request to move that track's Nextel Cup date. SMI-owned tracks host 10 Cup events - two each plus the Nextel All-Star Challenge at Charlotte, as well as two at Bristol, Atlanta and Texas, and one at Infineon Raceway. SMI rival International Speedway Corp. owns most of the rest of the Cup tracks.(SceneDaily.com)(3-11-2006)

  • Bruton willing to buy Darlington - to move race back to Labor Day weekend: [Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton] Smith said he would be willing to buy a track with an existing Nextel Cup date, for "$200 million to $250 million, something like that," to bring that date to Las Vegas [Motor Speedway]. And he said he was "trying every week" to make just such a purchase. "What we need to do is buy a speedway ... and I'm hoping one day somebody will give me a phone call or knock on the door, and within 15 minutes the deal will be done," Smith said. "They know I'm here and willing and can write a check." Smith also said he would be interested in buying Darlington Raceway, and picked a $100 million price tag - but not to move the date here, rather he said to return the Southern 500 to its historic Labor Day weekend, to "get it back where it belongs." Smith said his Speedway Motorsports operation is "six to seven years behind this sport. And we are going to work like hell to catch up.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-11-2006)

  • Trophy Towers to bring luxury living to Vegas: Trophy Towers, a multi-story condominium with panoramic views of both the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile superspeedway, is the latest addition to LVMS's multimillion-dollar makeover. Speedway officials and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman made the announcement Friday. "I have said many times that I want to make this the greatest speedway in the world," said Bruton Smith, chairman of LVMS's parent company, Speedway Motorsports. "We announced a few weeks ago that we were making major improvements to our infield area and to the racing surface itself. And this is another step in separating this speedway from all others." Smith has overseen condominium projects at three other SMI speedways: Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Each project has been met with rave reviews. "When Bruton announced that he was building condominiums in Charlotte, there were a lot of naysayers," said Chris Powell, general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "But the man has been a visionary in this sport. There is no doubt that once Trophy Towers is completed, it will be the talk of the Las Vegas Valley as well as the racing world." In addition to the private units, Trophy Towers will feature a swimming pool, spa, workout room, private parking and high-tech security. The individual units will range in size from approximately 1,750 square feet to 3,500 square feet for the penthouse. Each condo will have views of both the Strip and the speedway. AI Design Group of Charlotte, N.C., is the architect for the project. AI Design also has planned the speedway's infield renovation and has been involved in man projects at other SMI facilities.(LVMS PR)(3-11-2006)

  • Vegas Cup race almost Sold Out UPDATE: been told that the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Nextel Cup races is almost sold out and only some single-seat tickets remain.
    UPDATE: For the fifth consecutive year, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has attained a virtual sellout for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Nextel Cup Series race. "The demand for race tickets in Las Vegas continues to increase every time we stage a NASCAR race," said LVMS General Manager Chris Powell. "We're especially thrilled to be announcing this sellout, given that we added the 17,000-seat Richard Petty Terrace for this year's race." A few single seats remain for Sunday's event, but Powell expects them to be sold long before the green flag falls at 1:30pm/pt [4:30pm/et]. Tickets are available for Saturday's Sam's Town 300 Busch Series race, Friday's Nextel Cup qualifying and Thursday and Friday World of Outlaws action at the dirt track. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com for tickets and information.(LVMS PR)(3-9-2006)

  • Trick Pony, "Bo Duke," USAF Thunderbirds highlight LVMS pre-races: The hit country music group Trick Pony and John Schneider, best known for his role as Bo Duke on the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show will sing the National Anthems for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300. Trick Pony, which was voted the "Top New Vocal Group" be the Academy of Country Music in 2001, will perform "The Star Spangled Banner" prior to the start of the ninth annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race. At the conclusion of the national anthem, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds will perform a flyover in their famous "Delta Formation." Schneider, who has appeared in many Broadway productions and has recently appeared on the TV show "Smallville," will sing the national anthem for the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race. The hit country band Thunder Road again will perform for one hour as part of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler pre-race show. And for the third consecutive year, Robin Leach will be the master of ceremonies for the Nextel Cup event. Leach is best known for his longtime role as host of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Tickets remain available for the March 10-12 NASCAR Weekend. Tickets also are available for the March 9-10 World of Outlaws events on the half-mile dirt oval.(LVMS PR)(3-3-2006)

  • LVMS expects smooth vehicle flow for NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's ever improving vehicle flow for its March 10-12 NASCAR Weekend should be even better for this year's event, according to LVMS officials. Over the past few years, the completion of the 215 beltway, new interchanges and wider roads have helped make ingress and egress from the speedway's property a constantly improving experience for race fans. The start times for both the March 11 Sam's Town 300 and UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 have been pushed later in the day. The Busch race will start at 3:30pm, while the Nextel Cup event is scheduled for 1:30pm. However, speedway officials are advising fans to come early. Local fans living in the northern and western parts of the valley are encouraged to use the 215 Beltway. Speedway officials also are encouraging as many race fans as possible to use buses and shuttles such as Citizens Area Transit (CAT) for transportation to the races. This year's event also will see a crackdown on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle.(LVMS.com/PR)(3-2-2006)

  • LVMS extends ticket office hours: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Ticket Services Department has extended its office hours until 7 p.m. Race fans will be able to speak with a Ticket Services representative from 8 a.m. (Pacific Time) until 7 p.m Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Sunday. This will be in effect through the March 10-12 NASCAR Weekend. As always, race fans can purchase tickets to LVMS events 24 hours a day by logging on to www.lvms.com. A few tickets remain for both the March 12 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 on March 11. Tickets also are available for the March 9-10 World of Outlaws events on the half-mile dirt track. To reach the Ticket Services department, please call 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS PR)(2-22-2006)

  • Pocono not selling track or race dates: Dr. Joseph Mattioli, owner of Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Tunkhannock Township, PA, on Friday dismissed published reports that he is considering selling the NASCAR track or the rights to either or both of the two Nextel Cup races it hosts each year. A column published this week on the Internet in Yahoo Sports [NOTE: in the column the writer mentioned "While the following is just hypothesizing, there are some interesting potential scenarios:" then mentioned the possible 'sale'] noted that Bruton Smith, owner of Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada, might try to buy Pocono Raceway from Mattioli. The reasoning runs that owning two racetracks would give Smith more options to schedule races and other events. Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts just one Nextel Cup race per year. Mattioli said no one has approached him recently and in any case he's not interested in selling the raceway. "No, I've never heard of that and no one has discussed it with me," Mattioli said Friday. "Why would I do that?" he added, chuckling. "It makes no sense." Speculation that Smith or other rival track owners might try to buy Pocono Raceway has persisted for years. Published reports from 1999 describe almost the same scenario that was mentioned in the online column this week. Renewed speculation on the future of the raceway ran rampant among the Poconos' political and business communities after the Yahoo column appeared this week.(Pocono Record)(2-4-2006)

  • More Changes at LVMS coming: Capital improvements at Las Vegas Motor Speedway won't stop at a new 2007 track configuration, garage area and the interactive fan zone announced Monday. Track owner Bruton Smith told reporters Tuesday he expects Speedway Motorsports Inc [SMI] to spend a whopping $300-million in upgrades over the next 18 months. When questioned by reporters on how the money would be spent Smith would not elaborate. "Whatever we do should be good for the sport" said Smith, "and if we never lose sight of that then NASCAR loves us more everyday and we consistently have to do that. Whatever we do here it's got to be good for the sport and I think when you see what we're going to do I think you'll agree it will be good for the sport." More announcements are expected during the March 12th Las Vegas race weekend.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(2-1-2006)

  • Las Vegas to add banking and make changes UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is expected to at least double the banking in each turn of its 1.5-mile tri-oval. Construction is to begin immediately after the March 12 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and be completed before the Sept. 23 Craftsman Truck Series race. "Our company has announced it is going to make a significant capital expense investment at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but on the specifics of those projects I'm not ready to comment," said Chris Powell, the speedway's general manager since late 1998. He did say he expects the speedway to make an announcement about major improvements soon, possibly during an official NASCAR testing session at the track that runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. The Review-Journal has reported that most of the structures in the infield of the 1.5-mile tri-oval will be razed and rebuilt, including most of race-car garage buildings and the combination media center and suite building, after the March race. Pit road also is expected to be replaced by one moved closer to the main grandstand. A source close to the speedway said banking in the corners will go from 12 degrees to 21 degrees, which would allow cars to race faster through the corners at higher speeds and produce more exciting races. Corner banking is 24 degrees at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., Texas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, which also are 1.5-mile ovals like the one in Las Vegas that are owned by publicly-held Speedway Motorsports Inc. The speedway seemingly has been in a constant state of construction since it was purchased by Speedway Motorsports in 1998. It currently is completing the Richard Petty Terrace, a 17,000-seat expansion above the first turn that will increase permanent seating to around 141,000.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(1-10-2006)
    UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is going to raze its infield - and raise the bar for all speedways in the process. A multimillion-dollar renovation project set to begin following this yearís UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will create a new, fan-friendly garage, add banking to the superspeedway, relocate pit road closer to the grandstands and provide a state-of-the-art media center. "We are going to make Las Vegas Motor Speedway the greatest speedway in the world," said Speedway Motorsports Chairman Bruton Smith. "Las Vegas is all about glitz and glamour. This speedway will be as spectacular as anything on the Las Vegas Strip when we are finished." The centerpiece of the project will be the new garage area for the Nextel Cup teams and fan interactive area. The garage buildings will be constructed in a diamond shape with the team haulers parked on the outside and fans allowed on the inside. The two-level, four-building garage area will encompass 32,000 square feet. A 52,000-square-foot roof deck will allow fans to look directly down into the individual garage stalls as the teams work on their cars. There also will be windows on the lower level where fans can watch the teams work. In addition to the close proximity of fans and race teams, the fan area will feature concession stands, an area where live bands and other entertainers can perform and other amenities that will set Las Vegas Motor Speedway apart from all others.
    "This area will offer a perspective on the sport of auto racing that never has been available to the average race fan," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "And the fan interactive area will bring an element of entertainment that is befitting of the culture of Las Vegas. The possibilities will be limitless." All architectural work on both the garage area and fan interactive area has been done by AI Design of Charlotte, N.C. AI Design also provided the plans for the Dale Earnhardt Terrace and the soon-to-be-opened Richard Petty Terrace at LVMS. "I congratulate Chris Powell and LVMS forlaunching thisimprovement project," said NASCAR Chairman Brian France."The new garage area will give race fans an opportunity to see their favorite drivers up close.The strong relationship between fans and drivers is a NASCAR hallmark, which will be alive and well at LVMS."
    The most dramatic changes for the race teams will be the added banking to the superspeedway and the new pit road. The speedwayís turns will change from 12-degree banking to 20 degrees. The new pit road will be 150 feet closer to the grandstands than the current pit road. Eberly and Associates of Atlanta designed the speedwayís new configuration. Eberly was responsible for the redesign of Atlanta Motor Speedway as well as the current configuration of Texas Motor Speedway. "The new track design will offer more side-by-side racing and give our speedway one of the most competitive tracks on the circuit," Powell said. "By moving pit road closer to the grandstands, race fans will have a much crisper view of the exciting action in the pits." The relocated pit road also will allow for the construction of a quarter-mile oval in front of the main grandstand. This track will feature Legends, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster races.
    A new media center will be constructed behind the new pit road. The structure will accommodate more than 500 members of the media and will have room for driversí meetings and a full-service spa for the racers and their families. The 58,600-square-foot facility will be equipped with meeting rooms, offices, interview rooms and a cafeteria. The media center will be capped off with a corporate hospitality suite and a veranda on which suite guests can view the races. "Bruton has been a visionary since he began building speedways," Powell said. "But the improvements that he has authorized here in Las Vegas will set a new standard." Construction crews will begin their work immediately following the March 10-12 NASCAR Weekend.(LVMS PR/Site see images)(1-30-2006)

  • Testing at Las Vegas - Jan 30/31-Feb 1: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has received 41 entries for NASCAR Preseason Thunder Las Vegas. This test session, which many NASCAR drivers are calling the most important of the season, will take place Jan. 30, 31 and Feb. 1. Each team will be allowed to test for two of the three days. The public is invited to watch the test sessions free of charge each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for the March 10-12 NASCAR Weekend are available by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com.
    Here is a tentative list of test dates and drivers:
    Jan. 30-31: #07-Clint Bowyer, #31-Jeff Burton, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #7-Robby Gordon, #66-Jeff Green, #29-Kevin Harvick, #88-Dale Jarrett, #32-Travis Kvapil, #6-Mark Martin, #26-Jamie McMurray, #38-Elliott Sadler, #00-Hermie Sadler, #21-Ken Schrader, #49-Brent Sherman, #41-Reed Sorenson, #40-David Stremme, #1-Martin Truex Jr., #55-Michael Waltrip and #4-Scott Wimmer.
    Jan. 31-Feb. 1: #16-Greg Biffle, #22-Dave Blaney, #2-Kurt Busch, #5-Kyle Busch, #99-Carl Edwards, #24-Jeff Gordon, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #9-Kasey Kahne, #17-Matt Kenseth, #43-Bobby Labonte, #96-Terry Labonte, #14-Sterling Marlin, #19-Jeremy Mayfield, #42-Casey Mears, #01-Joe Nemechek, #12-Ryan Newman, #45-Kyle Petty, #10-Scott Riggs and #25-Brian Vickers.
    Jan. 30 and Feb. 1: #11-Denny Hamlin, #20-Tony Stewart and #18-J.J. Yeley.
    PLUS: There will be a major announcement regarding construction projects at LVMS on Monday, January 30th at LVMS.(LVMS)(1-26-2006)

  • More motorhome spots available at Las Vegas: Race fans who desire to watch the races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the comfort of their motorhomes will have more opportunities than ever this year. The speedway announced Wednesday that more motorhome spots overlooking the speedway in Turn 3 are now available for the March 10-12 NASCAR Weekend. "The construction of the 17,000-seat Richard Petty Terrace has increased our permanent seating capacity dramatically," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "The additional permanent seating means we no longer will need to construct the bleachers outside Turn 3. That is prime real estate for today's luxury motorhomes. And for the increasing number of fans who choose to stay on the property during our event weekend, this is a perfect opportunity. LVMS remains one of the most 'motorhome friendly' speedways in the sport." A limited number of these spaces is available by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444. In addition to the motorhome spot, purchasers will receive six wristbands for guest admittance to this motorhome area as well as six grandstand tickets for the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event on Saturday, March 11. Some seats remain for the March 12 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event and the Sam's Town 300. Three-day pit passes, pre-race activities passes and Lucky 7 parking passes also are available through the LVMS ticket office.(LVMS PR)(1-13-2006)

  • Vegas Starting Times Set...Busch to end under the lights UPDATE: The lights of Las Vegas will shine on the Busch Series in 2006. A nighttime finish for the 10th running of the Sam's Town 300 highlights the event schedule for the 2006 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. On Monday, speedway officials announced starting times for races and qualifying sessions for the March 10-12 event. The most significant changes from previous years involve the Sam's Town 300. For the first time at LVMS, Busch cars will qualify and race on the same day. Time trials for the Sam's Town 300 are set for 12:05pm on Saturday, March 11 and the race will begin at 3:20pm. The late start of the Busch race should guarantee a finish under the lights. "We've run several successful NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at night here, but we're looking forward to our Busch race finishing under the lights for the first time," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "There's an excitement level associated with racing at night that gets fans on the edge of their seats." The NASCAR Nextel Cup event will start at 12:05pm/pt on Sunday, March 12. Qualifying for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is set for Friday, March 10 at 3:40pm/pt. The Busch cars will practice on Friday and there will be two Nextel Cup practice sessions on Saturday morning prior to Busch qualifying. Tickets are on sale for the NASCAR Weekend by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com. LVMS also had a limited number of three-day pit passes, pre-race activities passes and Lucky 7 parking passes available through its ticket office.(LVMS PR)(12-13-2005)
    UPDATE: The start time for the March 12, 2006 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been changed to 1:40pm/pt. The speedway had announced a 12:05pm/pt start time, but after discussions with NASCAR officials, the decision was made to move the start back 95 minutes.(LVMS PR)(12-14-2005)

  • Installation of seats under way in Richard Petty Terrace at LVMS The Richard Petty Terrace at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is getting colorful this holiday season. Construction crews have begun the installation of the bright red, white and blue seats in the 17,000-seat grandstand. The flip-down, chair seats include cup holders and will give race fans a spectacular view of the racing action. "The construction crews have been working hard on this project since late spring," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "They've been grading land, pouring concrete and erecting steel for the past few months, and it's refreshing to see this magnificent grandstand taking shape." The grandstand will be open for the March 10-12, 2006 NASCAR Weekend. It was similar to the Dale Earnhardt Terrace, which opened in 2004. Tickets are available by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com. Race fans also can purchase three-day pit passes, Lucky 7 preferred parking passes and pre-race activities passes through the speedway ticket office.(LVMS)(12-9-2005)

  • Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities grants awarded: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities held its annual Grant Distribution and Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The Las Vegas Chapter granted $275,000 to 67 local children's charities at the ceremony, an increase of 16 groups from 2004. Honored guests included Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Secretary of State Dean Heller as well as representatives from Senator John Ensign and Congressman Jim Gibbon's offices. The evening's festivities included holiday vocal selections by Malia Civetz, and performances by the Mariachi Band from J.D. Smith Middle School and Culture Shock Las Vegas inner city dance troupe. Fundraising events for the 2005 season included the seventh annual NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam's Town Live!, the chapter's third annual golf tournament, the inaugural Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament at the Cannery Hotel and Casino, and the Run-for-the-Money competition at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(LVMS PR)(12-5-2005)

  • Unveiling of Las Vegas's latest attraction - Earnhardt wax figure UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell will be on hand Wednesday to help unveil the newest Las Vegas motorsports attraction. Powell will join Adrian Jones, general manager of Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, as they unveil a $200,000 life-size wax figure of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. The Earnhardt figure will be the first piece of the new "Speed" exhibit opening at Madame Tussauds at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. "Dale Earnhardt was one of the great racers and champions in the history of motorsports," Powell said. "In 2004, Las Vegas Motor Speedway honored Dale by naming a fabulous grandstand, the Dale Earnhardt Terrace, in his memory. Similarly, the tribute to Dale by Madame Tussauds points up the importance of Dale's role in motorsports. And the coming 'Speed' attraction, featuring additional legendary drivers, also illustrates the strong link and enormous popularity of NASCAR racing in our great city. We at the speedway are honored to be a part of it." Tickets are on sale in both the Earnhardt and new Richard Petty Terrace for the March 10-12, 2006 NASCAR Weekend at LVMS. Race fans can order tickets by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com.(PR)(8-24-2005)

    LVMS General Manager Chris Powell [left] and Madame Tussauds GM Adrian Jones [right]


    UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway General Manager Chris Powell joined Adrian Jones, general manager of Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, in an unveiling of a first-of-its-kind wax likeness of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt Wednesday. A meticulously recreated $200,000 life-size wax figure of Earnhardt, dressed in an official driving uniform, complete with cap, jacket and sunglasses, was unveiled during ceremonies that opened the attraction to the public. The figure of Earnhardt is standing in a Victory Lane setting with arms raised in triumph just as he had done 76 times in his NASCAR career. Earnhardt is the first auto racing legend to have a wax figure in the SPEED attraction. Visitors to Madame Tussauds can stand next to the Earnhardt figure and be photographed with it while experiencing the sights and sounds of one of the most thrilling moments in NASCAR history. "Dale Earnhardt introduced the sport of auto racing to millions and his presence best represents the country's fastest-growing spectator sport," Jones said. "Madame Tussauds is dedicating this attraction to auto racing on a long-term basis and we will update this experience with additional $200,000 wax figures of famous auto racing legends on a regular basis. But, when we asked our customers and auto racing fans who should be first, a great majority said Earnhardt." Madame Tussauds Las Vegas is open seven days a week. For attraction hours and pricing, call 702-862-7800, or visit online at www.mtvegas.com.(LVMS PR)(8-25-2005)

  • Bill would let Las Vegas buy 115 acres The Las Vegas Motor Speedway could expand by 115 acres under legislation explored Wednesday by a U.S. Senate subcommittee. The land would provide additional parking for spectators at the 1,200-acre racetrack, according to a bill introduced in April by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. The land, now controlled by the Bureau of Land Management, would be sold directly to the speedway after an appraisal by a BLM-approved examiner, according to the bill. BLM and congressional officials said they had no estimate of the property's value. Speedway officials approached Ensign for the land, which is a sand and gravel pit next to the venue. Though not yet under strain, the speedway could use more parking to accommodate expansion, General Manager Chris Powell said. A 17,000-seat grandstand is slated to open in 2006, he said. The speedway also hopes to host a second NASCAR event each year in addition to the NASCAR Nextel Cup, which drew 156,000 people March 13. Though the speedway can handle 25,000 cars, Powell said, 115 additional acres would translate into roughly 33 percent more parking. "It's very important to us getting this parking, in an effort to get that second NASCAR event."(Las Vegas Review Journal)(7-22-2005)

  • Petty and Earnhardt Terrace seats at LVMS now on sale: The seats with the greatest views in motorsports are on sale now at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tickets in the new Richard Petty Terrace and Dale Earnhardt Terrace are available to all race fans wanting to attend next year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event and the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race. The seats offer excellent sight lines of the entire speedway and a panoramic view of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. While sanction agreements for the NASCAR Nextel Cup/Busch Series events have not yet been signed, the dates for the 2006 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas are tentatively set for March 10-12. While it's unlikely that those time slots would change, dates are not official until the signing of the sanction agreements. LVMS will make an announcement as soon as the dates become final.
    Race fans who purchase tickets for the Petty and Earnhardt terraces also will receive tickets to Pole Day during the spring event as well as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in the fall of 2006. All Petty and Earnhardt terrace ticket holders will have the opportunity to renew their seats each year. All other tickets for the 2006 NASCAR Weekend will go on sale Sept. 12. Fans can buy their tickets by calling the speedway box office at 1-800-644-4444 or by logging onto www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(6-28-2005)

  • Grandstand demolition makes way for Petty Terrace at LVMS: The latest phase of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's expansion began in earnest Wednesday with the demolition of the upper Section 1 grandstand. Construction crews will spend the next week clearing debris from the area, diverting parts of Checkered Flag Lane and relocating palm tress in preparation for the construction of the 17,000-seat Richard Petty Terrace. "We're always making improvements here at LVMS, but this construction project is on a much grander scale," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "We look at today's demolition as a sign of progress. We opened the Dale Earnhardt Terrace to rave reviews in 2004, and we think fans sitting in the Petty Terrace will be equally happy with this magnificent seating area. "We are close to completing the renewal process for the 2006 event. Based on the current renewal rate, the demand for tickets is higher than ever as we prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Las Vegas Motor Speedway next year." The Petty Terrace will be open for the March, 2006 NASCAR Weekend. Tickets in the Petty Terrace are slated to go on sale in July. All other tickets will be available in September. The Petty Terrace will be complete with individual, flip-down seats with cup holders. These seats will provide race fans a clear view of pit road and the cars as they leave the pits.(LVMS site, see some pics)(6-16-2005)

  • Changes at Vegas: Before the 2007 Cup race in Las Vegas, he [Bruton Smith] expects more than 150,000 spectators to see a completely rebuilt infield that will move pit road several hundred feet closer to the grandstand. A new media center and team garages will be erected, new spectator areas created and more space will be available for infield parking -- and partying. He expects those projects will cost around $50 million, and he might rebuild the 1.5-mile track [like Homestead did] to improve the qualify of racing.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(6-6-2005)

  • LVMS to offer "suite" deal to a lucky ticket buyer: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is rewarding a lucky ticket buyer with a free upgrade to suite passes for the 2006 NASCAR Weekend. Anyone who purchases tickets for next year's event before Christmas will be entered into a drawing for the suite upgrades. Anyone who has renewed their tickets from previous years will automatically be entered into the drawing. The drawing will be held in January. The NASCAR Weekend is scheduled for March 10-12, 2006. Race fans can purchase tickets to all of these events by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to lvms.com.(LVMS)(11-29-2005)

  • One Week left to get Vegas tix by Christmas: Race fans planning to give NASCAR tickets as Christmas gifts have one week remaining in order to ensure delivery by Dec. 25. Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Ticket Services department will guarantee a pre-Christmas delivery of any tickets ordered by Nov. 30. Tickets ordered after Nov. 30 are not guaranteed to arrive by the holiday season. NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas is set for March 10-12, 2006. Tickets in the new 17,000-seat Richard Petty Terrace, as well as the Dale Earnhardt Terrace, are available. Assorted other tickets in the grandstands also remain. Race fans also can purchase weekend pit passes, pre-race activities passes and Lucky 7 preferred parking passes through the speedway ticket office by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(11-23-2005)

  • NASCAR tickets go on sale Monday at LVMS: Tickets for the March 10-12, 2006 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go on public sale Monday at 8 a.m. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com to purchase tickets. Las Vegas Motor Speedway also is offering weekend pit passes and pre-race activities passes. The pit passes, which must be accompanied by a ticket and are not to be confused with garage passes, allow fans access to the infield and pit-road areas during practice, qualifying and pre-race. The pre-race activities passes allow fans to stand on the racing surface in front of the stage during Sunday's driver introductions and VIP speeches.(LVMS)(9-9-2005)

  • LVMS to collect donations to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be collecting money throughout the month of September to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, speedway officials announced Wednesday. Speedway personnel and competitors will collect funds at every LVMS event. The money will be turned over to the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross. The money then will be sent to Red Cross chapters in the Gulf Coast region. "Our hearts go out to all of those people who have been affected by the storm," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "It seems that with every news report that comes in there is another heartbreaking story. We want to do our part to assist in the relief efforts, and we hope that we are just one of thousands of organizations that will help in the relief effort." The Red Cross has asked for monetary donations instead of clothing or canned goods due to the cost of transporting the material cross country. Over the next three weeks, collections will be taken at the gates at both the Bullring and the Strip. In addition, racers will come through the stands at each event and take collections prior to the start of racing action. Plans still are being finalized between the speedway and the Red Cross to arrange for the collection of donations during the Las Vegas Double Down featuring the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series on Sept. 24.(LVMS PR)(8-31-2005)

  • NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas nets record $167 million for economy: The 2005 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas had a record $167 million impact on the state's economy, the greatest expenditure figure in the eight-year history of the event and an astounding 17.1% increase from 2004. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual study revealed that the final number was $167,127,800, up from $142,673,400 in 2004. The numbers, a product of one-time expenditures, are based on interviews with race fans during the March 11-13 weekend and reflect the amount of money spent - both gaming and non-gaming - during the four-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The study estimated approximately 99,300 visitors attended the race from outside Southern Nevada. The event weekend is estimated to have drawn more than 340,000 people through the gates at the speedway. The events included the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race, Friday's qualifying day and two nights of the J.D. Byrider Las Vegas Outlaw Nationals for the World of Outlaws. See full story and charts at LVMS.com.(6-2-2005)

  • Bruton Looking to Buy Track and Move Date: Bruton Smith [SMI, owns Atlanta, Bristol, Las Vegas, Lowe's MS, Texas and Infineons] said he's trying to purchase another speedway that has a Nextel Cup event so he can transfer that Cup date to his Las Vegas track: "I work on that every week. It's very difficult, but it's a no-brainer that the entertainment capital of the world should have two Cup races."(Dallas Morning News)(4-29-2005)

  • 2006 Schedule, bidding for finale? Darlington race date to be sold? UPDATE Denied: NASCAR executives are working on the 2006 Nextel Cup tour schedule, and one suggestion from teams in the garage is for NASCAR to move the season finale to different tracks, as the Super Bowl is moved, with that date up for bids to the track owner willing to post the largest purse. But there are indications that the International Speedway Corp.[ISC] may be willing to sell Darlington Raceway and its lone remaining Cup tour date to track owner Bruton Smith, to move that tour date to Las Vegas, for a Cup event during the last 10 weeks of the 2006 season. And Smith would be willing to bid on being the host for the season finale at Las Vegas Speedway.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-4-2005)
    UPDATE: Darlington Raceway president Chris Browning got a call Tuesday that sent him scrambling: Was International Speedway Corp. contemplating a sale of the old country track to its rival? So Browning, who was displaced when North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham was sold last year, called down to the company's Daytona Beach, Fla., headquarters to find out. "They told me, 'Hey, nothing to it, buddy,' " Browning told The Associated Press. "That was good enough for me. There's absolutely no truth to the rumors whatsoever," he said. "I don't know where they got started." Smith was unavailable Tuesday and the company doesn't comment "on speculative opinions expressed by other sources outside the company," spokesman Jerry Gappens said. Smith has said previously he would "welcome the opportunity to explore additional NASCAR-sanctioned events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway," Gappens said. International Speedway Corp. spokesman David Talley said there's been no talk of selling Darlington, which has hosted NASCAR events since 1950. His company's focus, he said, is developing tracks in the New York City area and the Pacific northwest. Also, recent improvements at Darlington like its multimillion-dollar lighting system mean "you can surmise that we are very behind the track," Talley said. Browning expects to announce more capital improvements in the coming weeks that will add to the track's viability.(CNNSI/AP) AND Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president for corporate communications, said that's not the case. "Bruton said something to the affect if Darlington was for sale, he would be interested in buying it," Hunter said. "In the liberal translation of that it has become 'planning to buy it. But it's not for sale. There are no plans for it to be for sale. There's absolutely no merit to that rumor."(The State)(4-6-2005)

  • Bruton looking to buy Darlington? UPDATE: Bruton Smith, whose Speedway Motorsports owns Atlanta Motor Speedway, is making noise over getting another Cup date for one of his tracks [Las Vegas]. Speculation has it that Smith is looking at buying Daytona Beach-based International Speedway Corporation's Darlington Speedway -- now pared to one Cup date -- closing it down and plugging its Cup date into one of his tracks, elsewhere.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(3-20-2005)
    UPDATE: The future of Darlington Raceway is again the subject of speculation - that the France family's International Speedway Corp. may sell the South Carolina track to promoter Bruton Smith so he can move Darlington's remaining Nextel Cup date to Las Vegas Speedway next season [and squash the Atlanta to Vegas runor]. The Frances were on the verge of selling Darlington to Smith last year, for just such a Cup swap, only to back off at the last moment. One reason for adding a second date in Las Vegas would be to increase the value of NASCAR's pending new TV contracts, currently under negotiation.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-21-2005)

  • Las Vegas to add more seats for 2006 UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is expected today to announce it will make its second major grandstand expansion in two years. The speedway will expand the grandstand near Turn 1 of its 1.5-mile tri-oval, a track source said, to include a structure similar to the 22,000-seat Dale Earnhardt Terrace in Turn 4 that opened in time for last year's Nextel Cup race. It's likely the plans had been discussed for at least a year, but any doubts about the costly venture were dashed when the speedway sold out its 144,000 permanent seats for today's eighth annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race more than a month ago. Once those seats sold, the speedway began erecting temporary grandstands in the third turn, and those estimated 12,000 seats had sold out by Saturday afternoon. The attendance today should be around 156,000, which would shatter the record of 145,275 set in 2003.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(3-13-2005)
    UPDATE: Like the city for which it's named, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is expanding. LVMS officials announced that a grandstand will be built in time for the 2006 NASCAR Weekend. The seating capacity for the new structure has not yet been determined, but it likely will exceed 14,000. The grandstand will be named in honor of Richard Petty, the seven-time NASCAR champion. The "Richard Petty Terrace" will feature "flip-down" seats and extra amenities such as dedicated restrooms and concessions and will be located above the current Section 1, adjacent to LVMS's Turn 1. "The growth of Las Vegas and the demand for tickets at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are remarkably similar," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "Las Vegas is the fastest-growing community in the country. Today's announcement reflects that growth as well as the tremendous energy around motorsports here in Southern Nevada." Powell said the idea of naming the new structure for NASCAR's "King" was a simple one. "Bruton and I discussed it, and we agreed there was truly only one choice," Powell said of Bruton Smith, chairman of LVMS's parent company, Speedway Motorsports Inc. "There are only two seven-time NASCAR champions, and the addition of the Richard Petty Terrace gives our speedway grandstands named in honor of both of them." The decision to build additional seating at LVMS comes just a year after the completion of the Dale Earnhardt Terrace. LVMS's current capacity stands at 122,000 permanent seats, excluding suites and those watching from motorhome locations.(LVMS PR)(3-14-2005)

  • Las Vegas MS stops selling alcohol before the end of the race: For the first time in track history, Las Vegas Motor Speedway stopped selling alcohol before the end of Saturday's NASCAR Busch race and will do the same before today's Nextel Cup race ends. Las Vegas is believed to be among the first NASCAR-sanctioned tracks to ban alcohol sales. Infineon Raceway has cut alcohol sales before the end of the Cup race the last five years. Recent events, including a $105 million court verdict, could lead more tracks to limit when fans purchase alcohol. A Lowe's Motor Speedway spokesperson said Saturday that track officials have discussed stopping alcohol sales at a certain point but have not made a decision. Saturday, Las Vegas Motor Speedway alerted fans that it would stop alcohol sales after lap 170 of the 200-lap Busch series race. The track is expected to cut alcohol sales around lap 225 in today's 267-lap race. Cutting alcohol sales before an event ends has become common in other professional sports but not in racing. Last month, the NBA announced that it would prohibit the sale of alcohol in the fourth quarter, restrict the size of drinks to 24 ounces and limit fans to two drinks. The changes came in response to the brawl last November between Detroit fans and members of the Indiana Pacers. While that fight gained more publicity, a New Jersey court case also is causing sports franchises and beverage vendors to reexamine their policies. A State Superior Court judge upheld a $105 million verdict on March 4 against a Giants Stadium concessionaire for selling beer to a drunken football fan who later caused an accident, leaving a girl paralyzed. The company, Aramark, plans to appeal the verdict.(News and Record)(3-13-2005)

  • Ticket Packages Still Available for Vegas: What are your plans for this weekend? [well....working the site, doing semi-live qualifying, watching the race, Enterprise and Deadwood]. How do sunny skies, an average temperature of 80 degrees, America's greatest city and the excitement of NASCAR sound? For less than $1,000, those of you in the northeast can escape the bitter cold and rainy weekend and head to beautiful Las Vegas to attend the Sam's Town 300 on March 12 and the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 13. "This is the perfect weekend escape from the harsh weather in many of the major eastern cities," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "This may be the best forecast we have ever had for a NASCAR Weekend. It's the perfect weekend junket for any NASCAR fan."
    Airfare from most major northeastern cities, including Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York is less than $500 and hotel-room rates have dropped in recent weeks. Triple Play tickets still are available for $119. They provide race fans a bleacher seat for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event on March 13, a reserved grandstand seat for the Sam's Town 300 Busch Series event on March 12 and a general admission ticket for the Las Vegas Double Down on Sept. 24 featuring the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series. Tickets and information are available at www.lvms.com, or 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS PR)(3-9-2005)

  • LVMS expects smooth vehicle flow for NASCAR Weekend Las Vegas Motor Speedway's ever improving vehicle flow for its March 11-13 NASCAR Weekend should be even better for this year's event, according to LVMS officials. Over the past three years, the completion of the 215 beltway, new interchanges and wider roads have helped make ingress and egress from the speedway's property a seamless experience for race fans. "The combination of better traffic planning, cooperation from all areas of transportation and law enforcement and the continued education of our race fans has dramatically improved vehicle flow over the past several years," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "While the traffic plan itself is virtually the same as last year, we expect this year to be even better than the past years." One notable difference for race fans attending the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event on Saturday, March 12 will be the unimpeded flow following the event. In past years, incoming traffic for races at either the dirt track or Bullring had conflicted with traffic exiting the superspeedway. There are no racing events scheduled for Saturday night this year.
    "We still want people to continue to plan on arriving early and show patience when they are leaving," Powell said. "We will continue to impress upon everyone the importance of using the 215. Last year, the number of cars using 215 was much greater than 2004, and it showed with the improvements we saw last year." Speedway officials also are encouraging as many race fans as possible to use buses and shuttles such as Citizens Area Transit (CAT) for transportation to the races. This year's event also will see a crackdown on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. General parking is free at LVMS.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(3-4-2005)

  • American Idol star National Anthem at LVMS, and the Thunderbirds: Diana DeGarmo, who burst on the national stage by finishing runner-up in the 2004 American Idol competition, will perform the National Anthem prior to the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. DeGarmo, 17, has been performing around the world throughout the past year and is preparing for the release of her first album, "Blue Skies." DeGarmo's performance will be punctuated by a flyover from the USAF Thunderbirds. It will be the second consecutive year the Air Force's most precise flying team will perform the flyover. Robin Leach, former star of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, will return for the second year as master of ceremonies for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Tickets are available for the NASCAR Weekend by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.tickets.com.(LVMS PR)(3-2-2005)

  • More on the Atlanta-Vegas rumored race swap: Don't believe everything you read on the Internet [gasp]. A popular auto racing Web site created a stir in Atlanta and Las Vegas this week when it posted a rumor that one of Atlanta Motor Speedway's two NASCAR Nextel Cup races would be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2006 or 2007. The report also said that LVMS "supposedly has plans to add ... possibly 50,000 more seats." The rumor prompted amusement from LVMS general manager Chris Powell and an angry response from his counterpart in Atlanta, Ed Clark. Both tracks are owned by Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. "I'm just trying to figure out where we're going to put 50,000 seats," Powell said, dismissing the rumor with a chuckle. Clark was not as amused. "The report was completely unfounded and false," Clark said in a statement. "It's very disappointing that Internet sites spread this kind of mistruth. Rumors like this, published without any attempt at verification, create confusion and they hurt our fans, our competitors and our sport. There have been absolutely no discussions in our company about moving a NASCAR date from Atlanta. We will continue to host two NASCAR races well into the future." Powell, who has been lobbying NASCAR for several years to get a second annual Nextel Cup Series race at his track, also said he has heard no talk about Smith moving a race to Las Vegas from any of his tracks -- or adding 50,000 additional seats. Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. also owns Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway.(Las Vegas Sun)(2-27-2005)

  • An Atlanta race to Las Vegas? UPDATE 4 denied and 'slammed': hearing that in 2006 or 2007, one of Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) Nextel Cup races could be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which supposedly has plans to add more grandstands.....possibly 50,000 more seats.(2-23-2005)
    UPDATE: been told by folks at AMS that this is completely false.
    UPDATE 2: Contrary to an internet report posted Wednesday, Speedway Motorsports Inc. has no plans to move a NASCAR race date from Atlanta Motor Speedway to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "The report was completely unfounded and false," Clark said. "It's very disappointing that internet sites [hmm..always blame the Internet sites] spread this kind of mistruth. Rumors like this, published without any attempt at verification, create confusion, and they hurt our fans, our competitors and our sport." Atlanta Motor Speedway hosts two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race weekends - each March and October - which are the two largest sporting events annually in Georgia. "There have been absolutely no discussions in our company about moving a NASCAR date from Atlanta," Clark said. "We will continue to host two NASCAR races well into the future, giving fans the 'Real Racing. Real Fast.' that they expect when visiting NASCAR's fastest track."(Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)(2-23-2005)
    UPDATE 3: Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark said there's no substance to a report on a popular racing Web site claiming that AMS will lose a Nextel Cup race to its sister track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in 2006 or 2007. Jayski.com posted the report on Wednesday. "That's totally unfounded, uncalled for and irresponsible to report," Clark said. "It's hurtful to our track and our fans." Jay Adamczyk, who hosts the jayski.com site, declined to comment other than to say, "I stand by what I posted and heard."(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(2-24-2005)
    UPDATE 4: A report this week on a popular and highly respected motorsports Internet site said within two years one of two Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, giving the local track two annual races. Both facilities are owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc. I [Jeff Wolf] called Bruton Smith, chairman of SMI, to ask if there was merit to the Jayski.com report. Smith responded with a word [what Dale Jr. got penalized for?] that describes what I try to avoid stepping in when walking behind bulls at the rodeo. He added that he had no plans to shift one of Atlanta's races to Las Vegas.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(2-25-2005)

  • Final week to purchase $99 tickets for LVMS: Race fans wanting to take advantage of the special $99 Las Vegas Triple Play tickets have until the start of Sunday's Daytona 500 to purchase the tickets at that price. Once the green flag falls at Daytona, the ticket price will be $119. The Triple Play tickets provide race fans a bleacher seat for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event on March 13, a reserved grandstand seat for the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event on March 12 and a general admission ticket for the Las Vegas Double Down on Sept. 24 featuring the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series. LVMS officials announced last month that no tickets remained in the speedway's main grandstands for the NASCAR Weekend. The increased demand for tickets led to the construction of the bleacher seats. Contact info at lvms.com(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(2-15-2005)

  • Vegas adding more seats, on sale NOW: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will add bleacher seating outside Turn 3 for the March 11-13 NASCAR Weekend, speedway officials announced Tuesday. The Nextel Cup UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is set for March 13, one day after the Busch Series Sam's Town 300. A few seats remain in the speedway's permanent grandstands for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event, but speedway officials expect they will last only a few more days. The demand for tickets prompted speedway officials to add the bleacher seats. "The demand for tickets is a testament to the appeal of Las Vegas as a destination city and to the dedication of the employees of this speedway," said Chris Powell, LVMS's general manager. "The NASCAR product is extremely strong, and people know they can come to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and enjoy motorsports at a first-class facility." Tickets in the Turn 3 bleachers go on sale Wednesday at 8:00am/pt. These "Triple Play" tickets include a reserved seat for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300, as well as a general admission ticket for the Las Vegas Double Down in the Desert on Sept. 24 featuring the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series. Race fans can get a discount on these tickets if they buy before the start of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20. Triple Play tickets bought before Feb. 20 will cost $99. The prices will increase to $119 as soon as the green flag drops to begin the Daytona 500. In addition, there are a limited number of camping spots as well as the new pre-race activities passes available. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com for tickets, camping and pre-race passes.(LVMS PR)(1-16-2005)

  • Single Tickets All That Remain in Earnhardt Terrace for Las Vegas races: A few single tickets are all that remain in Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Dale Earnhardt Terrace for NASCAR Weekend March 11-13. "The demand for seats in the Earnhardt Terrace this year has far surpassed our expectations," said Chris Powell, general manager of LVMS. "It's quite apparent that fans who attended last year's NASCAR Weekend enjoyed the great view and the extra amenities afforded by the Earnhardt Terrace." NASCAR Weekend includes the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event on March 13, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event on March 12 and qualifying for both races on Friday, March 11. Aside from the remaining single tickets, fans still can purchase seating at the top of the speedway's Section 4, which sits outside the Turn 3-4 area. Those seats are in short supply, and availability likely will be exhausted in the coming week. Tickets still remain for the Sam's Town 300 as well as Qualifying Day the World of Outlaws on March 10-11 at the half-mile dirt oval. Race fans also can purchase a pre-race activities pass that will allow them to watch all of the pre-race festivities - including driver introductions - from the racing surface. A limited number of motorhome spaces also are available in both the Hollywood and Bullring RV Lots. To purchase tickets, passes or motorhome parking, call their ticket office at 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS PR)(1-21-2005)

  • 35 Cup drivers to test at Las Vegas: Just how important is Preseason Thunder Las Vegas? All 10 drivers in last year's Chase for the Nextel Cup have indicated they will visit LVMS Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 to prepare for the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. In 2004, eight of the 10 drivers who made the Chase for the Championship tested in Las Vegas. The top-10 drivers from 2004 are part of a record list of 35 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers who will attend the two-day test on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The testing list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman - two drivers who didn't test in 2004 and struggled during the race. The Las Vegas test will mark the first full test for most of the teams with the shorter spoilers and new tire compounds instituted by NASCAR and Goodyear for the 2005 season. In addition, 14 NASCAR Busch Series drivers are scheduled to test Feb. 2 and 3. Defending series champion Martin Truex Jr., former Champ Car star Michel Jourdain Jr. and Shane Hmiel, who won the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in 2004, are among the drivers scheduled for the two-day Busch test. The speedway's grandstands will be open to the public free of charge all four days. The testing starts at 9:00am and will conclude at 5:00pm each day.
    Following is a complete list of the drivers scheduled to test.
    Nextel Cup drivers (Jan. 31-Feb. 1): John Andretti, Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Green, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Jason Leffler, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Joe Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Kyle Petty, Scott Riggs, Ricky Rudd, Elliott Sadler, Johnny Sauter, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Rusty Wallace and Michael Waltrip.(LVMS PR)(1-12-2005)

  • LVMS to offer race fans passes for NASCAR driver introductions: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is offering race fans who attend the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 a chance to see the pre-race festivities from "ringside." For the first time ever, LVMS has made a limited number of passes available for race fans to stand on the speedway surface - at the start-finish line -- during all pre-race activities, including driver introductions, prior to the annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event. "Each year, we look for ways to enhance the racing experience for our fans," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "These pre-race activities passes will allow fans to get within a few feet of all the NASCAR drivers and have the best seat in the house for all of the special presentations, driver introductions and VIP speeches." Due to space limitations, there will be a limited number of these passes available and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost for these passes is $75. LVMS also has a few tickets remaining in the Dale Earnhardt Terrace as well as turns 3 and 4 for the event weekend. To purchase your pre-race activities pass, please call the LVMS ticket services department at 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(1-7-2005)

  • Las Vegas tix deadline for Christmas deliver: Dec 10th: Race fans who want to give Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR tickets as holiday gifts have until the end of this week to ensure a delivery before Dec. 25. LVMS has made a pledge to all ticket buyers that tickets purchased by Dec. 10 for the March 11-13, 2005 NASCAR Weekend will arrive prior to Dec. 25. Race fans can purchase tickets by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com.(12-7-2004)

  • NASCAR'S new qualifying procedure will not apply to LVMS in 2005: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's traditional NASCAR Weekend schedule will be unchanged in 2005. Speedway officials said LVMS will not be among the venues that will be moving NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying to Saturday. In an announcement made Monday, NASCAR cited that a majority of the speedways hosting Nextel Cup events would hold qualifying for their Nextel Cup races on Saturday mornings instead of the traditional Friday afternoons. However, qualifying for the March 13, 2005 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at LVMS will be held on Friday, March 11. "The Las Vegas NASCAR Weekend is unique in comparison to many of the other NASCAR Nextel Cup events," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "Roughly 70 percent of our race fans come from out of state, and they come from all over the world to enjoy three days of motorsports and three days of what Las Vegas has to offer. "To cut a day of racing out of the schedule would be unpopular to people who have traveled great distances to get here. We applaud NASCAR's efforts to cut costs for the race teams, but we do not believe this would be good for our fans or our community." Qualifying for the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event also will be held on Friday, March 11. The Sam's Town 300 is scheduled for Saturday, March 12.(LVMS PR)(11-16-2004)

  • Speedway Children's Charities poker tournament raises $6,859: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities hosted its inaugural Texas Hold 'em Poker Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004, at The Cannery Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The evening of "cards for kids" raised $6,859 for the children of southern Nevada. First prize was claimed by Rick Taylor, who won a party suite at The Orleans Arena (event to be determined), including: 30 suite tickets, exclusive access to the premium concourse level, 10 VIP parking passes and concierge service. The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will hold its annual Christmas Tree Lighting & Grant Distribution Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. A total of $275,140 will be distributed to 51 local children's causes.(LVMS PR)(11-2-2004)

  • LVMS guarantees tix delivery by Dec. 25: NASCAR tickets at Las Vegas Motor Speedway have become very popular holiday gifts, and this year, the speedway is guaranteeing early ticket buyers that they will receive their tickets in time for the holiday season. Race fans buying their tickets for March 11-3, 2005 NASCAR Weekend by Dec. 10 will receive their tickets before Dec. 25. "We have received a great deal of feedback from our race fans expressing their desire to receive their tickets prior to the holidays," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "With the extremely high number of renewals that have been processed already, our ticketing staff is prepared to have tickets in the mail within days of confirming the orders." LVMS will begin mailing all renewed and recently purchased tickets in mid-November. The 2005 NASCAR Weekend will include the eighth running of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event on Sunday, March 13 and the ninth-annual Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event on Saturday, March 12. Qualifying for both events is scheduled for Friday, March 11. Race fans can purchase tickets by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(11-1-2004)

  • NASCAR tickets go on sale Monday at LVMS: Tickets for the 2005 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go on public sale Monday at 8 a.m. The eighth annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event is set for March 13, 2005. Also that weekend are the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event (March 12) and Pole Day (March 11). Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com to purchase tickets. Race fans purchasing weekend packages receive seating priority from year to year. Weekend packages include front-stretch seats for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 as well as a free ticket to Pole Day. Las Vegas Motor Speedway also is offering weekend pit passes. These passes, which must be accompanied by a ticket and are not to be confused with garage passes, allow fans access to the infield and pit-road areas during practice, qualifying and pre-race.(LVMS PR)(9-9-2004)

  • Construction crews complete installation of SAFER barriers at LVMS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has completed the installation of the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers. LVMS installed 6,107 linear feet of the SAFER barrier, covering approximately 75 percent of the 1.5-mile superspeedway's outer walls. The SAFER barrier system has been placed outside of all four turns as well as most of the front straightaway. The construction project was handled by Behade Builders of Las Vegas. The SAFER barrier system is made up of steel tubes and pads of hard foam that are affixed to a speedway's concrete walls to absorb some of the energy that is transferred during a crash. The first event to be run with the SAFER barriers in place will be the Las Vegas 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series doubleheader on Sept. 25. Tickets are available for both events at www.lvms.com.(PR)(8-12-2004)

  • Ticket's Available at Las Vegas: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has completed its ticket renewal process for the 2005 NASCAR Weekend. All seats that were not renewed in the Dale Earnhardt Terrace are on sale now, while all other seats will be available beginning Monday, Sept. 13. "Once again, we have had a very successful renewal process," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "This past year was the most successful event ever, and based on the renewals, we expect nothing less in 2005. In past years, this event has sold out well in advance, so we encourage everyone to buy early." Next year's event is scheduled for March 11-13, 2005. The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event is slated for Sunday, March 13. It will be preceded on Saturday, March 12 by the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race. Qualifying for both events will be Friday, March 11. Race fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com.(7-22-2004)

  • SAFER install begins at Las Vegas: Installation of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier got under way Monday as construction crews braved the July desert heat. The process, which will take about three weeks to complete, will have the barriers in place for the upcoming Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Champ Car World Series doubleheader on Sept. 25. The SAFER barrier system is made up of steel tubes and pads of hard foam that are affixed to a speedway's concrete walls to absorb some of the energy that is transferred during a crash. The SAFER wall project began in the fall of 2000 and remains an ongoing safety initiative among NASCAR, Dr. Dean Sicking and the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska. Based on measurements by engineers, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will install 6,107 linear feet of the SAFER barrier, covering approximately 75 percent of the speedway's outer walls. The SAFER barrier system will be placed outside of all four turns as well as most of the front straightaway.(LVMS PR)(7-20-2004)


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  • $1 a seat for a truck race ticket? How about a $1 ticket for a Truck race at Las Vegas? Sound good? Well, there is a kicker - you've got to buy 5,000 tickets to get the deal. That's 5,000 Truck tickets for $5,000. Still, not a bad deal. "That's how we got 63,000 fans last September," Las Vegas' Jeff Motley said. The package, of course, is typically sold to corporate sponsors.(Winston Salem Journal)(6-1-2004)

  • No 2nd Cup race for LVMS? If Las Vegas Motor Speedway wants to host two NASCAR Nextel Cup races each season, track owner Bruton Smith would have to move a date from one of his other tracks, NASCAR chairman Brian France said. France said Wednesday that awarding LVMS a second annual date is "not in our current plans." Smith and LVMS general manager Chris Powell have been lobbying NASCAR for a second Cup race since Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the track late in 1998. Smith owns six tracks that will host 10 Nextel Cup points races in 2005. Smith has said in the past that Las Vegas deserves a second Cup race but that he doesn't intend to move a race from one of his other tracks to accomplish that. Smith's SMI also owns Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway in Northern California, Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., and Texas Motor Speedway.(Las Vegas Sun)(5-22-2004)

  • NASCAR Weekend nets record $142 million for Las Vegas economy The 2004 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas had a record $142 million impact on the local economy, the greatest impact in the seven-year history of the event. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority's annual study revealed that the final number of $142,673,400 was 7.3 percent greater than in 2003. The numbers are based on interviews with race fans during the March 5-7 weekend and reflect the amount of money spent - both gaming and non-gaming - during the four-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
    "NASCAR Weekend once again provided an economic boon to Las Vegas," said Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell. "This event has become one of the most anticipated stops on the NASCAR circuit for hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world." The study estimated approximately 92,350 visitors attended the race from outside Southern Nevada. These visitors provided a non-gaming impact of $85,361,900 to the local economic market.
    The event weekend is estimated to have drawn more than 320,000 people through the gates at the speedway. The events included the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race, Friday's qualifying day, two nights of the J.D. Byrider Las Vegas Outlaw Nationals for the World of Outlaws and the Southern Nevada Dodge Dealers Showdown for the NASCAR Weekly Series at the Bullring.
    According to Keith Schwer of the economics research department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, each dollar brought into the area creates a little more than another additional dollar. Based on Schwer's analysis, the event generated more than $300 million as the money cycles throughout the Las Vegas economy Once the money comes into Las Vegas, it gets spent more than once," Schwer said. "The hotel that took the initial money then pays an employee with part of that money and that employee invests it in the local economy. That's how a dollar turns over and generates more revenue." There are varying schools of thought on the domino effect of dollars tumbling through an economy. Some economists theorize that a dollar spent can be re-spent as many as seven times in a community. If that were the case, the NASCAR Weekend's impact on the Las Vegas economy could exceed $1 billion.
    The NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas is highly anticipated each year by the area's business community. Room rates were at their highest mark ever for a NASCAR weekend, flights were up dramatically at McCarran International Airport in the month of March and many local hotels and casinos have reported record revenues for their first quarter that ended March 31. Powell said the speedway would continue to have a huge impact on the community and state. "In terms of its impact on this community, the NASCAR Weekend now ranks near the top with many of the major conventions and trade shows that visit Las Vegas every year," Powell said. "We want to make this event bigger and better each year. It takes a collective effort between the speedway, local government and our business community to maintain that constant growth."(LVMS PR)(4-28-2004)

  • 2nd Race at Vegas too? even though it wasn't mentioned in the TMS getting 2nd race in 2005? story, am hearing that Las Vegas Motor Speedway has a good chance at getting a 2nd Cup race in 2005.
    AND ISC wants Bruton Smith to give up the all-star race, which has been at Smith's Charlotte track for nearly 20 years, a gift from R. J. Reynolds. Smith says he is adamant about keeping the race. However sources say that Smith has been offered a second Cup race at Las Vegas in exchange for the all-star race. The all-star race, after all, does belong to NASCAR, and it could easily be "repossessed." Whatever happens to the all-star race, it is not expected to remain as a race on a standalone weekend.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-23-2004)

  • Mario Andretti opens Indy car racing school at LVMS: Mario Andretti, often referred to as the greatest race car driver of all time, has opened an Indy-style driving experience called the Mario Andretti Racing School Presented by The Archipelago Exchange (Arca/Ex), the world's first totally open, all-electronic stock exchange. Andretti was at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway today to make the announcement. For more information on scheduling, pricing, course descriptions - or for reservations - call 1-877-ANDRETTI or visit the website at www.andrettiracing.com.(or see full PR at the LVMS site)(4-15-2004)

  • SAFER at Vegas for Sept race: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will install the new Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers prior to the Sept. 25 Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, LVMS general manager Chris Powell announced today. "Participant safety is of utmost importance," Powell said. "Many great strides have been made to improve driver safety over the years, and we believe the SAFER barrier represents one of the most significant improvements in a long time in motorsports." The speedway's parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. has placed Wes Harris, SMI vice president of development, in charge of the project for all SMI tracks. Installation is expected to begin in early August. The project is expected to take approximately six weeks to complete. The SAFER barrier system is made up of steel tubes and pads of hard foam that are affixed to a speedway's concrete walls to absorb some of the energy that is transferred during a crash. The SAFER wall project began in the fall of 2000 and remains an ongoing safety initiative among NASCAR, Dr. Dean Sicking and the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska. Based on measurements by engineers, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will install 6,107 linear feet of the SAFER barrier, covering approximately 75 percent of the speedway's outer walls. The SAFER barrier system will be placed outside of all four turns as well as most of the front straightaway.(LVMS PR)(4-8-2004)

  • LVMS #1 in Vegas: The NASCAR races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were voted the Best Sports Event in Las Vegas for 2003 by the reader's of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It was the fourth time in the past five years the races at the speedway have received this honor. The winners were announced this past Saturday night. The voting is done through ballots in the newspaper. The National Finals Rodeo finished a distant second.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(3-30-2004)

  • Las Vegas to be reconfigured? III: .....and [Bruton] Smith has all but decided to spend $10 million to repave Las Vegas Motor Speedway with parabolic banking [similar to Homestead] before next season's race.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-28-2004)

  • Darlington AND Rockingham to lose races? Alternating ONE racedate? Texas and Vegas get the dates? UPDATE 2 Darlington expects to get two dates in 2005:
    Settlement negotiations in a lawsuit over a second Nextel Cup date for Texas Motor Speedway have potentially major ramifications for two tracks in the Carolinas, The Observer has learned. A source close to talks in a suit against NASCAR by two Speedway Motorsports Inc. [SMI] shareholders said Monday a settlement could result in International Speedway Corp. selling both North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham and Darlington Raceway to SMI. If such a deal were made, two of three remaining Cup dates from Rockingham and Darlington would move - one to Texas Motor Speedway and the other to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, giving those SMI-owned tracks two dates each per season. The other date would alternate between Rockingham and Darlington, with the Nextel Cup, Busch and Truck series racing at Rockingham one year then at Darlington the next [so much for lights and SAFER]. "I am aware of the (settlement) talks," SMI chairman Bruton Smith said Monday. "I think that they have been going on for about two months, and they're further down the road than they ever have been. But there will have to be a written agreement among all of the attorneys before there's any done deal." Smith said that in his mind any settlement of the suit would have to include a second Cup date for Texas. "That's certainly the key to it, that's why it was filed," he said.(more at ThatsRacin.com), see past news about this on my lawsuit page.(3-23-2004)
    UPDATE: After attracting the largest crowd in the 45-year history of Darlington Raceway's spring Nextel Cup event, track officials are feeling good about their chances of keeping two races for 2005. How good? "I feel confident we'll host two races next year. Frankly, I can't see it any other way," raceway president Andrew Gurtis said Tuesday. "As the promoter at Darlington Raceway, look at the last two races we've had here. We've had a sellout for the Mountain Dew Southern 500, and a record crowd for the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. We have two strong sponsors on our Cup races, and great racing. Things are just stacking up." But sources have indicated to The Post and Courier that the millions of dollars ISC has spent to add the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier and a lighting system at Darlington guarantee that the Pee Dee track will have at least one annual event on the Nextel Cup schedule.(Chareslton Post and Courier)
    BUT Could a settlement be imminent in the battle to bring a second Nextel Cup race to Texas Motor Speedway? According to several media outlets, yes. But spokesmen for the opposing camps said they are simply following court orders in a mediation process. According to The Associated Press, Samuel Cherry, the attorney for a TMS shareholder who sued NASCAR over its refusal to award a second event, said Tuesday that progress is being made in settlement talks. Cherry said the plaintiffs and NASCAR have agreed not to discuss specifics of the 2-year-old suit. Spokespersons from both racing entities contend that no settlement is about to materialize. "(The suit) is based on the false presumption that NASCAR promised Texas Motor Speedway a second date, which NASCAR did not," NASCAR vice president of communications Jim Hunter said. "No settlement has been reached, to my knowledge." Lauri Wilks, Hunter's counterpart at SMI didn't know anything more. "Not as far as I know," Wilks said. "I don't have an official word of anything." Apparently, there is no agreement -- at least not in written form -- on the table. "Obviously, as everyone knows, it's in the best interest of the sport to put this thing behind us," Hunter said. "We're not at liberty to discuss any of the particulars. There is no timeline. In the meantime, we've got to get on with the business of running the races."(in part from the Daytona Beach News Journal/AP)(3-24-2004)

  • Bruton Considering Vegas Configuration; and wants slower cars: Bruton Smith said he will consider asking Goodyear to run a computer-program simulation for parabolic banking at Las Vegas Speedway. But he said it makes more sense for NASCAR to cut the speeds of cars 15 mph and make the noses more blunt, which he said would make for better racing. "Slow the speeds so they can do all that bumping and rubbing that excites the fans, and then the TV ratings will go back up," Smith said. Las Vegas TV ratings were down 16 percent, and Atlanta ratings were down 10 percent. "What it costs to run a team this season is immoral," Smith said. "We need to cut our costs."(Winston Salem Journal)(3-20-2004)

  • Las Vegas to reconfigure? It has been proposed that Las Vegas undergo computerized reconfiguration similar to that used so successfully at Homestead last fall. Las Vegas is banked 12 degrees, Atlanta 24 degrees, and Homestead's banking is variable, from 18 to 20 degrees. "I think we can change cars easier than tracks, and make the cars more competitive on these type of tracks," Humpy Wheeler, who runs Speedway Motorsports for Bruton Smith, said. "Because it's not only Las Vegas, it's Chicago, it's Kansas City, it's Phoenix, it's New Hampshire, it's other flatter tracks.(in part from the Winston Salem Journal)(3-15-2004)

  • SAFER at Vegas in 2005: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will install the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) wall system at its 1.5-mile oval in time for next year's NASCAR Nextel Cup race, Speedway Motorsports president H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler said Thursday. The SAFER wall system was designed by Dean Sicking at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and first installed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002. The energy-absorbing barrier consists of rectangular steel tubes and pads of hard foam, which are affixed to the existing concrete walls on either the inside or outside of the track. Wheeler said the SAFER system, which is designed to reduce forces incurred by a car in an accident and increase driver safety, likely would be installed on the outside walls, through the turns, at LVMS. "We've had them on the inside walls at Lowe's (Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.) for several years," Wheeler said. "Our biggest impacts at Texas, Charlotte and Atlanta have come on the inside (walls) and we've been more sensitive to that than we have been outside walls. That's probably not going to be the case in Vegas because it's a little flatter track. The safety record there has been very, very good." Wheeler said the SAFER system likely would be installed at LVMS later this year and that all SMI oval tracks -- with the exception of Bristol Motor Speedway -- by next year. In addition to LVMS, SMI owns Lowe's Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway -- a road course -- in Sonoma, CA.(Las Vegas Sun)(3-6-2004)

  • LVMS to dedicate Earnhardt Terrace on Friday: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has honored the memory of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt with the construction of the 22,000-seat Dale Earnhardt Terrace. On Friday, March 5, the speedway will dedicate the Earnhardt Terrace by unveiling a monument in the midway area behind the grandstands that will be an everlasting tribute to Earnhardt. Bruton Smith, the chairman of Speedway Motorsports, Earnhardt's widow, Teresa Earnhardt and LVMS general manager Chris Powell will take part in the dedication at 1:30pm/pt [4:40pm/et] on Friday. All race fans attending Pole Day for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 are invited to attend.(LVMS PR)(3-3-2004)

  • Improvements will greet fans coming to NASCAR Weekend at LVMS: Race fans arriving at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the March 4-7 NASCAR Weekend will notice many enhancements to the facility. In addition to the new Dale Earnhardt Terrace, the speedway has made significant alterations to the property to make fans' visit to LVMS more enjoyable. Hundreds of yards of chain link fence have been removed from the perimeter of the superspeedway, allowing fans easier access to the midway area. The grandstand area has eight entrance gates and each gate is covered with a red canopy and flanked by six flagpoles. The flagpoles will make it easier for fans to identify gates even on the huge midway. Race fans seated in the grandstands in Turn 1 now have a wide access ramp for quick exit once the event is completed.
    "Our construction crew has been busy making improvements in preparation for NASCAR Weekend," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "We identified areas where we could make it more convenient and enjoyable for our guests and made the necessary changes. The new gates are easy to locate and will lessen the wait in line to enter the grandstand. We have a new ramp behind Section 1 that will allow fans to exit from that area and walk directly to their cars. When we open the gates Friday morning, we are confident our fans will take notice of and enjoy the fresh new look at Las Vegas Motor Speedway."
    The speedway also has improved the facility's cosmetics with large, bold letters on the front of the superspeedway suite building that spell out the speedway's name. Nextel signs have replaced Winston signs and the new Sunoco towers have been built on each end of pit road replacing the 76 Racing balls that had been a staple at NASCAR tracks for decades.
    NASCAR Weekend at LVMS begins Thursday with the Las Vegas Outlaw Nationals Presented by J.D. Byrider for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series. Friday, March 5, opens with Pole Day qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup and NASCAR Busch Series at the superspeedway, followed by the conclusion of the World of Outlaws series at the dirt oval. The NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 will start at 1 p.m. Saturday followed by the Southern Nevada Dodge Dealers Showdown at the Bullring at LVMS at 6 p.m. The seventh annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 begins at noon on Sunday. Tickets for all events are still available by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(3-3-2004)

  • Pace Truck at Las Vegas: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 300 will be paced by a new and exciting pace vehicle: the Dodge SRT-10 Ram pickup. This aggressively-engineered vehicle is anything but your average pickup truck. In fact, it outperforms all other trucks and most cars too. The SRT-10 is powered by an aluminum block 8.3L V-10 Viper engine. The 505 cubic inch powerplant creates 500 horsepower and can move the SRT-10 from zero to 60 in just over five seconds. The SRT-10 rides on Bilstein shock absorbers, 22-inch cast aluminum Viper-style wheels and 305/40 Pirelli Scorpion tires. It also features a functional rear wing which reduces both drag and lift. The SRT-10 is available only in red, silver or black and comes with a 500-watt sound system. "The Dodge SRT-10 Ram was just certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest production pickup truck on the planet," said Dodge Motorsports' NASCAR Truck Program Manager Scott K. Richter. "NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan drove the Ram to an official average speed of 154.587 mph on a 4.71-mile oval." The consumer version of the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 comes standard with a Hurst shift linkage and a modified version of the Viper SRT-10's Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission. At NASCAR's request, the SRT-10 pace truck has been modified to use an automatic transmission.(LVMS PR), someone should get the UPS truck to pace the field someplace, that would look wild.(2-28-2004)

  • U.S. DOT Awards: As part of the Bush Administration's ongoing effort to increase safety belt use nationwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will present it's NHTSA's Administrator's Achievement Award to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" and the Autobody Group. Two separate thrilling public service advertisements (PSA) featuring the Thunderbirds in flight and another showcasing NASCAR racing and the LVMS were developed in collaboration with NHTSA to promote the national Click It or Ticket campaign. In a unique partnership approach, the Autobody Group generously underwrote and sponsored placement of these PSAs on local television in the Las Vegas market. The Click It or Ticket campaign is supported by more than 150 national government and private organizations and thousands of local community advocates nationwide. The campaign focuses on reaching 18-34 year-old males, the demographic most likely to be injured or killed in a car crash and least likely to be buckled up. This demographic also makes up a significant part of the racecar industry's fan base. Every year, Americans invest millions of dollars in auto collision repair. Now, one Las Vegas company is taking some of the dollars generated from fixing auto crashes and investing that money towards preventing them and saving lives. The Auto Body Group, an association of three collision repair centers headquartered in Henderson, NV, is sponsoring the public service announcements aimed at promoting safer streets this race season. The campaign kicked off earlier this year with a series of PSAs featuring the Air Force Thunderbirds aerial acrobatics team and the drivers of Champ Car Racing. Each of these initial spots promotes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Click It or Ticket national campaign.
    "The speedway's involvement in the Buckle Up America campaign is one of many ways that we are trying to promote highway safety and help keep the streets of Las Vegas a safer place for everyone," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "This will be the third year of our Midnight Mayhem street racing program. While our intention in participating in these programs is to improve highway safety, we are grateful and appreciative of the recognition given to the speedway. We are especially honored to share this recognition with Nellis Air Force Base and the Thunderbirds."(LVMS PR)(2-28-2004)

  • Completed Las Vegas Beltway to aid NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway's ever improving vehicle flow for its NASCAR Weekend should be enhanced significantly this year with the completion of the Las Vegas Beltway, according to LVMS officials. The loop, which opened this past November as Nevada Route 215, connects Interstate 15 North with U.S. 95 and reconnects with I-15 south of the city. The beltway's northern loop was open for the 2003 event and helped make 2003 the most successful year for ingress and egress in the speedway's history. "The completion of the beltway will certainly help disperse a lot of cars on I-15," said Chris Powell, LVMS president and general manager. "We hope that everyone living in the western part of the valley will use the beltway going to and from the speedway. Even if you're headed to the Strip, it's not a bad idea to take the beltway to U.S. 95 and go downtown from there. And race fans heading back to Southern California will be able to follow the beltway all the way around the valley until it reconnects with I-15 just south of the airport."
    Speedway officials still encourage as many race fans as possible to use buses and shuttles such as Citizens Area Transit (CAT) for transportation to the races. "The flow of cars into and out of the speedway has improved steadily from year to year. Each year, we find ways to make the situation even better. We still suggest that fans take the various buses and shuttles that are available from downtown and The Strip as opposed to driving to the speedway." This year's event also will see a crackdown on the fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Speedway security will be checking the validity of handicapped passes on each vehicle. "We take caring for the handicapped very seriously at the speedway," Powell said. "It's important to us that handicapped fans coming to our race are not inconvenienced by those who are perfectly capable of parking in the general parking area." General parking is free at LVMS.(LVMS PR)(2-25-2004)

  • Only a few hundred tickets remain for NASCAR Weekend at LVMS: Fewer than 1,000 tickets remain for the March 7 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Track officials announced Monday that only a few hundred tickets remain for this year's event. "We simply want people to know that seats still are available for the race," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "Ticket sales this year have been as brisk as ever, and sometimes the perception in the public is that there is nothing available. There still is time to buy tickets. The great demand continues to reflect the strength of NASCAR racing in Las Vegas as well as the excellent overall experience that people enjoy when they come to here for a major motorsports event. There is no question that this year's race weekend will provide the largest boom yet for our local economy. Additionally, we're confident of breaking last year's attendance mark for the Sam's Town 300 Busch Series event on Saturday, March 6." Among the seats still available are handfuls in both the Dale Earnhardt Terrace, the new, 22,000-seat grandstand; and the Vegas Clubhouse, prime seats that allow guests to visit the speedway party rooms, enjoy buffet meals and have wait service at their seats. To purchase tickets, fans can call the speedway's ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(2-24-2004)

  • USAF Thunderbirds to do rare flyover for UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400: Race fans attending the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will get a rare treat when the United States Air Force Thunderbirds do a Delta Formation flyover prior to the March 7 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event. "The Thunderbirds make up the most exclusive flying squadron in the world," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "The excitement of seeing those six planes trailing white smoke and flying over a packed speedway should give everyone a chill. The Thunderbirds are very selective in performing at sports events, and we are deeply appreciative that they chose to play such a visible role in Nevada's largest sports weekend." According to Thunderbirds public affairs, this will mark only the fifth sports flyover performed by the Thunderbirds since 2000. The other events were the 2000 Rose Bowl, the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa, the 2002 World Series in San Francisco and a NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte last year.
    "It is an absolute honor for the Air Force Thunderbirds to be part of the NASCAR Nextel Cup race in our hometown," said Lt. Col. Mike Chandler, Commander/Leader of the USAF Thunderbirds. "As the Thunderbirds soar over the track during the opening ceremony, we hope NASCAR fans across this great nation feel the power of the world's most respected Air Force and their hearts pump with pride for the men and women of their armed services.  The Air Force shares a special relationship with NASCAR, and I'd like to thank our patriotic neighbors at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for their incredible support of the mission at Nellis Air Force Base."
    The Thunderbirds will fly over the speedway in their Delta Formation, which means all six planes will be flying together. The Thunderbirds traditionally fly in a four-plane diamond shape with two solo planes until the closing ceremonies of their shows. The Delta Formation is reserved for the close of their shows and special occasions. In addition, race fans attending Pole Day on Friday, March 5 will get a sneak preview of the Thunderbirds air show. From 11 a.m. to noon on March 5, the Thunderbirds will do a practice over the air field. The speedway's grandstands are a perfect vantage point to watch the practice. Senior Air Force leaders attending the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 will be Major General James Sandstrom, Commander, 19th Air Force, Randolph AFB, TX, and Major General Stephen Wood, Commander Air Warfare Center, Nellis AFB.(LVMS PR), Jayski can't wait to see this!(2-24-2004)

  • Last Race at the Rock? this weekend? UPDATE: North Carolina Speedway general manager Chris Browning said Saturday that no one from NASCAR or International Speedway Corporation has approached him regarding the possibility of moving the track's date to another venue, or selling the track and its date to Speedway Motorsports. Rumors have surfaced throughout the week that this weekend's Subway 400 could be the last race at the gritty 1.017-mile oval. Browning disagrees, saying that NASCAR and ISC understand the challenges of their February race date, and feels confident Rockingham would get the chance to prove their worth with a more favorable date. Browning is confident that the Nextel Cup Series will be racing in North Carolina's sand hills in 2005. "There's been nothing said internally, so I chalk it up to a good rumor," Browning continued. "For 10 years, we were supposed to lose a date, and it's just now happened." Some have speculated that ISC plans to sell the track to Bruton Smith, owner of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., who would then move the date to one of his tracks, likely Texas Motor Speedway. Shareholders of SMI are currently suing NASCAR, claiming NASCAR officials have failed to follow through with a promise to award Texas Motor Speedway a second Cup date. Subsequently, speculation has arisen that the lawsuit could be settled by selling Rockingham to Smith. "The Bruton rumors are just rumors," Browning said. "There is no indication of truth." Browning said ticket sales are already higher than they were for this event last year, due in part to Dale Earnhardt's Jr.'s victory in the Daytona 500, but that the Subway 400 won't sell out. Browning said track officials are working diligently to book events at the track, such as rodeos, car shows and racing events for other series such as ASA and ARCA. They're also open to the idea of installing lights.(in part from NASCAR.com)(2-21-2004)
    UPDATE: Bob Dilner reported on Speed News that word has it that the race this weekend at Rockingham/North Carolina Speedway will be the last Cup race held there, with rumors having the date going to either Phoenix or Texas.(Speed Channel's Speed News - NASCAR Edition) and on Speed's NASCAR: Victory Lane, John Roberts said it was a done deal, but unofficial as NASCAR has not made an announcement yet....he also mentioned Las Vegas as a candiate for the race date.(2-22-2004)

  • NASCAR on Fox crew set to duke it out at the LVMS Bullring: Several members of the NASCAR on Fox broadcast team have committed to race in a special celebrity race as part of the Southern Nevada Dodge Dealers Showdown at the LVMS Bullring on March 6th. Fox's lead announcer Mike Joy, infield host Jeff "Hollywood" Hammond and pit reporter Dick Breggren have already committed to the event. Other broadcasters are expected to be added later. The announcers will race in equally-prepared Mechanix Wear Speed Trucks in a 20-lap feature event. In addition to the Fox celebrity race, the evening will feature a number of races including, a 100-lap Super Late Model race, 30-lap IMCA Modified feature, 25-lap Legends Cars race, 25-lap Thunder Roadster race and 40-lap Mechanix Wear Speed Truck event. For more info on the race, visit www.lvms.com.(LVMS PR)(2-11-2004)

  • Glowing Track? The glow tracing the track under many of the cars during Las Vegas testing was a ride height laser, which gauges the vertical movement around the car and the angle on the track. The system, which costs about $20,000, provides data that allows the engineers to determine how to adjust shocks and springs and make the best use of a car's aerodynamics.(Yahoo Sports/Sporting News)(2-2-2004)
    AND A ride height laser puts out a beam of red light, just like a laser pointer. A team typically has 4 of these on the car, one at each corner. It is impossible to see these when the car is at speed on the track. More likely, what is being seen is a slip angle sensor. This makes a bright light under the car, as if a flashlight is being ponted down from the car. There are usually 2 of these (but sometimes only one) per vehicle. These sensors tell the team engineer how much the car is in yaw, or how much the front end is sliding in relation to the rear end.(2-2-2004)

  • Spears to sing at Vegas? UPDATE No: Britney Spears might sing the national anthem at the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 7. The pop princess is performing March 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. "As soon as that date was announced, we reached out to her," track spokesman Jeff Motley told VegasBeat on Monday. With a live audience of 140,000 and a national television audience, the gig could provide positive exposure for Spears. So far, Motley said, there's been no word from the 22-year-old superstar. Track officials remain hopeful, as the singer has a positive relationship with the track. In June 2002 it was announced that she would co-produce and star in a movie where she would play the daughter of a NASCAR team owner who helps a driver who drops out of racing under mysterious circumstances. Scenes from what was eventually titled "Trading Paint" were shot at the speedway in November of that year and again in March. Also, Spears was twice spotted last year at the Las Vegas Richard Petty Driving Experience.(Las Vegas Sun)(1-21-2004)
  • UPDATE - skips: Britney Spears has "politely declined" Las Vegas Motor Speedway's request to sing the national anthem at the March 7 UAW DaimlerChrysler 400, track spokesman Jeff Motley told VegasBeat over the telephone Thursday. Motley added that Spears said she might attend the race as a spectator. She'll be in town that weekend for a performance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Next up on the track's wish list to sing the anthem: "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard.(Las Vegas Sun)(1-24-2004)

  • Testing at Vegas Jan 26-29th: More than 50 Cup [NNC] and Busch [NBS] teams are expected to descend on LVMS on Jan. 26-29 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to experiment with the new tires, spoilers and body designs that will go into effect in the coming season. It's the first open test for teams on an intermediate (1.5-mile) speedway. In past years, many race teams have used NASCAR Preseason Thunder Las Vegas as both a chance to tune their cars as well as a final getaway for their crews before the long grind of a 36-race season gets under way. But this year, thanks to new NASCAR rules, it will be all business in preparation for the March 7 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and March 6 Sam's Town 300.
    NASCAR and Goodyear have developed a new, softer tire compound that is untested on any track other than Daytona, which employs restrictor plates, unlike all other speedways other than Talladega. NASCAR also has implemented new body styles and spoiler angles for all makes. These changes are some of the most dramatic in the sport's history. Tickets for the NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas are available by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com.
    Here is a complete listing of teams currently scheduled to test:
    Monday, Jan. 26-Tuesday, Jan.27
    NNC - #42-Jamie McMurray, #9-Kasey Kahne, #19-Jeremy Mayfield and #4-Kevin Lepage.
    NBS - #60-Greg Biffle, #?-David Reutimann, #17-Matt Kenseth, #2-Ron Hornaday, #6-Paul Wolfe and #6-Mark McFarland.
    Tuesday, Jan. 27-Wednesday, Jan. 28
    NNC - #0-Ward Burton, #12-Ryan Newman, #41-Casey Mears, #2-Rusty Wallace, #24-Jeff Gordon, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #25-Brian Vickers, #32-Ricky Craven, #18-Bobby Labonte, #20-Tony Stewart, #77-Brendan Gaughan, #10-Scott Riggs and #01-Joe Nemechek.
    NBS - #00-Jason Leffler, #18-J.J. Yeley, #20-Mike Bliss, #14-Casey Atwood, #12-Tim Fedewa and #37-David Green.
    Wednesday, Jan. 28-Thursday, Jan. 29
    NNC - #88-Dale Jarrett, #40-Sterling Marlin, #97-Kurt Busch, #6-Mark Martin, #17-Matt Kenseth, #16-Greg Biffle, #9/91-Bill Elliott, #21-Ricky Rudd and #38-Elliott Sadler.
    NBS - #46-Ashton Lewis Jr., #47-Robert Pressley, #66-Billy Parker, #27-Johnny Sauter and #?-Jamie McMurray.
    Dates TBA
    NNC - #84-Kyle Busch, #30-Johnny Sauter, #31-Robby Gordon, #29-Kevin Harvick.
    NBS - #5-Kyle Busch.(See full PR and quotes on my Las Vegas Motor Speedway page or at the (LVMS site)(1-12-2004)

  • Testing at Vegas Jan 26-29th: Perhaps the most pivotal test session of the entire 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season will take place Jan. 26-29 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
    "I have talked to several drivers and a few crew chiefs, and they say this may be their most important test ever," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "NASCAR often has made changes from year to year, but one would be hard-pressed to recall so many significant changes being made at one time. The importance of this test is reflected in the record number of race teams that have elected to participate."
    More than 50 teams are expected to descend on LVMS to experiment with the new tires, spoilers and body designs that will go into effect in the coming season. It's the first open test for teams on an intermediate (1.5-mile) speedway.
    In past years, many race teams have used NASCAR Preseason Thunder Las Vegas as both a chance to tune their cars as well as a final getaway for their crews before the long grind of a 36-race season gets under way. But this year, thanks to new NASCAR rules, it will be all business in preparation for the March 7 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and March 6 Sam's Town 300.
    NASCAR and Goodyear have developed a new, softer tire compound that is untested on any track other than Daytona, which employs restrictor plates, unlike all other speedways other than Talladega. NASCAR also has implemented new body styles and spoiler angles for all makes. These changes are some of the most dramatic in the sport's history.
    "The on-track competition and side-by-side racing should be some of the best we've seen in years," Powell said. One of NASCAR's most successful crew chiefs from 2003 isn't understating the importance of the test.
    "I would say this is a pretty important test," said Matt Borland, crew chief for Ryan Newman, who visited Victory Lane a season high eight times last year. "We have never tested on these tires or with this body. We did some wind tunnel work with the spoiler, but we haven't been on the track with it. We need to really know what we will be fighting. Most teams will probably leave Las Vegas feeling like they still have a lot of work to do."
    In addition to Newman, current NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth and past champions Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett and Bill Elliott are slated to test. Five of the six drivers registered for Raybestos Rookie of the Year are on the test schedule in Las Vegas, as well as Las Vegas' Kyle Busch, who is slated to make his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series debut in the March 7 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Busch, his older brother Kurt and fellow Las Vegan Brendan Gaughan are all scheduled to participate in the test.
    Tickets for the NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas are available by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com.
    Here is a complete listing of teams currently scheduled to test:
    Monday, Jan. 26-Tuesday, Jan.27
    NNC - #42-Jamie McMurray, #9-Kasey Kahne, #19-Jeremy Mayfield and #4-Kevin Lepage.
    NBS - #60-Greg Biffle, #?-David Reutimann, #17-Matt Kenseth, #2-Ron Hornaday, #6-Paul Wolfe and #6-Mark McFarland.
    Tuesday, Jan. 27-Wednesday, Jan. 28
    NNC - #0-Ward Burton, #12-Ryan Newman, #41-Casey Mears, #2-Rusty Wallace, #24-Jeff Gordon, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #25-Brian Vickers, #32-Ricky Craven, #18-Bobby Labonte, #20-Tony Stewart, #77-Brendan Gaughan, #10-Scott Riggs and #01-Joe Nemechek.
    NBS - #00-Jason Leffler, #18-J.J. Yeley, #20-Mike Bliss, #14-Casey Atwood, #12-Tim Fedewa and #37-David Green.
    Wednesday, Jan. 28-Thursday, Jan. 29
    NNC - #88-Dale Jarrett, #40-Sterling Marlin, #97-Kurt Busch, #6-Mark Martin, #17-Matt Kenseth, #16-Greg Biffle, #9/91-Bill Elliott, #21-Ricky Rudd and #38-Elliott Sadler.
    NBS - #46-Ashton Lewis Jr., #47-Robert Pressley, #66-Billy Parker, #27-Johnny Sauter and #?-Jamie McMurray.
    Dates TBA
    NNC - #84-Kyle Busch, #30-Johnny Sauter, #31-Robby Gordon, #29-Kevin Harvick.
    NBS - #5-Kyle Busch.(LVMS PR)(1-12-2004)

  • Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities to grant record amount: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will hold its annual Grant Distribution and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. The Las Vegas chapter will grant a total of $250,000 to 41 local children's charities at the ceremony. Both amounts are records for the chapter: this year's total surpasses 2002 by $22,000 and 10 more local causes will receive grant checks. In Dec. 2002, the Las Vegas chapter awarded a total of $228,000 to 31 charities. Fundraising events for the 2003 season included the annual NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam's Town Live!, the Las Vegas chapter's inaugural golf tournament, Bob & Mike's Third Annual Birthday Bash street rod and race car show and an NHRA Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series Run-for-the-Money event at The Strip at LVMS. The evening's festivities will include a performance by the Culture Shock Las Vegas inner city dance troupe and a visit from Santa Claus. LVMS General Manager Chris Powell will light the traditional SCC Christmas tree. The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will kick off its 2004 fundraising campaign with the NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam's Town Live! on March 4.(LVMS PR)(11-19-2003)

  • LVMS television advertisement wins prestigious Electronic Media Award Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 30-second television commercial promoting the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 has been recognized for an Electronic Media Award. The award, for best television commercial, is presented by Working In Communications and honors outstanding achievement in local radio, television and website media, as well as achievement in the Southern Nevada broadcasting community. Collaborating on the award were speedway account executive Craig Cochran, who wrote and produced the spot; Spectra Video president John Mastrogiacomo, who edited the ad; and Bob Brown of Brown Spots, who did the voice-over for the commercial. In addition to this award, Spectra Video also teamed with MLMP Productions to win the award for Best 30-second TV Public Service Ad and with Cool Blue Design to win for Best Training Video. KVVU Fox 5's "Saturday Night NASCAR," filmed live at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1, won for Best Sports TV Program and for Best TV Special Events Coverage. To view the speedway's award-winning advertisement, simply click on this link: www.lvms.com(11-13-2003)

  • Fans Can Get A Free Ride around LVMS: Just a couple of hours before the Craftsman Trucks start racing on Las Vegas Motor Speedway's oval, three lucky fans will get an opportunity of their own to turn some fast laps on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The speedway, in conjunction with the Richard Petty Driving Experience, is offering free ride-alongs to three race fans who sign up at a designated location prior to the Sept. 27 Las Vegas 350. "It is virtually unheard of for race fans to get the chance to ride around a track at 160 miles per hour right before a NASCAR event," said Chris Powell, LVMS' general manager. "With the help of the Richard Petty Driving Experience, we know that these lucky fans will get the experience of a lifetime." The winners will be chosen by a random draw that will be held at approximately 2:30 p.m. on race day. Fans can sign up for the rides at the Richard Petty Driving Experience display in the speedway's midway on the day of the race until 2 p.m. "Everyone at the Richard Petty Driving Experience is excited about being a part of the festivities for the Las Vegas 350," said Brad Mark, general manager of RPDE's Las Vegas office. "Not only will we have the opportunity to demonstrate our program to thousands, but we also will be able to make three lucky race fans very happy." Gates open at 11:30 a.m. for the Las Vegas 350. Qualifying starts at noon, followed by a driver autograph session that will be open to all fans, and the Las Vegas 350 will start at 7 p.m.(LVMS PR)(9-16-2003)

  • Sad News: Amanda Zimmerman, who was the grand marshal for the 2002 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, died Monday night at the age of 17. Amanda had battled chronic heart and lung disease since birth. She also formed a special bond with NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, who would call Amanda each year on her birthday.(8-27-2003)

  • Las Vegas NASCAR tickets go on sale Sept. 8: Tickets for the March 5-7, 2004 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go on sale Monday, Sept. 8 at 8:00am/pt [11:00am/et]. Tickets for the seventh annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event on March 7, 2004, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event (March 6), Pole Day (March 5) and the O'Reilly World of Outlaws (March 4-5) will be available on Sept. 8. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444, log on to www.lvms.com or visit the speedway box office to purchase tickets. "This past year, we sold every seat in the facility a full month before the race," said Chris Powell, LVMS' general manager. "Based on the success of our renewal process and the high demand for the new Earnhardt Terrace seats, we are encouraging everyone to buy their seats early." Race fans purchasing weekend packages receive seating priority from year to year. Weekend packages include frontstretch seats for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 as well as a free ticket to Pole Day. All Earnhardt Terrace tickets are considered weekend packages and also will include a ticket to the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. Additionally, LVMS offers a "Super Ticket" that includes tickets to two nights of the O'Reilly World of Outlaws events in addition to the NASCAR events. For the fourth consecutive year, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will offer Pole Day-only pit passes. These passes, which must be accompanied by a Pole Day ticket, will allow fans access to the infield and pit-road areas during practice and qualifying. The passes do not allow for access to the garage areas.(LVMS PR)(7-30-2003)

  • Las Vegas 2004 races set for March 6-7: Nevada's largest annual sports weekend will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 5-7, 2004. Again in 2004, the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will be the third stop on the NASCAR Nextel Cup tour. The 2004 event will mark the seventh visit by NASCAR's Cup Series at the track. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event will precede the NASCAR Nextel Cup event on Saturday, March 6. Qualifying for both races will be held Friday, March 5. The O'Reilly World of Outlaws will return for two nights of action on the speedway's half-mile dirt oval March 4-5. "Even though we are just four months removed from the 2003 NASCAR Weekend, we are anxiously anticipating the 2004 event," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "The opening of the new Dale Earnhardt Terrace, which will give fans an incredible panoramic view of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, has everyone at LVMS looking forward to next year. We also are excited to be the first track in the west to welcome Nextel, NASCAR's new title sponsor, to the greatest sport in the world. This past year, we had more than 140,000 people for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and almost 90,000 fans for the Sam's Town 300. The 6.9 TV rating is the highest of any motorsports event excluding the Daytona 500 this year. It's pretty obvious the first weekend in March has become synonymous with NASCAR racing in Las Vegas." Tickets for the new 22,000-seat Dale Earnhardt Terrace are on sale now by calling the speedway at 1-800-644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com. All remaining seats will go on sale in September. The ticket-renewal process for previous years' ticket holders is nearing completion. Times for all events will be announced at a later date.(LVMS PR)(7-16-2003)

  • Vegas looking for a mascot? Rumors have been flying like chicken feathers at a processing plant that Las Vegas Motor Speedway is covertly planning to introduce its mascot before the end of the year. When that happens, it will be the fourth track owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc. to have a mascot. Atlanta Motor Speedway has Monkey Wrench; Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., has Lugnut; and Texas Motor Speedway has Sparky. And Sparky is sponsored by NGK spark plugs. Really. "I will neither confirm nor deny that," said Jeff Motley, the speedway's spokesman. Eddie Gossage, president of the Texas track, thought up Lugnut when he worked at the Lowe's track and gave birth to Sparky when he opened the facility in Fort Worth in 1997. He recalls Sparky's debut; the mascot missed a step and fell 12 feet from the starter's stand. The crowd laughed, but Gossage's heart nearly stopped because his son, 16 at the time, was the character's inner soul. "I called down to someone on a (two-way) radio and they said he wasn't moving," Gossage recalls. "Finally they said he couldn't move because he was laughing so hard." Lugnut, like most popular mascots, has been kicked in the rear end, had its bumper pinched and worse. "One night this cute kid about 5 goes up to Lugnut and hugs him," said Jerry Gappens, spokesman for the Charlotte track. "Everything seemed OK, but the kid backed away and then hit Lugnut right in a very sensitive area." Like Gossage, Gappens had his son inside the suit that night.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(7-11-2003)

  • Earnhardt Terrace seats at LVMS now on sale: Tickets in the Dale Earnhardt Terrace are available to all race fans wanting to attend next year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event and the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race. The seats offer excellent sight lines of the entire speedway and a panoramic view of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. "Now that our weekend renewal process is complete, we can turn our attention to selling the remaining seats in this incredible, 22,000-seat grandstand," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "In the past, our renewal process has made it difficult for first-time buyers to purchase the choice seats. But with the addition of the Earnhardt Terrace, race fans now have the chance to acquire seats in this section." Race fans who purchase tickets for the Earnhardt Terrace also will receive tickets to Pole Day during the spring event as well as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in the fall of 2004. Earnhardt Terrace ticket holders will have the opportunity to renew their seats each year. Fans can buy their tickets by calling the speedway box office at 1-800-644-4444. More info at www.lvms.com.(7-2-2003)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway joins Nevada's Amber Alert System: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has joined in the effort to protect Nevada's children and assist in recovering kidnapped victims, with the speedway announcing today that it will lend the use of its marquee to state law enforcement agencies in the event of an Amber Alert. Gov. Kenny Guinn signed Assembly Bill 322 on May 6 requiring a statewide Amber Alert system be put in place by July 1. "In these times, we all share concerns about the safety of children," said Chris Powell, the speedway's general manager. "While it's our hope that we never would need to activate an Amber Alert, the speedway wants to do everything in its power to assist in the safe return of any missing or abducted child. As a parent of five sons, I can attest to the extreme importance of this worthy program." Nevada is the 42nd state to implement the Amber Alert system. The system was created in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 1996 after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped while riding her bicycle and later killed.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(7-1-2003)

  • Vegas on March 7th, 2004? Next year's NASCAR Winston Cup weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway appears likely to be March 6 and 7. The Las Vegas Cup race will be March 7, according to a source close to the NASCAR series. It would mark the seventh consecutive year that the speedway has hosted a Cup race on the first Sunday in March. "I can't confirm (those dates), but those are the tentative dates we've been working with," said Chris Powell, the speedway's president and general manager. The tentative dates would put Cup qualifying on March 5, a Friday, and the NASCAR Busch Series race on March 6. Because 2004 is a leap year, it was thought that the Las Vegas race might have been shifted to the weekend ending Feb. 29 while remaining the third race of the season. The season-opening Daytona 500 is slated for Feb. 15, with an expected visit to Rockingham, NC, the following weekend. Although NASCAR will not officially comment on its 2004 schedule, which might not be released in its entirety for a couple of months, it looks as if the Cups teams will have a weekend off between the races in Rockingham and Las Vegas. Although the Associated Press reported Tuesday that Rockingham will lose one of its two Cup races next year, it is not expected to disrupt the North Carolina track's date in February. Ticket sales for the Cup weekend in Las Vegas currently are limited to renewal orders except for seats in the Earnhardt Terrace. For information on seats in the new section, call 644-4444. Other tickets for the weekend will go on sale in September.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(6-12-2003)

  • Las Vegas Stands Come Down: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is tearing down part of its fourth-turn grandstand to make way for the "Dale Earnhardt Terrace." Some facts:
    Estimated completion date: Jan. 30, 2004
    Total seating: Approximately 22,000 new seats
    Seat style: All individual stadium-style, chair back seats
    Concrete being demolished: 14 million pounds/7,000 tons
    Steel used in construction: 5.2 million pounds
    Aluminum in construction: 400,000 pounds
    Concrete in construction: Approximately 22 miles of concrete. The amount of concrete used could create a sidewalk that would stretch from the speedway to the Las Vegas Strip.
    Available for purchase: The Earnhardt Terrace seats are available at the speedway box office or by calling the speedway at 1-800-644-4444.(LVMS PR)(6-12-2003)

         

  • Las Vegas Race Impact: The 2003 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas had a $133 million impact on the local economy, the greatest impact in the six-year history of the event. And according to an economist at UNLV, the total effect was more than doubled that amount. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual study revealed that the final number of $133,451,000 was 9.9 percent greater than in 2002. The numbers are based on interviews with race fans during the March 1-2 weekend and reflect the amount of money spent - both gaming and non-gaming - during the four-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
    "Despite an impending war and a very difficult economy, NASCAR Weekend once again delivered an economic bonanza to Las Vegas," said Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell. "Given the uncertainty facing our nation between Feb. 27 and March 2, the fact that the total amount of revenue generated increased almost 10 percent is remarkable. This event has become one of the most anticipated stops on the NASCAR circuit for hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world."
    The event weekend is estimated to have drawn more than 300,000 people through the gates at the speedway. The events included the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup event, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race, Friday's qualifying day, two nights of the J.D. Byrider Las Vegas Nationals for the O'Reilly World of Outlaws and a NASCAR Weekly Racing Series event at the Bullring. According to Keith Schwer of the economics research department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, each dollar brought into the area creates a little more than another additional dollar. Based on Schwer's analysis, the event generated approximately $291.8 million as the money cycles throughout the Las Vegas economy.
    "Once the money comes into Las Vegas, it gets spent more than once," Schwer said. "The hotel that took the initial money then pays an employee with part of that money and that employee invests it in the local economy. That's how a dollar turns over and generates more revenue." There are varying schools of thought on the domino effect of dollars tumbling through an economy. Some economists theorize that a dollar spent can be re-spent as many as seven times in a community. If that were the case, the NASCAR Weekend's impact on the Las Vegas economy could approach $1 billion. The NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas is highly anticipated each year by the area's business community. Michael Gaughan, chairman of Coast Resorts, was quoted in a Feb. 20 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal as saying, "This is probably bigger than all 10 days of (the National Finals Rodeo) combined. (NASCAR fans) are all good customers. They all come and spend money."
    The 2004 event almost certainly will be bigger as LVMS officials have announced the construction of a 22,000-seat grandstand, the Dale Earnhardt Terrace. Construction is expected to begin in early June. Powell said the speedway would continue to have a huge impact on the community and state. "We've been reading about the declining number of visitors and the lower room rates in Las Vegas for several months," Powell said. "It's rewarding to know that the 2003 NASCAR Weekend was able to buck that trend. We want to make this event bigger and better each year. It takes a collective effort between the speedway, local government and our business community to maintain that constant growth." Following is a breakdown of studies conducted by the LVCVA over the past three years.
    Growth, 2001, 2002, 2003, since '02
    Total event attendance, 126,000, 139,400, 145,275, + 4.2%
    Out-of-town Visitors, 78,875, 89,250, 97,075, +8.8%
    Total expenditures, $97,163,700, $121,425,500, $133,451,000, +9.9%.(LVMS PR)(5-1-2003)

  • Vegas looking for 2nd Cup date: Seven weeks after hosting a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event before a sold-out crowd of approximately 140,000, Las Vegas Motor Speedway would like to attract a second Winston Cup event to Las Vegas. "We continue to see other speedways going public with their efforts to land a second yearly NASCAR Winston Cup event," said Chris Powell, general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "But there clearly is only one speedway that can offer everything - a destination city; more than 125,000 hotel rooms; great weather; excellent atmosphere and great racing. That's why we sold every seat for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 in March. Ask the people who attend Winston Cup races - the drivers, the crew members, the sponsors, television executives, even NASCAR officials - which speedways should be awarded a second race. Las Vegas is at the top of everyone's list. And ask the fans who voted this year by filling the speedway beyond its seating capacity. The reality is this:. People love coming to Las Vegas." Powell said a second yearly event in Las Vegas makes good business sense. "What better market than Las Vegas to visit twice a year?" Powell said. "As new sponsors come into the sport, they want exposure in large, popular markets. We appeal to NASCAR's good business sense that another race in Las Vegas would be a tremendous benefit to the sport." Powell added that Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in contrast to other venues that host.NASCAR Winston Cup events, would not be seeking state funds in order to upgrade its facility. "Our speedway will stand on its own merits," Powell said. "We will not leverage the possibility of a second Winston Cup race in order to seek public money from taxpayers. This facility already features all the amenities that make it worthy of another Winston Cup date. In fact, we've taken a leading role in helping build the sport of stock-car racing." As for shifting a date from another Speedway Motorsports facility, Powell said that would not happen. "Bruton (Smith, SMI chairman) has been firm on that issue, and we fully support his stance," Powell said. "But it wasn't long ago that NASCAR said it had capped the schedule at 32 races. Today there are 36. In the case of a unique destination such as Las Vegas, which offers a record of past success, there is a calling for one more."(LVMS PR)(4-25-2003)

  • Speedway Children's Charities use racing stars to raise money: Many kids love auto racing, and it seems racers like kids, too -- and show it through Speedway Children's Charities. John Bisci, public-relations manager for the charities and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, said the charities were created in 1984 by O. Bruton Smith, founder of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which has six tracks around the country, including the one in Las Vegas. "He decided to start a charity that benefited children," Bisci said. All money raised in Southern Nevada stays there; Bisci said that last year, the charities made grants totaling $228,000 to 31 local groups, including St. Jude's Ranch for Children, the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada, Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer of Southern Nevada and Amerindian Inc. The money comes from several fund-raising events. The recent charity golf tournament, for example, netted $13,500. But the charities' biggest money-maker is the annual driver auction. The most recent one, held Feb. 28, brought in $145,720. Bisci noted the auction coincided with the Winston Cup Series and Busch Series races. All of the Winston Cup Series drivers and the top 20 drivers from the Busch Series were auctioned at Sam's Town Live, he said. Those who can't attend the meet-and-greet -- for which fans pay $35 just to see their heroes -- are auctioned, although Bisci said they normally bring in more money if they're there. Fans bid for the chance to ride around the track with the driver during introductions before the race. And the bids are big. Bisci said the top bid was $7,000 for Rusty Wallace last year; this year, the top bid was $6,400 for Tony Stewart. "Somebody paid $6,400 to go a mile and a half in a convertible with Tony Stewart," he said with a touch of wonder. Drivers sometimes sweeten the pot, he added. For example, Brett Bodine put his winning bidder's name on his car, and a Busch Series driver made his bidder part of his pit crew. A big event being planned for fall, Bisci said, is a fund-raising flight aboard an 80-seat jet, provided through the cooperation of Boeing. Bisci said children including Make-a-Wish kids will be able to ride on the flight -- which may go over the Grand Canyon -- with local businesses bidding to sponsor their seats. The local arm of the charities has an elected board, with Keith DeRiso currently serving as chairman and Lesley Albers as director. Volunteers always are needed to assist with events, Bisci said. For more information, call Bisci at 632-8231. To make a donation, mail a check to Speedway Children's Charities, 7000 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Las Vegas NV 89115; attention Lesley Albers.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(4-17-2003)

  • Olbur named director of emergency medical services at LVMS: Brett Olbur, a 17-year veteran of the emergency medical profession, has been hired as the new director of emergency medical services at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Olbur's responsibilities will include the daily management of the speedway's infield care center, scheduling of safety and rescue vehicles for all on-track events, working with all sanctioning bodies who hold events at LVMS and the supervision of all members of the speedway's fire and safety team. Olbur will work closely with track physician Dr. Dale Carrison during all events. Olbur has spent the past year as the senior paramedic and field training officer for Southwest Ambulance. Prior to joining Southwest, Olbur spent seven years as a paramedic for American Medical Response (AMR) and three years as an emergency room technician at University Medical Center. Olber, 41, is a 1980 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill.(LVMS PR)(4-3-2003)

  • Las Vegas to start later? Las Vegas' annual Winston Cup race could be affected by NASCAR's desire to realign its schedule in 2004 and beyond. That doesn't necessarily mean, however, that Las Vegas Motor Speedway's traditional date -- the first weekend in March -- would change. George Pyne, NASCAR's chief operating officer, suggested recently in an interview with nascar.com that the starting time of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at LVMS could be pushed back to 1:40pm/pt(Pacific time)/4:40pm/et [putting eastcoast stations into primetime TV area] to attract more television viewers. This year's race at LVMS started at 12:00noon/pt. "If you look at Las Vegas ... if you switched (the start) to 1:30, would it make a difference to the people coming to the race? Probably not," Pyne said. "Now, if you moved it from 2:30 to 4:40 (Eastern time), it would probably be a lot better. What's the difference? There are a million to two million more people watching the race, which is better for the sponsors, better for the drivers selling T-shirts and hats." LVMS general manager Chris Powell said he has not yet entered discussions with NASCAR regarding the 2004 race but said he would not be against changing the starting time. "I have not talked to (NASCAR) about that but I don't think we would have a problem with starting the race later," Powell said. "It would give our fans more time to enjoy the whole experience."(Las Vegas Sun)(4-2-2003)

  • UAW-DaimlerChrysler, LVMS extend sponsorship agreement: The NASCAR Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will continue to be sponsored by UAW-DaimlerChrysler, officials of the sponsoring National Training Center and the speedway announced today. The race name remains the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. "We've been very fortunate to find what we believe to be the best title sponsor in all of NASCAR Winston Cup racing," said Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. "This event has become one of the most popular on the Winston Cup circuit, and our friends with the United Auto Workers, DaimlerChrysler Corporation and the National Training Center share a great deal of responsibility for that success." UAW-DaimlerChrysler joined with Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup event. Since that time, record crowds have flocked to LVMS each year, and just recently, the speedway announced the addition of 15,000 seats prior to the 2004 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. UAW, which has 1,086 local unions nationally ranging in size from fewer than 100 members to locals with more than 15,000 members, has been a sponsor since 1995 at Lowe's Motor Speedway at Charlotte.(LVMS PR)(3-19-2003)

  • NASCAR 'not a big betting sport' in Vegas: In a town full of casinos, you'd figure NASCAR fans would be flocking to the sports books on Winston Cup weekend. Don't bet on it. "It's a dead sport for us," said Robert Walker, race and sports book director for MGM Mirage's eight casinos in Las Vegas. "It's a huge weekend. It's a great event for the town. It's just not a big betting sport."(see full story at NASCAR.com/AP)(3-7-2003)

  • LVMS already planning for next year's Cup race: Fewer than 24 hours had passed since the checkered flag had fallen on Sunday's sixth annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell already was thinking about next year's race. Although the annual visit by the NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch series was, by most accounts, a resounding success, Powell tossed around several ideas to improve the experience for the estimated 220,000 fans who took in Saturday's Busch Series and Sunday's Winston Cup Series races. Powell's biggest project, of course, is the construction of the 22,000-seat Dale Earnhardt Terrace, which will be built onto the existing grandstand overlooking the speedway's Turn 4. The addition, which will be completed by next year's NASCAR weekend, will result in an additional 15,000 seats and will push the track's permanent seating capacity to approximately 125,000. Smith reiterated his desire to bring a second Winston Cup race to Las Vegas, but said he so far has not been successful in acquiring another Winston Cup track or its dates. He also said he would not move a Winston Cup date from any of his other tracks, as was suggested earlier this year by NASCAR chairman Bill France. If LVMS elects to erect temporary bleachers outside Turn 3 as it has the past two years, seating capacity could exceed 140,000 for next year's race. But with an increase in seating capacity comes additional traffic -- a problem that plagued the track in its first two years but one that speedway officials have been constantly working on since Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the track in December of 1998. Powell said that virtually all fans were on the speedway grounds about 45 minutes before the noon start for Sunday's Winston Cup race and that the parking lots were cleared of most vehicles within 3 hours and 15 minutes of the race conclusion. Powell said the track's goal is to have the lots emptied within 3 hours after the race. Another matter that Powell and his staff will address before next year's race will have to do with the segment of the Las Vegas Beltway that opened this winter and connects U.S. 95 with Interstate 15 about a mile from the speedway. According to news reports, the Beltway did not appear to be used by many fans either before or after the race.(Las Vegas Sun)(3-5-2003)

  • Special Guests of the Speedway: As special guest of Las Vegas Motor Speedway were Las Vegas residents Mr. Barry McCool and Mrs. Audrey McCool, parents of the late space shuttle Columbia pilot William McCool.(Insider Racing News)(3-3-2003)

  • Smith looking to buy a date: Bruton Smith said he is working toward purchasing a second annual Winston Cup race for Las Vegas. Smith purchased Las Vegas Motor Speedway in December 1998. He said he still hopes to buy a race from another facility to move to Las Vegas. "I've made two attempts at buying a date. Someone, not me, made public that Darlington was one of them," Smith said of the South Carolina track. "We will continue to try. Who knows? One day somebody might say yes."(Dallas Morning News, may need to register to view)(3-1-2003)

  • Las Vegas to build new grandstand UPDATE: it was reported on (XM Satellite- NASCAR Radio - Subscription Required) that Las Vegas Motor Speedway will make an announcement today that the track will build a new 20,000 seat grandstand and it would be named after a driver.
    UPDATE: it'll be 15,000 more seats, 6000 seats will be taken out, the new terrace will be 21,000 seats and named the Dale Earnhardt Terrace.(XM Satellite- NASCAR Radio)(2-28-2003)

  • Speedway Children's Charities' NASCAR Driver Auction raises $145,720: The annual Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities NASCAR Driver Auction, held Thursday, Feb. 27, at Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall raised $145,720 for the children of Las Vegas and southern Nevada, destroying last year's record of $89,000. All 43 NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers expected to compete in the March 2 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and the top 20 NASCAR Busch Series drivers entered in the March 1 Sam's Town 300 were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Winning bidders on Winston Cup drivers earned the right to ride around the track in a convertible with their driver during pre-race festivities. Winners of Busch Series drivers received a "meet 'n' greet" with their favorite. Many drivers enhanced their auctions by adding autographed hats, t-shirts and honorary pit crew memberships. The top five auction bids: 1. Tony Stewart ($6,400), 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($6,250), 3. Jeff Gordon and Kyle Petty tied ($5,500), and 5. Bill Elliott ($3,500).(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(2-28-2003)

  • Extra Bonus for the Busch drivers: Boyd Gaming Corporation, parent company of Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, announced a $15,000 driver's bonus tied to the two Busch Series races they sponsor, the Sam's Town 300 in Las Vegas and the Sam's Town 250 in Memphis. The $15,000 bonus will go to the driver who accumulates the most driver's points in the two races and will be awarded in a special ceremony following completion of the Sam's Town 250 in October.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(2-28-2003)

    THE 2003 JAYSKI LAS VEGAS DEAL




  • Las Vegas Hotel Package Special: What could be better than a NASCAR Weekend in Sin City, All In Luxury at a World-Class Resort?
    NASCAR weekend in Las Vegas is certainly different than many other stops during the season. Coming into the famed desert city for the March stop offers quite a few entertainment options. All NASCAR cities are great cities, but this is a weekend we mark on the calendar each year as one to look forward to, and this year even more as we've partnered with the Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas Resort, a world-class facility immortalized in the film America's Sweethearts to present a racing fans dream come true.

    The Hyatt is located on the shores of a 320-acre man-made lake 17 miles from the Las Vegas strip. Surrounded by the lake, a Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course and the beautiful natural desert landscape, the resort is also equipped with a spa, an intimate casino and top restaurants. As part of our partnership, jayski.com visitors will be offered an amazing rate of $199 per night during NASCAR weekend, and the Hyatt will throw in your third night free. They've also arranged a special transportation package to and from the track that will have you in your seats without the battle for parking, as well as a number of special guests and activities, all featuring Jayski and centered around our mutual love of NASCAR action. There will be special exhibits and appearances, autographs sessions and gaming tournaments and much more!

    You can book the trip via the web or phone. By the web, goto the link to the hotel at lakelasvegas.hyatt.com/reservations.......CLICK HERE, after the dates are selected, the offer code of 'NASCAR' is now Automatically entered. Or call the resort at 1-800-55-HYATT, offer code 'NASCAR'.

    Transportation to and from the track will be "scheduled" and the cost is $30 per person, for each round trip - It will be available on Saturday and Sunday, it is for registered guests only and reservations (required) can be made through the hotel concierge staff at (702) 567-1234.

    You can check out the resort before booking at their site: lakelasvegas.hyatt.com

        
    (click to view larger images)

  • NOTE: this promotion does NOT include Tickets to any of the races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Straight talk about "JAYSKI's Weekend in Las Vegas"
    -by Greg (Jay's ad guy)

    What is it? An opportunity for JAYSKI readers to eat, drink, be merry, and meet the guy behind the monitor.

    Why now? A couple of elements came together, namely that a JAYSKI billboard will be displayed at LVMS this year (which we wanted to check out), Jay and I have never met, and I couldn't resist pitching the idea to the Hyatt Lake Las Vegas Resort after they called to discuss advertising on the site.

    Why the late notice? Because Jay is a guy and I am a guy ('nuff said) and tempting people with "a trip to 'Vegas" is the only place such a last-minute concept could be pulled off.

    What if I am already booked at a different hotel? Three options: either 1) change hotels, 2) join us at JAYSKI's "Silly Hour" from 7-9 PM on Saturday (3/1) at the Hyatt Lake Las Vegas Resort and enjoy complimentary cocktails and hors d' oeuvres. Everyone is welcome! ...or 3) change hotels.

    Other worthy notes (for those who book rooms):
    § No tickets to the race? No worries. Surround yourself with 4 TVs at the Hyatt Resort's Lounge; their able staff and stiff cocktails will keep you happier than Jayski.com's Smile Bar.
    · The Resort provides a free shuttle to and from the Strip
    · The Resort boasts a traffic-free trip to LVMS via "Backdoor" road
    · Our rate of $199/nt. for 2 nights + 3rd night free is the best deal in 'Vegas for that weekend
    · The Resort boasts 2 18-hole golf courses (4-man scramble tourney anyone?)
    · Interest pending and barring injuries or damage to the Resort this year, we would like to make this an annual event
    · We look forward to seeing you!

  • New beltway ramp, handicap parking to benefit Las Vegas race fans: In 2002, Las Vegas Motor Speedway had its most efficient traffic flow in the five-year history of the NASCAR Weekend. The opening of the northern corridor of the Las Vegas Beltway should make 2003's traffic patterns flow even better than last year. The beltway was opened on Oct. 3, 2002. It connects U.S. 95 and Interstate 15 and merges with I-15 just one mile south of the speedway. LVMS also has relocated its handicap lot and added a reserved parking area called "Lucky 7 Preferred Parking." The new handicap lot is located in the staging lanes of the speedway's drag strip. This will provide all handicap guests a guaranteed paved parking space. In past years, handicap parking had overflowed into gravel parking areas. The Lucky 7 Lot will allow guests, who purchased passes in this lot, to have a dedicated exit lane on Las Vegas Blvd. This will limit the number of cars trying to access the I-15 exit ramp from the Blue Lot. Speedway officials are expecting a crowd in excess of 135,000 fans for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(2-21-2003)

  • Las Vegas Reserved Seats Sold Out: Las Vegas Motor Speedway announced today that all reserved seats for the March 2 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup Series event are sold out. Race fans who have not yet purchased tickets for the sixth annual event still may attend the Winston Cup race by purchasing a special $88 "Triple Play" package. The Triple Play includes infield access for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, a reserved seat for the March 1 Sam's Town 300 BGN race and a general-admission seat for the NASCAR CTS event on Sept. 27. A number of stands will be erected in the infield area, and they will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Some reserved handicap area tickets remain, as well as individual suite-access packages.. For tickets and information, call the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or visit the LVMS website at LVMS.com.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(2-13-2003)

  • Vegas to add more seats: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials announced Thursday that 10,000 seats would be built above the front straightaway. The new seats will tower over the existing grandstand that sits adjacent to the beginning of the frontstretch. Construction will begin in the weeks following the March 1-2 Sam's Town 300 and UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Construction will include restrooms and concessions on a mezzanine level. Weekend ticket holders to this year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will have the first opportunity to upgrade to the new seats. Speedway officials will announce pricing for the new seats at a later date. Public sale of tickets will begin in September. However, race fans may call the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 to be placed on a waiting list for the new seats.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(2-13-2003)

  • Taxes could nix a 2nd Las Vegas Cup race? Las Vegas Motor Speedway would like to secure another NASCAR Winston Cup race, but Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed tax plan could be an obstacle, track owner Bruton Smith said Thursday. Smith said he would like to add one Cup race to the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, scheduled for March 2. Speedway Motorsports Inc. would have to purchase a track and shift its race to the speedway, or buy an existing event from another track. "If we're fortunate enough to buy a speedway or buy a race, it goes to Vegas," Smith said Thursday by telephone from his office in Charlotte, NC. But he said proposed tax increases in Nevada could be a problem. "If all the stuff I'm reading is true, we may not be able to," he said. Smith was referring to Guinn's plan for a 7.3 percent tax on admission to professional sporting events and increases in property tax and gross receipts on all business revenue over $450,000.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(1-31-2003)

  • Las Vegas Cup Race almost sold out: A limited number of bleacher seats and public suite passes are all that remain for the March 2 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Track officials announced Monday that the speedway's permanent grandstand is a sellout, with the exception of a few single seats in the section outside Turns 3 and 4. While the permanent grandstand is virtually sold out, race fans still have opportunities to buy tickets for this year's race. A few Suite Deal tickets " sold on an individual basis to the general public " remain. Suite Deals allow race fans to enjoy Friday's qualifying and the races on Saturday and Sunday from a luxury suite that includes food and beverages. The other option is the speedway's Triple Play package, an $88 ticket that affords fans three races for the price of one. Triple Play ticket holders receive a seat in the Turn 3 bleachers for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, a general-admission ticket to the Sam's Town 300 and a general-admission ticket to the Sept. 27 Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. To purchase suite passes or the Triple Play ticket, fans can call the speedway's ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com.(LMVS PR)(1-21-2003)

  • More Seats at Las Vegas in 2004? Word from Las Vegas Motor Speedway source is that few tickets remain in the 120,000-seat permanent grandstand this year, so count on the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 to sell out more than a couple of weeks beforehand. But the ticket market could open a little next year. Supposedly a few days after the Cup race, construction will begin on 20,000 permanent seats above and/or behind those overlooking the fourth turn. But for now, the "triple play" is your best move. The $88 package provides tickets to the March 1 NASCAR Busch race, a spot in the 15,000-seat temporary grandstands set up in the third turn for the Cup race and a ducat for the Sept. 27 CTS race.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(1-17-2003)

  • New Restrooms at Las Vegas: Two new restroom buildings are under construction at the 1.5-mile oval at Las Vegas to accommodate race fans attending the Winston Cup and BGN races Feb. 28-March 2. Devin Horihan, LVMS' director of construction and development, is overseeing the project. Both 2,800-sq. ft. buildings, located behind the grandstands in Turns 3 and 4, will be completed before the race weekend. Combined, they will add 104 toilets, 110 urinals and 40 sinks to LVMS' existing facilities better accommodate race fans. Last year, over 135,000 fans attended the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Tickets for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or online at LVMS.com.(LVMS PR)(1-17-2003)

  • Wanna be in a commercial? NASCAR Pontiac commercial to be filmed at LVMS; "True NASCAR fans" needed as featured and non-featured extras: Wanted: NASCAR fans to participate as extras in a Pontiac commercial to be filmed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway January 22-25. Those participating must be available one or more of those days. Casting will be held at the "Transportation Mall" at LVMS across from the Gift Shop/Administration Building.
    Featured extras: The producers will pay 150 featured extras $100 per day plus meals. As a bonus, if you bring your motorhome and it is used in the commercial, you will be paid an additional $100.
    Non-featured extras: 100 non-featured extras will receive meals (and have a great time).
    Casting calls are Saturday, Jan. 11, from 9:00am to 1:00pm and Sunday, Jan. 12, from 10:00am to 3:00pm. All applicants will be photographed. Applicants should wear NASCAR fan attire. If applicants own a motorhome and would like to submit it for use in the commercial, it should be brought to the casting call. If selected, applicants will be notified approximately one week before the shooting dates of January 22-25.(LVMS PR)(1-10-2003)

  • Sad News: Sahara Hotel & Casino owner and Las Vegas Motor Speedway co-developer Bill Bennett, 78, passed away Sunday night after a lengthy illness. Bennett founded The Bennett Foundation for charitable needs. Diana Bennett said a lot of the charity work her father did was not known to the public. In addition to his daughter and his wife of more than 40 years, Bennett is survived by his son, William A. Bennett of Las Vegas; a sister, Betty Spitler of Arizona; four grandchildren; and two great grandchildren. Bennett's death comes on the heels of the death of his good friend, Ralph Engelstad, owner of the Imperial Palace and co-developer of Las Vegas Motoe Speedway, who died on Nov. 26. Chris Powell, president and general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, issued the following statement today regarding the death of Bill Bennett:
    "On behalf of everyone at LVMS, we are saddened to hear of the passing of Bill Bennett," said Chris Powell, president and general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "It was his vision, along with that of the late Ralph Engelstad, that led to the construction and development of this magnificent facility. And among Mr. Bennett's many contributions to this community was an extremely generous donation to our charitable organization, Speedway Children's Charities, for which we will be forever grateful. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bennett family."(see full story at the Las Vegas Sun)(12-24-2002)

  • More Seats At Las Vegas: For the second consecutive year, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will erect additional seating in order to accommodate record demand for tickets to its annual spring NASCAR Weekend. The additional seating will be sold as part of a three-race package called the "Las Vegas Triple Play." Race fans purchasing the $88 tickets for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Winston Cup race March 2 also will receive a general-admission ticket for the Sam's Town 300 Busch Series event March 1. LVMS also adds a free ticket to the Sept. 27 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series night race. Triple-Play seats now are available on the speedway's website (LVMS.com) or ticket office at 1-800-644-4444. The decision was made last week by LVMS officials to add the temporary seating, which is situated outside Turn 3. That was two months earlier than a similar decision prior to the 2002 race weekend.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(11-28-2002)

  • Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities to grant $228,000 to local children's at LVMS: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will hold its annual Grant Distribution and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 6:00pm. The Las Vegas chapter will present checks in the total sum of $228,000 to 31 local children's charities at the ceremony. At a time when most charities have experienced decreases in donations, the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will grant $31,000 more than 2001. Last year, the Las Vegas chapter awarded a total of $196,500 to 17 causes. Fundraising events for the 2002 season included the annual NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam's Town Live! (which raised $89,000), Bob & Mike's Third Annual Birthday Bash (a street rod and race car show held in Eldorado Park) and an NHRA Jr. Dragster event held at The Strip at LVMS. The evening's festivities will include a performance by the Culture Shock Las Vegas inner city dance troupe and a visit from Santa Claus. Chris Powell, president and general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will light the traditional SCC Christmas tree.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(11-23-2002)

  • Spear's takes a few laps at LVMS: Pop sensation Britney Spears had the "Experience of a Lifetime" at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Wednesday night. Spears and a group of friends and associates spent Wednesday night turning fast laps around LVMS' 1.5-mile superspeedway. The program included an eight-lap driving experience followed by a ride along and two more 11-lap driving experiences. In all, Spears logged more than 30 laps around the speedway. "I'm just racing cars. I'm doing research for my movie," Spears said. Spears is expected to play the leading role as the daughter of a NASCAR team owner in a feature film, which is scheduled to begin filming sometime next year. After completing the four-hour program, Spears said she had gained a new perspective for auto racing. See fiull story and pics at the LVMS site.(11-14-2002)

  • Las Vegas Tix: While some good seats still remain, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has experienced record demand for tickets for its 2003 NASCAR Weekend, and LVMS officials encourage fans to place their orders soon for the events of Feb. 28-March 2. The sixth annual NASCAR Weekend at LVMS features the Winston Cup UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on Sunday, March 2 and the Busch Series Sam's Town 300 on Saturday, March 1. Other weekend events include the Pennzoil World of Outlaws on Friday and Saturday nights as well as Pole Day on Friday, Feb. 28. Tickets are available through the LVMS ticket office (800-644-4444) or by logging on to LVMS.com.(11-2-2002)

  • Vegas CTS race under the lights in 2003: For the first time since 1998, the bright lights of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile superspeedway will shine on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2003. Next year's event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, will start at 7:15pm/pt. The 2003 event will mark the seventh visit by the CTS. The race will be 350 kilometers (146 laps). Ticket information will be announced at a later date.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(10-31-2002)

  • LVMS Looking to Change CTS Date: In an effort to boost attendance for the annual CTS race, Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell is exploring moving the date. Sunday's Las Vegas 350 went head-to-head with the Invensys Classic PGA tournament in town, and the NFL and the Major League Baseball playoffs on television and drew an estimated 15,000 spectators (LVMS officials do not release attendance figures). Powell said he would like to move the race to a time of the year where it wouldn't compete with pro football. "It would be nice to stay away from football (season), but that's not a deal breaker," Powell said Monday. "I'm currently in some conversations with people from NASCAR about the truck race in 2003 ... and I've got some ideas and NASCAR has some ideas. I've thought about a number of things and my next conversation (with NASCAR) will be to see what are the available dates." Powell said it was unlikely the race would be moved to the spring, when the track hosts Cup and a BGN race in March and the NHRA in April.(Las Vegas Sun)(10-16-2002)

  • New Road for Vegas: A new corridor of the Las Vegas Beltway, which opened recently, will make a significant improvement in traffic flow in and out of Las Vegas Motor Speedway during major event weekends. The corridor connects Interstate 15 to U.S. 95 in the northwest portion of the valley. "The opening of this stretch of beltway will really help the fans as they are coming into and leaving the speedway," said Chris Powell, LVMS's president and general manager. "Once the race ends, everyone is leaving at once. By allowing the traffic to go in two separate directions just one mile from the speedway, we expect to see major improvements in dispersing traffic following next year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 NASCAR races. Anyone living on the west side of town should use this new route to the interstate during events weekends," Powell said. "Race fans on the east side of town have been able to access the speedway by using Las Vegas Boulevard and Nellis Boulevard. By having most of our local fans using Las Vegas Boulevard and the new I-215 corridor, it also should help save time for those heading south toward the Strip or Southern California." Traffic developments including a widening of Las Vegas Boulevard and dedicated bus lanes have helped make dramatic improvements to the traffic flow in and out of the speedway over the past three years. n 1999, poor traffic flow was the number one complaint we heard from race fans, the improvements made over the past three years have completely turned that situation around. This new beltway extension will make a good situation even better." A state-record crowd of approximately 140,000 attended this past year's Cup event at LVMS.(Las Vegas Motor Speedway PR)(10-5-2002)

  • Las Vegas Tix on sale Monday: Tickets for the March, 2003 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go on sale Monday, Sept. 16 at 8:00am/pt (11:00am/et). Tickets for the sixth annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup event on March 2, 2003, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event (March 1), Pole Day (Feb. 28) and the Pennzoil World of Outlaws (Feb. 28 and March 1) will be available on Monday. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com to purchase tickets. Race fans purchasing weekend packages receive seating priority from year to year. Weekend packages include frontstretch seats for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 as well as a free ticket to Pole Day. LVMS also offers a "Super Ticket" that includes tickets to two nights of the Pennzoil World of Outlaws events in addition to the NASCAR events. For the third consecutive year, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will offer Pole Day-only pit passes. These passes, which must be accompanied by a Pole Day ticket, will allow fans access to the infield and pit-road areas during practice and qualifying. The passes do not allow for access to the garage areas.(LVMS PR)(9-12-2002)

  • Las Vegas 2003 Date set: Nevada's largest annual sports weekend will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway Feb. 28-March 2, 2003.. The date represents the same weekend on which the event has been run since 1999. Again in 2003, the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will be the third stop on the NASCAR Winston Cup tour. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale for the NASCAR Weekend on Sept.16. The ticket-renewal process for previous years' ticket holders is now under way. Times for all events will be announced at a later date. FOX Sports will televise the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 for the second consecutive year. Sterling Marlin is the defending champion of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag in 2001. Jeff Burton won the 1999 and 2000 events and Mark Martin captured the inaugural race in 1998.(LVMS PR)(7-11-2002)

  • Las Vegas Next with Sponsor name? Speedway Motorsports Inc. sold another traditional name of one of its racetracks, and it could happen at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The publicly traded corporation announced Saturday that its Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., will be called Infineon Raceway for at least the next 10 years. Infineon, a computer chip company based in Munich, Germany, reportedly paid $35 million for the naming rights and other perks. Its North American headquarters is in nearby San Jose, CA. Bruton Smith, SMI chairman and chief executive, has said that he would consider selling naming rights to any of the SMI tracks but that the one in Las Vegas would likely be the last on his list. Jeff Motley, the LVMS director of communications, said selling the facility's name is possible.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(6-25-2002)

  • Las Vegas same date and sponsor? hearing that Las Vegas Motor Speedway will hold the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on be March 2, 2003.(6-19-2002)

  • No Las Vegas Date..yet: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials have not yet announced the date for their 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup race, but an LVMS ticket agent was telling callers this week that the speedway had "every reason to believe it will be the same weekend" as this year. The 2002 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at LVMS was held on Sunday, March 3.(Las Vegas Sun)(6-15-2002)

  • $89,131 raised at Auction: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities kicked off its 2002 fundraising drive with a home run: the fourth annual NASCAR Driver Auction raised $89,131 for the needy children of Las Vegas and southern Nevada.  The auction, held Thursday, Feb. 28, at Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, eclipsed last year's event, which raised $33,000. All 44 drivers entered in the Cup race were auctioned off, as well as 20 BGN drivers. Rusty Wallace drew the highest bid: $7,000. Winning bidders on Winston Cup Series competitors received the opportunity to ride in a convertible with their driver during the pre-race driver introduction lap. Winning bidders on BGN drivers were entitled to a "meet and greet" at driver introductions prior to the start of the race today. The top 15 Auction Bids:
    1. .....Rusty Wallace -- $7,000
    2. .....Tony Stewart -- $3,500
    3. .....Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- $3,400
    4. .....Stacy Compton -- $2,500
    5. .....Jeff Gordon -- $2,500
    6. .....Michael Waltrip -- $1,500
    7. .....Bill Elliott -- $1,300
    8. .....Mark Martin -- $1,250
    9. .....Kevin Harvick -- $1,200
    10. .Terry Labonte --$1200
    11. .Jeff Burton --$1,200
    12. .Kyle Petty --$1,150
    13. .Bobby Labonte --$1,100
    14. .Shawna Robinson --$1,100
    15. .Dale Jarrett --$1,100.(LVMS PR)(3-2-2002)

  • LVMS Military Ceremony: Military appreciation will be the overriding theme during the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400/Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. An enlistment ceremony, the naming of a portion of the speedway, flyovers by fighter jets and patriotic songs will play prominent roles in the activities of March 1-3. The most notable recognition is the naming of the speedway's back straightaway as the "Nellis Straightaway." The backstretch sits parallel to the runways of Nellis Air Force Base and provides a foreground for daily air shows during race weekend. In addition, the National Anthem on both Saturday and Sunday will be sung by military personnel, F-15 and F-16 flyovers will take place, and Lt. Col. Richard McSpadden, the commander of the USAF Thunderbirds will be the grand marshal for Saturday's Sam's Town 300. The Thunderbirds, based at Nellis, are the Air Force's air demonstration squadron. On Sunday, a special enlistment ceremony will be conducted for the USAF Thunderbirds' Delayed Enlistment Program. Approximately 25 enlistees will take their oaths in the presence of one of America's highest-ranking military officers, Gen. John Handy, a four-star general and commander of the U.S. Transportation Command. The weekend starts with qualifying for both the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam's Town 300 on Friday, March 1. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race takes center stage on Saturday with a 1 p.m. green flag. The weekend culminates with the fifth running of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup event on Sunday. The race is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. start. In addition the Pennzoil World of Outlaws will compete for three nights on the half-mile dirt track, Feb. 28-March 2.(LVMS PR)(2-26-2002)

  • Security and Traffic at Vegas: Even though the green flag will drop an hour later than in previous years, Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are encouraging race fans to leave early for the March 3 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race. The speedway will use the same successful traffic pattern from the 2001 event, but increased security measures may cause delays at the gates. Speedway officials unveiled their traffic and security plan for this year's event during a news conference Wednesday at the speedway. See the LVMS Site for the rundown and more info.(2-21-2002)

  • Las Vegas Expects Largest Crowd: Despite the challenging economic conditions and some people's reluctance to travel, Las Vegas Motor Speedway's upcoming NASCAR Winston Cup event, the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, is on the verge of hosting its largest crowd in the five years of the event which is set for Feb. 28-March 3. At the current pace, LVMS is anticipating its largest one-day crowd. The attendance likely will climb well above 130,000 fans. The Las Vegas economy was one of the hardest hit by the events of Sept. 11. But the first weekend in March will bring thousands of people flocking to town. "I've talked to a number of business leaders throughout the community," Powell said. "And everyone is looking to NASCAR Weekend with great anticipation. One of the great benefits of the weekend is the tremendous impact it has on the local economy, with about 80 percent of the fans coming to Las Vegas from out of state. The weekend's effect on the economy is greater than $120 million according to estimates from the LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority)." Powell said many NASCAR fans have called the speedway recently seeking seats on the 1.5-mile oval's front straightaway, only to come away disappointed. "We simply don't have anymore," Powell said. "We're sold out of everything in permanent seating. The best option now is for the bleachers in Turn 3, and they provide excellent sight lines. And for that $75 ticket, fans receive not only admission to the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 3 but also the Busch Series Sam's Town 300 March 2 and the Las Vegas 350 Craftsman Truck event Oct. 13.(LVMS PR)(2-20-2002)

  • Las Vegas Open House: Race fans are invited to Las Vegas Motor Speedway Feb. 16 for the Fourth Annual Open House from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Race fans will have an opportunity to experience all LVMS has to offer. The Bullring grandstands will be open to watch drivers from the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series practice, while The Strip will be open to watch the first Super Quick Points race and a special Camaro versus Firebird Trophy Drags all free of charge to spectators. Two-time NASCAR Winston West champion and current CTS driver, Brendan Gaughan will join the Bullring's 2001 Rookie-of-the-Year and NASCAR Late Model track champion Jason Allen for an autograph session from 10:00 to 11:00am. In addition, Orleans Racing will conduct a pit stop demonstration at noon in front of its shop. Fans also can enjoy displays by 600 Racing West, Derek Daly Academy, Driving 101 and the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Petty also will offer ride-alongs for a discounted price of $89 for three laps. Local Bullring and Strip drivers will have their cars on display as well. Free track tours also will be provided. LVMS will offer discounted concessions and 10% off merchandise in the Speedway World Gift Shop. Fans also have the opportunity to win prizes donated by Richard Petty Driving Experience, Driving 101, Derek Daly Academy and LVMS. The NASCAR Busch race from Daytona will be featured on a big-screen television. For the children, there will be a play area and an appearance by Big Al from the Orleans Hotel & Casino.(LVMS PR)(2-6-2002)

  • Vegas adds seats: The heavy demand for tickets to the March 3 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 has persuaded Las Vegas Motor Speedway to erect additional seats for this year's NASCAR Winston Cup race. The seats, which are positioned outside Turn 3 of the 1.5-mile superspeedway, will be sold as part of a three-race package called the .Las Vegas Triple Play.(for more info see the LVMS site)(2-1-2002)

  • Las Vegas Special: Race fans attending the 2002 Cup and BGN races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March will be able to enjoy amenities previously only available to corporate guests. LVMS will introduce the Speed Zone Pre-Race Pavilion: public hospitality for both Winston Cup and Busch Series races. Speed Zone will offer: Continental breakfasts, lunches and desserts; Non-alcoholic beverages; Driver appearances: Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon and Randy LaJoie on Saturday, March 2; and Rusty Wallace, Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer on Sunday, March 3; Closed-circuit TV; Cash bar; Pre-race guided pit tours; Preferred parking passes. Prices for Speed Zone are: $79 for the Sam's Town 300, $99 for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 or $149 for both races. A Speed Zone ticket does not include admission to the grandstands.(See the LVMS site for more info)(1-4-2002)

  • LVMS Award: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities (SCC) will award $196,000 in grants to local groups on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 6:00pm at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. SCC will present checks to 17 local charities that directly impact the lives of children at its third-annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Grant Distribution Ceremony. Grant checks will be presented to Westcare Nevada, Boulder Dam Area Council Boy Scouts of America, Learning For Life Boulder Dam Area/Boy Scouts, Girls and Boys Town, Las Vegas Sun Summer Camp, Opportunity Village, Hemophilia Foundation of Nevada, Boys and Girls Club of Henderson, Positively Kids, New Horizons Center, Boys and Girls Club of Las Vegas, Children's Service Guild, North Las Vegas Center Ring Boxing Club, Make A Wish Foundation, Amerindian Inc., Classroom On Wheels and the Culture Shock youth dance troupe. In 2001, the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities raised money through various local events, including a NASCAR driver auction and go-kart race.(LVMS PR)(11-27-2001)

  • Las Vegas Starter: Pasadena Maryland's Amanda Zimmerman, 16, will give the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines!" at the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 in Las Vegas on March 3rd, 2002. You see, Amanda has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means she only has half a heart, and it is on the wrong side of her body, a condition known as dextrocardia. She also has situs inversus, which means all of her organs are on the wrong side. The reason for these ailments is that she was supposed to be a twin, but her parents, Kurt and Rose Ann Zimmerman, didn't know they were having twins until one was lost in the womb. It was only then the Zimmermans found out Rose Ann was still pregnant. But it hasn't been easy to make it come true and, even now, it is something of a miracle that the Anne Arundel County girl is here and able to look forward to that day next year. "It's been my dream," Amanda said. "And now it's going to come true." Though Amanda is in need of heart and double-lung transplants, that is not something she likes to think about or talk about.(Baltimore Sun)(10-21-2001)

  • Vegas Tix: Tickets for the March 3, 2002 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 11th at 8:00am/pt, see www.lvms.com to purchase tickets. Tickets for the March 2 Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race also will be on sale starting Tuesday.(LVMS PR)(9-5-2001)

  • LVMS Grant: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities is accepting grant applications from child-related causes and foundations in the southern Nevada region. Last December, Speedway Children's Charities awarded over $100,000 in grants during its second-annual Christmas Tree-lighting and Grants Distribution Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. SCC presented grant checks to 10 local charities that directly impact the lives of children, including: The Sam Schmidt Foundation, WestCare, Boys & Girls Club, Child Haven, Candlelighters, the Nevada Association for the Handicapped, STEPS Diversion Program, Amerindian, Natural History Art Museum, and the Culture Shock youth dance troupe. SCC volunteers raise funds for local causes through NASCAR driver auctions, celebrity golf tournaments, wine-tasting parties, celebrity Go-Kart races and raffles. The deadline to submit applications for grants is Sept. 21. For grant application information, contact Leslie Albers at (702) 228-2242. (8-13-2001)

  • Las Vegas Tix UPDATE: hearing that LVMS will no longer allow you to keep your same seat location unless you buy a special weekend package. You can ask for the same seats but they wont guarantee you will get them
    UPDATE: Everyone has the opportunity to renew their seats. However, LVMS will allow people to renew on a priority basis. If you are a weekend package ticket holder, you have the opportunity to renew your seats and upgrade your seats first. There is an established deadline of Aug. 20 by which time the weekend pass holders tickets will no longer be held. Then it goes to last year's single-event ticket holders. While LVMS does not guarantee them their seats back, there is a likelihood they will get their seats back if they.request them. The only way a single-event ticket holder will not get their seats back is if a weekend ticket holder wants an upgrade and takes those seats. If that happens, LVMS will then give them the best available seats(8-13-2001)

  • Las Vegas Date: NASCAR's Winston Cup race in 2002 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be March 3, a source close to the racing series said. The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will mark the fifth straight year that Nevada's biggest annual sports event will be the first Sunday in March. Speedway officials would not confirm the dates, but the track is taking ticket renewal orders for that weekend. The public can buy tickets beginning Sept. 11. It is believed that qualifying for the Cup and NASCAR Busch series races will be March 1, with the Busch race the next day.(Las Vegas Review-Journal)(7-11-2001)

  • LVMS Helps Out: Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Metro conducted an alcohol awareness program on Wednesday at the speedway's road course to show members of the local media the effects of alcohol on a person's ability to operate a motor vehicle. "We want people to have fun and enjoy themselves this summer," said Chris Powell, executive vice president and general manager at LVMS. "But we also want people to be safe. We were happy to work with local law enforcement to help educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving. These roads belong to all of us, and we want to do our part to help keep them safe." The event was conducted in a controlled environment. Media members and local police began the program by driving a specially designed course before consuming alcohol. The participants then began drinking shots of liquor, donated by DeLuca Liquor, until they reached the state's legal blood alcohol limit of .10. Once the drivers had exceeded the legal limit, they returned to the cars and attempted to complete the course again. "With summer here and people going to backyard barbecues and other events, we want to make people aware of the potential deadly mistake they could be making by drinking and driving," said Det. Bill Redfairn of Metro. "You need to think before you start drinking because you may not be here next year." The program also served as a final examination for some Metro officers who are training to handle drunken driving traffic stops. Officers spent Monday and Tuesday doing classroom training on handling potential DUI situations. "When you saw the difference between these drivers from when they were sober and when they reached the legal limit, it made you realize just what an impairment that drinking and driving is," Powell said. "We hope to make this an annual event, and I hope we save a good many lives in the process."(LVMS PR)(6-21-2001)

  • Nevada Law: A new law granting motorsports teams and sanctioning bodies an exemption from Nevada's sales and use taxes should make Nevada a motorsports mecca, according to Las Vegas Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Powell. "This is an historic moment for the state of Nevada,. Powell said. .This new law likely will lead to an influx of motorsports businesses to our state. We have heard already from several teams who have indicated that they're very interested in moving to Las Vegas. The new statute, signed into law by Gov. Kenny Guinn, goes into effect on Oct. 1 of this year.(LVMS PR)(6-14-2001)

  • New VP at Las Vegas: Ricky May, a former minor league baseball team owner and motorsports marketing executive, has been named vice president of sales and marketing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. May succeeds Howard Nemenz, who came to LVMS in 1999 and has decided to return to business in North Carolina. May will report for duty May 7, and Nemenz will remain on the staff through June 1 in order to assist in May's transition. May's resume is far-reaching and diverse. In 1981, the Durham Bulls made the 22-year-old May the youngest general manager in minor-league baseball history. In 1983, May began a three-year stint as an assistant athletic director at the University of Louisville. He left the collegiate ranks in 1985 to become manager of sports marketing for Valvoline. At Valvoline, he worked with Indy Racing star Al Unser Jr. and coordinated all of Valvoline's sports-marketing efforts. May, 42, is a North Carolina native and is a 1980 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.(LVMS PR)(4-20-2001)

  • Pretty SAD: Prior to the start of Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, race fans were told they would receive a commemorative poster of Dale Earnhardt as they left the speedway. Unfortunately, many unruly fans overran the speedway's security personnel as they passed out the posters. Many people then ran off with armloads and boxes of the posters as the security personnel feared for their safety. It's been very disappointing for the LVMS staff as well as the fans that the actions of such a select few have caused disappointment for so many. The speedway made a good faith effort to do something nice for its fans. The speedway appreciates the understanding of the many fans(3-8-2001)

  • Rumble at Vegas: Don King will make a special appearance with his World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and contender John Ruiz at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to sign autographs and pose for pictures with NASCAR Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett prior to the NASCAR Winston West race scheduled for Wednesday evening. Holyfield and Ruiz will meet each for the WBA heavyweight title on Saturday night in the Mandalay Bay Events Center.(LVMS PR)(2-27-2001)

  • Las Vegas Open House TODAY: Las Vegas Motor Speedway.s third annual Open House is slated for Feb. 17. Free track tours, race car displays, autograph sessions, discounted merchandise and food and games for children are all on the schedule for the event, which will run from 9:00am to 3:00pm. NASCAR Winston West Series champion Brendan Gaughan and local Late Model Stock driver Chuck Trickle will sign autographs from noon-2 p.m. Worried about missing the big race(BGN) at Daytona?. LVMS has it covered with a tent and a big-screen TV.(LVMS PR)(2-11/17-2001)

  • Interesting Challenge at Las Vegas - Drivers: Thanks to The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, drivers who race in both the NASCAR Winston West event at the Bullring and the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race will compete for three nights of luxury at the Strip resort in The Venetian Challenge. Officials at The Venetian have agreed to offer any driver who can finish in the top three in both the Feb. 28 NAPA 300 and Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 the following:. a three-night stay in the hotel's Penthouse suite and the driver's spouse or significant other will receive a $20,000 shopping spree in the Grand Canal Shoppes.(LVMS PR). So far Brendan Gaughan
    is the only one I know of who will attempt both(2-6-2001)
    UPDATE: Michael Waltrip has committed to compete in the Feb. 28 NAPA Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Winston West Series event at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Waltrip, who drives the #15-NAPA Chevy for Dale Earnhardt in Cup, will make his first NASCAR Winston West starts since he won at Pikes Peak in July of 1997. Waltrip will be driving a car prepared by Orleans Racing and will be a teammate of defending series champion Brendan Gaughan and NASCAR veteran Herschel McGriff. Waltrip and Gaughan are scheduled to compete in both the NAPA Auto Parts 300 and the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup event on Sunday, March 4. As part of The Venetian Challenge, they both will be eligible for a special bonus from The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino. If either driver places in the top three in both races they will receive a three-day stay in The Venetian's penthouse suite and their wife or significant other will receive a $20,000 shopping spree in The Grand Canal Shoppes(LVMS PR)(2-8-2001)
    Hornaday Added: #14-Ron Hornaday has decided to compete in the NAPA Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Winston West Series event on Feb. 28 at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hornaday, who will be competing in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 4, will be driving a car prepared by Las Vegas' Bobby Pangonis. Hornaday has six career wins in the NASCAR Winston West Series, but his last win came in 1996 at Colorado National Speedway in Erie, Colo. One of his wins came in 1994 at the old Las Vegas Speedway Park, which was the forerunner of the Bullring. Hornaday joins Michael Waltrip and Brendan Gaughan in The Venetian Challenge. "That is awesome," Hornaday said. "We.re going to win that deal and enjoy it. I'll even take the money and give it to charity."(LVMS PR)(2-11-2001)

  • Pit Passes at Vegas: For the first time ever, race fans attending Orleans Pole Day on March 2 will be allowed to purchase pit passes. The pit pass, which is good for Friday only and must accompany a ticket to qualifying, will allow fans to stand behind the pit wall during practice sessions and qualifying for both the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and the Sam's Town 300. Pit passes are $25 and can be purchased by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444. They also will be available at the ticket booths during race week(LVMS PR)(1-16-2001)

  • LVMS CTS Sponsor: The return of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to Las Vegas Motor Speedway also will mark the return of The Orleans Hotel and Casino as the event's title sponsor. The speedway and Coast Resorts, The Orleans' parent company, announced the multi-year deal. This year's race, which will be held Oct. 14, will be called The Orleans 350. The event is 350 kilometers in length (145 laps)(LVMS PR)(1-24-2001)

  • Las Vegas Camping News: Race fans who elect to camp at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during NASCAR Weekend will have to go only a short distance to shop for groceries and personal items. Albertson.s and Sav-on Drugs have agreed to set up a campground store in the speedway.s El Monte RV Corral during race week to service the thousands of campers who make the speedway their home away from home. Also, in 2000, LVMS added shower facilities and this year a campground store. The campground store will be set up prior to the arrival of campers on Feb. 27. A full menu of items will be posted later on the speedway's website, www.lvms.com(LVMS PR)(1-24-2001)

  • More Vegas News - Aero Changes? Drivers participating in Monday's NASCAR Winston Cup testing session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were finding out late in the afternoon that they might be using a new aerodynamics package when they return to the speedway for the March 4 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. NASCAR president Mike Helton and Winston Cup director Gary Nelson were talking with drivers and team owners late in the day about trying some of the sanctioning body's ideas today, the second of five consecutive testing days at the speedway. Some of the series' top drivers probably will be asked to attach some items to their cars in a research and development mini-session(Las Vegas Review Journal)(1-30-2001)

  • CUP testing at Vegas UPDATE: Nearly every Cup team and many NASCAR Busch Series teams will participate in preseason practice at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 29 through Feb. 2, fans will be able to attend each of those sessions at no charge(LVRJ)(1-5-2001)
    UPDATE: NASCAR will ask some of the teams testing at Las Vegas later this month to test aerodynamic packages aimed at disturbing the air moving over their cars at that track. Similar tests were done last year at Talladega before changes were implemented for the Winston 500 at that track in October. Those rules are also planned for use in this year's Daytona 500. The test at Las Vegas would be aimed at finding a combination to make competition closer at that 1.5-mile track, which hosts the season's third race on March 4, and that also might work for other races later this year(That's Racin')(1-11-2001)

  • Las Vegas News: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will celebrate the beginning of a new year with a number of staff promotions and additions. Former credentials manager Keri Wright has been named manager of the Bullring, LVMS' 3/8-mile paved short track. David Stetzer has been promoted from senior manager of short-track operations to director of short-track racing. Joey Mancari, former manager of short-track events, was appointed manager of promotions in the speedway's Sales and Marketing Department. Kirk Barkhimer, who served as a manager in the operations department as well as The Strip, has been named manager of the dirt oval and motocross track. Dana Hall, a graduate of Michigan State, has joined LVMS' public relations department as public relations coordinator. Hall most recently worked as a public relations coordinator for the Bragg-Smith Corvette School in Pahrump, NV. Dawn McDow is LVMS' newly appointed credentials coordinator, and Mary White was upgraded from part-time to full-time status in the ticketing department.(LVMS PR)(1-3-2001)

  • CUP testing at Vegas UPDATE: Nearly every Cup team and many NASCAR Busch Series teams will participate in preseason practice at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 29 through Feb. 2, fans will be able to attend each of those sessions at no charge(LVRJ)(1-5-2001)
    UPDATE: NASCAR will ask some of the teams testing at Las Vegas later this month to test aerodynamic packages aimed at disturbing the air moving over their cars at that track. Similar tests were done last year at Talladega before changes were implemented for the Winston 500 at that track in October. Those rules are also planned for use in this year's Daytona 500. The test at Las Vegas would be aimed at finding a combination to make competition closer at that 1.5-mile track, which hosts the season's third race on March 4, and that also might work for other races later this year(That's Racin')(1-11-2001)

  • Las Vegas Charity UPDATE: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities(SCC) will award $100,000 in grants to local groups on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. SCC will present checks to 11 local charities that directly impact the lives of children at its second-annual Christmas tree lighting and grant distribution ceremony at LVMS. Grant checks will be presented to The Sam Schmidt Foundation, WestCare, Boys & Girls Club, Child Haven, Candlelighters, the Nevada Association for the Handicapped, New Directions, Amerindian, Shade Tree, Natural History Art Museum, and the Culture Shock youth dance troupe. The ceremony, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will include the lighting of 11 Christmas trees -- one representing each charity. An exhibition by the Kirk L. Adams Elementary School Drill Team will be followed by a visit from Santa Claus(LVMS PR)(12-7-2000)
    UPDATE: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities (SCC) awarded over $100,000 in grants this evening during its second-annual Christmas Tree-lighting and Grants Distribution Ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. SCC presented grant checks to 10 local charities that directly impact the lives of children, including: The Sam Schmidt Foundation, WestCare, Boys & Girls Club, Child Haven, Candlelighters, the Nevada Association for the Handicapped, STEPS Diversion Program, Amerindian, Natural History Art Museum, and the Culture Shock youth dance troupe(LVMS PR)(12-14-2000)

  • Las Vegas adds Race: The NASCAR Winston West Series will make its first appearance ever at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001. The event will kick off the annual NASCAR Winston Cup Series weekend at LVMS(more info at the LVMS site)(12-1-2000)

  • New Vegas Sponsor? UPDATE official: DaimlerChrysler, which is getting back into NASCAR racing in 2001 with its Dodge Intrepid R/T, will sponsor next year's Winston Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will be held March 4, 2001, on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. LVMS general manager Chris Powell would neither confirm nor deny that the automaker would sponsor the race, but industry sources told the Sun on Monday that a deal had been reached between the two parties. LVMS officials have scheduled a news conference on Wednesday to formally announce the sponsorship. UAW-DaimlerChrysler will be the third sponsor of Las Vegas' Winston Cup race in its brief four-year history. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority sponsored the Las Vegas 400 in 1998 and 1999 before CarsDirect.com bought the naming rights for this year's race for a reported $1.9 million. Veteran Winston Cup crew chief Ray Evernham, who is spearheading DaimlerChrysler's return to NASCAR, has a three-day test session scheduled for Las Vegas Motor Speedway Nov. 6-8. Also on Monday, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and its Winston brand announced that the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway would be the inaugural "No Bull 5" race of the 2001 season(Las Vegas Sun)(10-17-2000)
    UPDATE: The United Auto Workers and DaimlerChrysler have acquired title-sponsorship rights to the NASCAR Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, set in 2001 for March 4, will be called the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. The announcement was made Wednesday at the Showcase Mall beside the MGM Grand overlooking the famous Las Vegas Strip(LVMS PR)(10-19-2000)

  • Las Vegas Tix UPDATE: Race fans visiting Las Vegas Motor Speedway's ticket office on Monday morning to buy their NASCAR Winston Cup tickets in person do not need to eat breakfast before heading to the track. Finish Line Events, which provides food and beverage service as well as merchandise for all LVMS events, will prepare a hot breakfast for everyone who shows up to buy their tickets in person. Breakfast will be available beginning at 7 a.m., which coincides with the time tickets go on sale. Breakfast service will end at 10 a.m. AND September 11th is the first day tickets will be available to the public for the March 4, 2001, NASCAR Winston Cup event at the speedway. Everyone who orders tickets on Sept. 11 will be given their seat assignments at the time of purchase. Tickets orders will be accepted beginning at 7 a.m. (Pacific Time). Race fans may purchase tickets in person at the speedway ticket office, via telephone by calling 1-800-644-4444 or over the internet by logging on to Tickets.com(LVMS PR)(9-8-2000)
    UPDATE: Busy ticket agents and brisk sales highlighted the first day of ticket sales for the March 4, 2001, NASCAR Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "Most all of the race fans who bought tickets today are new ticket holders to Las Vegas Motor Speedway," said Chris Powell, LVMS' executive vice president and general manager. "Unlike previous years, our renewal notices for this past year's fans already have been processed. It was the remaining tickets that went on sale Monday, and our ticket office was quite busy. The race is not a sellout. We still have good seats available. But if we continue this current pace of selling tickets, the remaining tickets will go fast."(LVMS PR)(9-12-2000)

  • New PR at Las Vegas UPDATE: John Bisci has been hired by the Las Vegas Motor Speedway as Public Relations Manager to work under Public Relations Director Jeff Motley, starting on Sept 5th. Bisci takes over for Kimberly Miller, former LVMS PR Manager, who is leaving to work at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway(PR)(8-26-2000)
    UPDATE: John Bisci has been hired as Public Relations Manager for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 43-year-old native of Buffalo, NY, joined the LVMS staff on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Before moving to Las Vegas in August, Bisci -- a public relations and motorsports journalism veteran -- most recently coordinated media services for NASCAR Busch Series driver Hank Parker, Jr. and Team Marines Racing in Mooresville, N.C.(LVMS PR)(9-6-2000)

  • Trickle Dedication: The grass park at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 3/8-mile paved oval will be dedicated to the late Chris Trickle on Monday, July 3rd at 3:00pm. Trickle's family will unveil a six-foot tall stone honoring the young NASCAR Southwest Tour driver who was randomly shot in 1997 on Blue Diamond Road. Trickle died a year later(LVMS PR)(6-30-2000)

  • Las Vegas Cup Date: Nevada's largest annual sports weekend will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 1-4, 2001, it was announced by speedway officials on Thursday. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series will make its fourth visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 4, 2001. The Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event will precede the NASCAR Winston Cup event on Saturday, March 3. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws also will return for three nights of action at the speedway's half-mile dirt oval March 1, 2 and 3.(LVMS PR)(6-29-2000)

  • LVMS/Trickle Story: Father's Day is a roller coaster of emotions for Trickle(6-16-2000)

  • Las Vegas Needs a Sponsor: Las Vegas Motor Speedway and CarsDirect.com, a California-based on-line automobile dealer, have agreed not to renew their contract for title sponsorship of the annual NASCAR Winston Cup event at LVMS. Their focus is on bringing in a new, long-term partner for the 2001 season and beyond(LVMS PR)(5-24-2000)

  • Las Vegas Date: It appears the annual visit by the NASCAR Winston Cup series to Las Vegas Motor Speedway will continue to be on the first weekend in March. The date is set for March 4, 2001, according to a source close to the racing series(Las Vegas Review Journal)(5-3-2000)

  • Vegas Condos: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is believed to be in discussions with architects and builders to create a condominium high rise that would be built in either the second, third or fourth turns of the 1 1/2-mile racetrack and include about 50 condos(Las Vegas Review Journal)(5-8-2000)

  • Vegas, 2nd Race? Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials continue to lobby for a second NASCAR Winston Cup race. Chris Powell, the speedway general manager and vice president, said Monday he wants another Cup race. On Sunday morning before the CarsDirect.com 400, Bruton Smith, chief executive of Speedway Motorsports that owns the local track, reiterated his desire to move a Cup race to Las Vegas from Speedway Motorsports' Sears Point International Raceway near San Francisco(Las Vegas Review Journal)(3-11-2000)

  • SpeedVision: Bruton Smith Q&A, it's a long column, but pretty interesting. Smith talks about Sears Point date maybe to Las Vegas, fans, NASCAR, ISC....by Ben Blake(3-8-2000)

  • Las Vegas Fans: Las Vegas Motor Speedway announced today that it will institute a version of the "Fans First" campaign. Fans First is designed to show the speedway's commitment to improving customer service for motorsports fans. The speedway's Fans First program allows for extended ticket-renewal time, family sections in the grandstands, more fan amenities and much more. Also there will be no price increase for tickets to the NASCAR weekend in 2001. In fact, some ticket prices will come down. They are going to take the first 10 rows of seats in the turn-three grandstands and lower those prices. Among the other initiatives outlined in the LVMS plan will be the continued free parking in all lots, free shuttle services around the speedway's grounds during event weekend, free NASCAR Winston Cup Series pole-day tickets for fans purchasing a reserved seat to both the NASCAR Winston and NASCAR Busch Series races and a more immediate response time to fans' comments(LVMS)(3-5-2000)

  • 2nd Vegas Race? Bruton Smith held court Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one of six tracks his company, Speedway Motorsports Inc., owns on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. Among the topics: whether Las Vegas, which hosts the CarsDirect.com 400 Sunday, deserves a second race date. Smith says he os not campaigning for it, but drivers he talks to wonder why there isn't a 2nd race there. Smith, of course, does not control the doling out of race dates. That task belongs to NASCAR and, ultimately, president Bill France Jr. The problem for Smith comes about in that France also owns SMI's chief competitor for race dates, International Speedway Corp., which owns, among other facilities, Daytona International Speedway. So there has been talk that if Smith is to get another race date for Las Vegas or, for that matter, his track in Fort Worth, Texas, he will have to move it from the Sears Point Raceway road course he owns in Sonoma, CA. In which,SMI's president, Humpy Wheeler says it could happen, because of purse payout, a great facility at Las Vegas and "you can do whatever you want to Sears Point, and it's not gonna be as good as this."(in part from the News and Observer)(3-4-2000)

  • LVMS: NASCAR weekend at LVMS includes 103 competitors(3-1-2000)

  • Scouts invited to LVMS events: Las Vegas Motor Speedway would like to invite members of local Scouting organizations to the speedway to enjoy the Sam's Town 300 with no admission charge. Scouts will be admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult. The scout must be in uniform to take advantage of this unique offer(LVMS PR)(3-1-2000)

  • Vegas Crowd: If Las Vegas Motor Speedway hadn't added around 15,000 seats since last year's record-breaking CUP race, the March 5 race would have been declared a sellout about a month ago. With the seating capacity stretched to about 130,000 and another 15,000 spectators in sky boxes, with motorhomes and standing-room areas, the attendance for the nationally televised CarsDirect.com 400 should be about 145,000. That will extend the speedway's hold on a Nevada record for a single-day crowd at a sporting event(Las Vegas Review-Journal)(2-28-2000)

  • Vegas Traffic: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials and state and local law-enforcement agencies unveiled a new traffic and transportation plan that will improve significantly the flow of traffic in and out of the speedway during the March 2-5 NASCAR weekend. Approximately a quarter of a million people are expected to visit the speedway during the four-day weekend. The CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR Winston Cup event, scheduled for Sunday, March 5, is expected to attract more than 140,000 spectators, making it the largest one-day spectator event in Nevada's history. The widening of Las Vegas Boulevard from two lanes to seven traffic lanes, a new right-of-way from Interstate 15 at the Speedway Boulevard exit and a secured bus route from the Las Vegas Strip and downtown will alleviate much of the traffic congestion usually associated with such a large event. LVMS officials are encouraging all commercial vehicles and people needing credentials to use Las Vegas Boulevard. All private passenger vehicles should use Interstate 15 and exit at Speedway Boulevard. Race fans are encouraged, however, to use the Citizen's Area Transit(LVMS PR)(2-26-2000)

  • Las Vegas and King: Richard 'The King' Petty will visit the gaming capital of the world to act as grand marshal for the CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Prior to the start of the third annual event, seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Richard Petty will give the drivers the command to start their engines by saying the four most famous words in motorsports, "Gentleman, start your engines." Moments after the command, Scott Painter, founder and vice chairman of CarsDirect.com, will wave the green flag to signal the start of the 267-lap race, which will be televised live on ABC Sports. Bill Boyd, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Boyd Gaming, will serve as the grand marshal for the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race on March 4. Long-time Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton will serve as the honorary starter for the Sam's Town 300(LVMS PR)(2-22-2000)

  • Speedway Motorsports: NASCAR isn't the only racing entity seeking to expand their media horizons. Bruton Smith, owner of Speedway Motorsports Inc. announced today the purchase of Racing Country USA, a nationally syndicated radio show from Morris International. Founded in 1990 as NASCAR Country, Racing Country USA is a two-hour program reaching over 300 affiliates nationwide. The format includes country music, NASCAR-related features and interviews with top personalities from both venues(Speedway Illustrated)(2-18-2000)

  • Las Vegas Open House: Saturday's (Feb 19th, today) open house at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will give race fans a sneak peak at the upcoming racing season at LVMS as well as provide an exciting day of racing fun. Free track tours, go-kart rides, ticket specials, discounted rides from the Richard Petty Driving Experience and show cars from many different forms of racing will greet racing fans at the open house, which runs from 9am-4pm, Vegas Time. And for fans not wanting to miss the NASCAR Busch Series event from Daytona, large-screen televisions will be set up for viewing. Las Vegas' Brendan Gaughan, who will make his NASCAR Winston Cup debut, will be on hand to sign autographs from 1-3 p.m. Lucky fans also will have the chance to register to win tickets to the Pennzoil World of Outlaws, Northern Light Indy Racing league event and the inaugural SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals. NHRA Pro Stock standout and Las Vegas resident George Marnell will have his dragster on display as well(LVMS PR)(2-19-2000)

  • Las Vegas Roads and Tickets: The joint project between LVMS and the Nevada Department of Transportation will allow almost three times the volume of traffic to enter the speedway property as compared to 1999. Crews from NDOT continue working on schedule to finish the roadway improvements. The relationship between LVMS and NDOT has allowed the project to move ahead smoothly. The road widening is one of several projects currently underway to improve events on the LVMS property. And.... Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Tickets.com have entered into a multi-year agreement that will allow Tickets.com to be the exclusive electronic ticket outlet for the speedway(LVMS PR)(1-28-2000)

  • Vegas Showers: First Watkins Glen now....Campers flocking to Las Vegas Motor Speedway's El Monte RV Park will find one of the comforts of home when they arrive for the March 2-5 CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR Winston Cup weekend. Two 18-wheel trailers equipped with full-service showers and sinks will be set up in the RV compound to allow campers an added luxury not present at many racing facilities. The Cascade Company of Monroe, Wash., is providing the 16-shower trailers. There will be one trailer for men and one for women. They will be open during the morning and evening hours and available to everyone camping in the El Monte compound(LVMS PR)(1-26-2000)

  • LVMS News: Race fans attending a Feb. 19 open house at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be treated to free tours of the entire facility, discounts from the Richard Petty Driving Experience, discounted concessions and merchandise, special ticket deals and go-kart rides courtesy of Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix. The open house is set to run from 9am to 4pm. There also will be several big-screen televisions set up during the morning hours for fans to watch the NASCAR Busch Series race from Daytona International Speedway. The go-kart rides will begin immediately following the conclusion of the race from Daytona. There are also special ticket deals for fans attending the open house. Anyone purchasing four tickets to either the CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race or the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race will receive a choice of a 10-percent discount coupon from the speedway's gift shop or half price on tickets for Bud Pole Day, which will be held Friday, March 3.(LVMS PR)(1-21-2000)

  • Vegas Construction: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is undergoing a facelift with numerous construction projects including the widening of Las Vegas Boulevard, demolition of the second floor of the pit-road building and the new dragway. The Nevada Department of Transportation began widening Las Vegas Boulevard in November in an effort to improve traffic flow to and from events at LVMS. The widening of the road will be ready in time for the March 2-5 CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR Winston Cup weekend. Also in preparation for the NASCAR Winston Cup event, construction crews began demolition on the second floor of the pit-road building at the 1.5-mile superspeedway in December and will finish phase one of the project in mid-February. On the northwest corner of the speedway.s 1,600-acre property, the construction of a state-of-the-art drag-racing facility began in October and is the site for a national event sanctioned by the National Hot Road Association on April 6-9, 2000(LVMS PR)(1-20-2000)

  • Insurance and Speedways UPDATE: Nationwide Insurance will sponsor a safety program at tracks owned by Speedway Motorsports. The company will make a $1,000 donation to Speedway Children's Charities in the name of a driver who most notably demonstrates safety during a race. It will provide fan assistance during races and a booth so pictures of children can be taken to assist in identification in case they become lost(St Peterburg Times)(1-12-2000) -- UPDATE: Some more info on the Nationswide sponsorship at the six Speedway Motorsports tracks. It includes: 1.) Sponsorship of the safety vehicles used at those six tracks (including new uniforms for the personnel), 2.) Nationwide Fan Assistance patrol, (10 golf carts at each track to help with medical transports, and serve as roving information booths answering questions, giving directions, etc.), 3.) "Safe Driving Move of the Race", (reminiscent of the Raybestos break of the race) and finally 4.) the child registration booth already mentioned. This is tied into the Nat'l Center for Missing and Exploited children. Nationwide will also have a hospitality tent at each track and a program to give away 50 tickets per race by the Nationwide State Management team for each home state for the track(1-14-2000)

  • LVMS News: Speedway Motorsports, Inc. sold the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Industrial Park and some 280 acres of undeveloped land directly across I-15 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway(SpeedVision)(1-14-2000)

  • LVMS News: Brian Dewitt has been named coordinator of public relations for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will primarily be responsible for dragway public relations and the speedway's website(LVMS PR)(1-4-2000)

  • Vegas Tickets: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has released some tickets for the Winston Cup CarsDirect.com 400 that were not paid for on the due date to the public for sale. Many of these seats are prime seats. Race fans interested in purchasing these tickets can either call the ticket office at (800) 644-4444 or can e-mail to media@lvms.com to purchase these tickets(LVMS Site)(12-20-1999)

  • Las Vegas Construction UPDATE Award: On Thursday(12-16), Las Vegas Motor Speedway is to begin the process of tearing the top floor off of the two-story pit road building. The only part of the top floor that will be left standing will be the media center and the photographer's lounge. The rest of it will be cropped off. The reason for this is to improve sight lines for fans in the grandstands, whose view of the back stretch are obstructed by the building(12-16-1999) -- UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway received the 1999 Tourism Development Award at the 16th Annual Governor.s Conference on Travel and Tourism. Nevada Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt presented the award during a ceremony and dinner at the Paris Hotel and Casino Wednesday night. Also, see the full story of the construction at the LVMS site(12-17-1999)

  • Vegas Charities: The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will award $65,000 in grants to groups located in Las Vegas on Tuesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Five charitable groups who benefit or help children will be presented checks as a result of the yearlong fund-raising campaign by SCC. The foundation began its fundraising efforts in March by auctioning parade-lap rides with NASCAR Winston Cup drivers prior to the Las Vegas 400. This was the first of several events which included the inaugural Karting For Kids 500; the Clean Up Sam Campaign, where Indy Racing League driver Sam Schmidt agreed to shave his signature sideburns in exchange for a $3,000 donation to SCC; and the Motorized Media Mayhem race, in which local media representatives raced Legends cars at the speedway's 3/8-mile paved oval. SCC will present grants to Shade Tree, Safe Nest, New Directions, Candlelighters and Child Haven. The ceremony will be held in the lobby of the speedway's administration building(Las Vegas Sun Site)(12-12-1999)

  • WoO and Cup UPDATE: Three Pennzoil World of Outlaws(WoO) Series races will be run in conjunction with the Cup Series events in 2000. They will run twice at Lowe's Motor Speedway(Charlotte) and once at Texas Motor Speedway in conjunction with Winston Cup events. Ground was broken in August for dirt tracks at TMS and LMS, both owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc(SpeedNet) -- UPDATE: oops on the WoO...they will also run at Las Vegas the same weekend as the Cup cars(11-30-1999)

  • Las Vegas Race Sponsor UPDATE: Bruton Smith might be looking to gain more than a sponsor for next year's NASCAR Winston Cup race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A speedway official confirmed Thursday that representatives of the facility are in the final stages of negotiating with CarsDirect.com to be the title-rights sponsor for the track's March 5, 2000, Cup race. The speedway has tentatively set Nov. 3 as a date for an official announcement(Las Vegas Review Journal) AND Las Vegas Motor Speedway has negotiated what is believed to be the most lucrative single-race sponsorship in auto racing for its NASCAR Winston Cup race in March. CarsDirect.com, an Internet website that allows consumers to purchase automobiles on the World Wide Web, has agreed in principle to serve as the title sponsor for the March 5, 2000, Winston Cup race. According to industry sources, the title sponsorship fee is in the neighborhood of $1.9 million, which would be a record for a Winston Cup race(Las Vegas Sun)(10-15-1999) -- UPDATE: CarsDirect.com, the first internet car company that allows consumers to complete automobile transactions on-line, has acquired title sponsorship rights to the NASCAR Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for 2000. The event will be called the CarsDirect.com 400(Racing West) AND a TNN Motorsports Site story: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Gets Dot-Com Sponsor(11-3-1999)

  • Vegas Changes: Las Vegas Motor Speedway made two significant changes in its 2000 racing schedule Thursday as track officials elected to drop its annual NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and move its Indy Racing League event from the fall to the spring. As a result of the IRL date change, LVMS may wind up hosting the top drivers in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) after all, even as negotiations to bring a CART race to the Speedway apparently have stalled(Las Vegas Sun)(10-29-1999)

  • Las Vegas News: Bruton Smith might be looking to gain more than a sponsor for next year's NASCAR Winston Cup race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A speedway official confirmed Thursday that representatives of the facility are in the final stages of negotiating with CarsDirect.com to be the title-rights sponsor for the track's March 5, 2000, Cup race. The speedway has tentatively set Nov. 3 as a date for an official announcement(Las Vegas Review Journal) AND Las Vegas Motor Speedway has negotiated what is believed to be the most lucrative single-race sponsorship in auto racing for its NASCAR Winston Cup race in March. CarsDirect.com, an Internet website that allows consumers to purchase automobiles on the World Wide Web, has agreed in principle to serve as the title sponsor for the March 5, 2000, Winston Cup race. According to industry sources, the title sponsorship fee is in the neighborhood of $1.9 million, which would be a record for a Winston Cup race(Las Vegas Sun)(10-15-1999)

  • LMS Gets Even Bigger: Officials of Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte/Concord unveiled plans for a massive new high-tech structure that will create nearly 11,000 new seats on the 1.5-mile track's frontstretch and provide a much-needed expansion for the popular Speedway Club -- all in time for the 2000 race season. Of the 10,860 new seats, the 4,317-seat veranda extension will be available exclusively to LMS Speedway Club members, with the 896-chair VIP level and 5,647-place upper deck tickets offered to the general public in a season ticket package. The construction marks a net increase in permanent seating for Lowe's Motor Speedway of 10,254 units, bringing the total racetrack capacity to 167,254(TNN's Motorsports Site)(7-31-1999)

  • Pocono Not Selling: a few days old but....Pocono Raceway owner Dr. Joseph Mattioli on Thursday categorically denied he was considering selling his 2.5-mile track to racing magnate Bruton Smith. Mattioli attempted to end renewed speculation that Smith would purchase the track in Long Pond, Pa., and move one of its two NASCAR Winston Cup dates to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which Smith's Speedway Motorsports, Inc., also owns. See Pocono race not moving to LVMS by Brian Hilderbrand(Las Vegas Sun)(7-28-1999)

  • Las Vegas Announcement UPDATE: Announcement of another major motorsports event coming to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The announcement will take place at 10am(local time) on Tuesday July 20th at LVMS. One crazy rumor has Bruton Smith buying Pocono and moving BOTH dates, one to Texas and one to Vegas...but my sources tell me it's to announce an NHRA National, for the new dragstrip at the track, sounds a little more feasible(7-12-1999) -- UPDATE: maybe this is it: Speedway considers four-lane drag strip by Jeff Wolf of the Las Vegas Review Journal(7-14-1999)

  • Smith and Track Dates: If Bruton Smith wants to add second NASCAR Winston Cup races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway next year, he can. Smith, chief executive of Speedway Motorsports Inc., owns those tracks and four others that have Cup races. He could move the first of two Cup dates from his Atlanta Motor Speedway, because its March race always seems plagued by bad weather. See the rest of the story at: Date could move to Las Vegas(Las Vegas Review Journal)(7-2-1999)

  • Vegas Seats Shrink: The Las Vegas Motor Speedway announced this week that it will reduce the amount of space allotted to each fan on the bench seats from 20 inches to "an industry standard" 18 inches, according to General Manager Chris Powell. That, in turn, will generate an additional $1 million or so into the Speedway Motorsports Inc. coffers. Perhaps SMI will use the additional money to improve traffic flow into and out of the facility during its Winston Cup weekend and truly make the Speedway fan friendly(Las Vegas Sun)(6-19-1999)

  • Vegas 2nd Date, Smith Talks: Despite the recent merger of International Speedway Corp. and Penske Motorsports Inc., and comments by ISC chairman and NASCAR president Bill France to the contrary, Las Vegas Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith remains confident Las Vegas will get a second NASCAR Winston Cup race. See complete SpeedNet story at: Bruton: Second Cup date possible(6-16-1999)

  • Vegas Increase: Racing fans who are receiving their ticket renewal order forms for the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are being faced with a good news/bad news proposition. The good news is that the majority of the ticket prices in the less desirable Section 4 are being reduced by an average of $7 for next year's race. The bad news is that the majority of tickets in Sections 1 through 3 are being increased by an average of $12 -- and there will be fewer of the lower-priced seats available(Las Vegas Sun)(5-4-1999)

  • Las Vegas Ratings UPDATE: Last week's Las Vegas 400 not only was the most-attended sporting event in Nevada history, but it also was the second-most watched race in NASCAR history, excluding the Daytona 500. The second annual race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which featured brothers Jeff and Ward Burton battling over the final 35 laps, had a 6.0 rating, marking a 3 percent increase over the inaugural event, according to ABC. The 6.0 rating translates to a 15 share, which means the race was watched by an estimated 5.99 million households(icFlorida)(3-12-1999) -- The 1997 inaugural Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway drew a 6.4 rating, making it the most-watched NASCAR race other than a Daytona 500(SpeedNet)(3-13-1999)

  • Vegas Traffic Problems: story about the traffic at LVMS at SpeedNet - Traffic, other snags turn off many fans (3-9-1999)

  • Vegas Changes: Don't be surprised to see some changes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bruton Smith's operatives have been going over the 1.5-mile track with a fine-toothed comb searching for possible improvements and quizzing drivers, teams and media about likes and dislikes. Among the possible changes being pondered are: razing the two-story building behind pit row because it blocks the view of the back stretch for many fans, extending the pits farther out to reduce the mammoth grassy space in the track's tri-oval and increasing the banking in the turns from 12 to 18-24 degrees(Gaston Gazette-Monte Dutton), also see the article at the Las Vegas Review Journal - LV Speedway's Bold New Course(3-7-1999)

  • Vegas Hires: Harold Nemenz and Bob Miller have accepted positions with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Nemenz, 47, was named vice president of sales and marketing while Miller was named director of facilities. He spent the last nine years as manager of three radio stations in Winston-Salem, NC. Miller, 55, returns to the same position he held from 1996-97. He left Las Vegas to serve as director of operations at Pike's Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo. He spent 11 years at Sears Point Raceway(SpeedNet)(3-3-1999)

  • Las Vegas: Bob Miller has been named director of facilities at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was announced by LVMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Powell. The 55-year old Miller comes to LVMS for the second time. He was facilities superintendent for the track from 1996-97 before becoming director of operations at Pike's Peak International Raceway in Fountain, CO(RaceWire)(2-11-1999)

  • Tickets to Vegas? If you do you may wish to check this out - Ticket snafu at speedway affects fans, Due to a computer crash, fans will not be sitting in the seats they originally bought for March's Las Vegas 400.(Las Vegas Review-Journal - thanks Mark)(2-9-1999)

  • Infield at Vegas: After quickly selling out its motor home parking for March's NASCAR weekend, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has opened a section of its infield for more parking. See the story at Speedway offers infield spots for NASCAR weekend(Las Vegas Review-Journal)(2-2-1999)

  • Las Vegas has tickets: the Las Vegas Motor Speedway website has a new ticket offer. They have reserved-seat tickets for the Winston Cup race as well as the BGN race March 6-7, 1999. There is a perception that the Winston Cup race is a sellout which is not true(1-19-1999)

  • LVMS no 2nd date: It will be up to new owner Bruton Smith to move one of his existing Winston Cup races if Las Vegas Motor Speedway intends to host a second race, according to NASCAR president Bill France. See the complete Las Vegas Sun article at - NASCAR won't add 2nd race at LVMS(1-14-1999)

  • Texas and Vegas: See the story by Holly Cain of the Dallas News at Smith's new purchase could shake up TMS(12-17-1998)

  • New VP for Vegas? Yep I hear RJR's Chris Powell is the new Executive Vice President at Las Vegas Motor Speedway(12-16-1998) -- Less than a week after being purchased by O.Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports, Las Vegas now has a new executive vice president and General Manager, Chris Powell. Powell has worked for Sports Marketing Enterprises, a division of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., for the past 11 years. Since 1994, he has served as the manager of media relations and publicity on the Winston Cup program. Previously, Powell worked on publicity and event operations for other RJR programs, including NHRA Winston Drag Racing and the Vantage and Nabisco golf sponsorships(SpeedNet)(12-17-1998)

  • It's Official UPDATE 2: Speedway Motorsports Inc. announced Thursday it completed a deal worth $215 million for the purchase of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, warehouse space and nearly 300 acres of nearby real estate. Bruton Smith, the company's chairman and chief executive officer, said Thursday a deal was closed on Dec. 1 to purchase the speedway for $150 million and another $65 million for the real estate. A formal announcement will be made in Las Vegas at 3 p.m. Monday, and broadcast by satellite at Charlotte Motor Speedway, another one of Speedway Motorsports' holdings. See the complete story at That's Racin' - Smith announces purchase of Las Vegas track and an AP story at Yahoo - Las Vegas Speedway Bought for $215M(12-10-1998) -- The sale of Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be formally announced at 3pm Monday, December 14, and will be broadcast via satellite(TNN)(12-12-1998) -- see latest story at GoRacing: The Deal is Done --- Smith Owns Vegas(12-14-1998) -- A few final story story links: Bruton Smith says Las Vegas track was a deal and an AP story - Second Winston Cup race in Las Vegas a possibility(12-15-1998)

  • This could be BIG - Vegas to be sold? MAYBE? UPDATE 4 Hearing the Las Vegas Motor Speedway may be sold soon. Supposedly both Bill France Jr and Bruton Smith are players in the rumored sell(TV Times)(11-30-1998) -- but I now hear neither Smith or France will be involved and another player is involved(12-1-1998) -- Hear the Las Vegas Sun will have an article on the possible sale Today - Here it is - O. Bruton Smith, who brought 100,000-seat facilities and luxury suites to stock-car racing and owns five NASCAR Winston Cup Series tracks, is on the verge of buying Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Sun has learned. See the complete article at the Las Vegas Sun site: Sources say speedway on brink of being sold - Racing Magnate Smith Ready to buy facility for estimated $250 million by Brian Hilderbrand (thanks Mr McLaughlin for the heads up) -- Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith is expected to be in Las Vegas on Monday to announce his company's purchase of Las Vegas Motor Speedway(That's Racin')(12-8-1998) -- Another story at the News and Record Online - Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports nearing purchase of Las Vegas Speedway; Also hearing ISC may attempt to make a counter offer and I hear the track will not be sold, so what is it? who knows...this will get interesting(12-9-1998) -- An updated story on the situation at That's Racin': Sale of Vegas track a done deal, sources say by Juliet Macur of the Orlando Sentinal. Mention's an outbidding of ISC by Smith.(12-10-1998)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the site of a large auction of classic motorcycles on Oct. 3. Among the vehicles to be auctioned are a 1947 bike owned by Steve McQueen and a 1941 Harley Davidson owned by Clark Gable.(SpeedNet)(9-18-1998)

  • Two of Las Vegas' largest sporting events will take place on the same weekend, thanks to NASCAR's decision -- announced last weekend -- to push the local Winston Cup race back to March 7, 1999. The Western Athletic Conference basketball championships run March 3-6, with the men's championship game tipping off at the Thomas & Mack Center hours after the Busch Grand National race finishes about 25 miles away at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. See the rest of the story at: NASCAR, WAC race for space.(Las Vegas Review Journal)(9-3-1998)

  • After selling 107,000 tickets for the Las Vegas 400, local officials say the race will be a week later. Because NASCAR is adding races(actually A race) to its Winston Cup series, the date of next year's Las Vegas 400 has been moved back a week, from Feb. 28 to March 7, 1999, a Las Vegas Motor Speedway official said Saturday. See the story at: NASCAR changes race date.(Las Vegas Review-Journal)(8-30-1998)

  • The Las Vegas 300 Cup race will be held on Sunday, February 28, 1999 per a letter/ticket invoice from a reader.(6-8-1998)(INCORRECT!)

  • The long-rumored sale of Las Vegas Speedway may be about to go down, according to NASCAR sources. The question: Can Bill France lock it up before Bruton Smith can put anything in motion?(JournalNow)(5-15-1998)

  • There are reports that Bill France is negotiating to buy the Las Vegas Speedway. And there is talk if France does buy the track, that it might host two Winston Cup events. France has said over the years that he was not interested in giving any track two dates. But after buying Phoenix last year, France began to hedge on that issue, hinting a second date for Phoenix might be in the cards.(JournalNow)(3-23-1998)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway Chairman of the Board Richie Clyne estimated 84 percent of the estimated crowd of 120,000 traveled from outside Nevada.(SpeedNet)(3-2-1998)

  • According to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway website there will be NO coolers allowed at the track on race weekend. Yikes, but you can bring in your own water.(2-23-1998)

  • FOX Network Officials are interested in buying Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in order to get a foothold in the sport, according to NASCAR sources.(JournalNow)(2-14-1998)

  • For info on the Las Vegas WC race see the following sites: VegasDeluxe Racing Page and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Less than a month away(2-10-1998)

  • I hear the Bahres(owners of New Hampshire Speedway) won't be running Las Vegas Motor Speedway much longer(12-6-1997)

  • The Dallas Morning News reports: "While NASCAR on Tuesday morning was awarding Las Vegas Motor Speedway a highly coveted 1998 Winston Cup race, Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith said he would put up a $5 million purse for a second TMS date in '98". see the link at TMS offers NASCAR $5 million enticement(8-13-1997)

  • Las Vegas got the old Richmond spring date which in turn has been moved to Saturday night, June 6, 1998(RPM2Nite)(8-13-1997)

  • SURPRISE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway executives and NASCAR announced March 1, 1998 as the newest date on the series schedule. The complete 1998 schedule for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series will be announced in the future(NASCAR Online)(8-12-1997)

  • Dave reports: "I just got home from a press conference held down town Las Vegas in front of the Golden Nugget casino. The conference started at 11:30 local time. Michael Buffer was the Master of Ceremonies. After his "let's get ready to rumble", several race cars on display fired up. On display was Rusty's car(#2 Lite Ford), the Kodak car(#4 Chevy), Earnhardt's car(#3 Goodwrench Chevy) and three cars from R. Petty's Driving Experience. Bill France announced that the "Las Vegas 400" would be held March 1, 1997 with a Busch race to precede the day before. T. Wayne Robinson, R.J.R. sports rep was in attendance as well as Richie Cline of the LVMS. It was announced that the Las Vegas visitors and convention authority will sponsor the Winston Cup race. Drivers in attendance were Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliott & Richard Petty"(thanks Dave)(8-12-1997)

  • A press conference scheduled for 8-12-97 in Las Vegas where NASCAR is expected to announce the March 1998 WC race date. It was also reported that a number of WC drivers would be in attendance(8-2-1997)

  • I hear Las Vegas Motor Speedway already has their mailing list printed up and read to be sent. All they are waiting for is NASCAR to make the official announcement(7-20-1997)

  • As for race dates in 1998: I hear now that Las Vegas will get a date in 1998 (either March 1st or 15th), No 2nd date for California or Texas until 1999 and Fontana and Sonoma will swap dates in 1998(7-14-1997)

  • Bob Bahre says he is still looking for someone to take over management of Las Vegas Speedway, which is expected to be the newest stop on the Winston Cup tour next spring.(JournalNow)(7-14-1997)

  • Bill France is all but confirming a new WC race at Las Vegas next spring, but is delaying any decision on a second date at Texas and California for a while, according to sources close to the NASCAR boss. France issued invitations two weeks ago to teams for the November Suzuka race, but he's finding the race a very hard sell(7-12-1997)

  • More JournalNews: The Future of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is suddenly up for debate in the WC garage. A few weeks ago it appeared to have a lock on a NASCAR race date in 1998. Things may be shaky. For one thing, the track, at $150 million, is probably quite overpriced for what anyone might be willing to pay for it. For another, Bob Bahre (owner of NHIS) is so far not having much success finding anyone interested in helping him run it. He hints now he might be looking at Eddie Gossage, the man who helped with the speedy completion of Bruton Smith's Fort Worth track. Jayski's take on this: Gossage working for Smith and Bahre, no way, and Smith will probably find some legal way to keep Gossage(6-14-1997)

  • Winston Cup eyes Las Vegas. Richard Petty confirms TV reports that Las Vegas Motor Speedway will get a top-level NASCAR event(5-18-1997)

  • From a reader in Las Vegas: Per the Sports Director at KTNV TV in Vegas. Las Vegas Motor Speedway will get a Winston Cup race data next year, to be held on the first weekend in March. LVMS has not made any offical announcement yet, however, two sources at NASCAR have confirmed it. The Richmond race will be moved to the summer.(as rumored before here)(5-15-1997)

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway Officials have announced an agreement with Bob and Gary Bahre to manage the race track. Bob Bahre presently owns New Hampshire International Speedway. Rumor has it that if NASCAR does not give Vegas a Winston Cup date in 1998, Bahre will take one of his two dates there, rumor also has it that NASCAR plans on giving Vegas a 1998 WC race so rumor #1 may be a moot point(5-13-1997)

  • I hear NASCAR will add a 33rd race to the 1998 schedule with Las Vegas being the addition(4-29-1997)

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