Where To Watch NASCAR This Week:
Friday, March 14
NCTS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS2 at 3:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (The CW App at 6 p.m. ET)
NCTS Race: Ecosave 200 (FS1, NRN, SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET)
Saturday, March 15
NCS Practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying (Amazon Prime, PRN, SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Race: The LiUNA! (The CW, PRN, SiriusXM at 4:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 16
NCS Race: Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM at 3:30 p.m. ET)
Historical & Significant Events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
· In 1995, hotel/casino CEO’s Ralph Engelstad (Imperial Palace) and Bill Bennett (Circus Circus & Sahara), both racing enthusiasts, agreed that there was a market for a “state of the art” speedway in Las Vegas. Richie Clyne, an Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino executive who originally had the vision for the development was assigned to manage the project.
· In April 1995, construction began on a 1600-acre site located on North Las Vegas Blvd. near Nellis Air Force Base.
· The location had a long racing history dating to a drag strip in 1958. A road course was added in 1983 and a 3/8-mile paved oval in 1985. The site is now the location of a 1.5-mile speedway, an industrial park, a drag strip (3/00), a 1/2-mile dirt track (11/96), a 3/8-mile paved oval (4/00) and two road courses.
· The speedway was completed in June 1996. The track had 12-degree banking in the turns, three degrees on the backstretch and nine degrees on the frontstretch. Total seating capacity was 130,000.
· Building of the track was the largest excavation project in Nevada history. More than 600,000 tons of concrete and 10 million linear feet of steel were used to build the $200 million facility.
· On June 22-25, 1996, the first drivers to test the superspeedway were Tony Stewart and Richie Hearn. Hearn went on to win the Inaugural IRL Las Vegas 500K on September 16, 1996, setting a fast time with a speed of 222.359 mph, a world record (since broken) for 1.5-mile tracks.
· In December 1998, Speedway Motorsports agreed to purchase the track for $215 million. The purchase included the track for $150 million and $65 million for the real estate and warehouses. Chris Powell has headed the track since the SMI acquisition in early 1999.
· Speedway Motorsports launched a multimillion-dollar renovation project at the beginning of 2006 to include the Neon Garage, track changes (progressive banking was added to the turns), relocated pit road and a state-of-the-art media center.
· The centerpiece of the project was the new garage area for the Cup teams and an interactive fan area. The two-level, four-building garage area encompasses 32,000 square feet. A 52,000-square-foot roof deck allows fans to look directly down into the individual garage stalls. Windows on the lower level allow fans to watch the teams work. In addition to the close proximity, the Neon Garage has concession stands and an entertainment area.
· The most dramatic change was to the track, as the banking was increased, and a new pit road was built. The turns changed from 12-degree banking to 20 degrees and each straight to nine degrees. The new pit road is 150 feet closer to the grandstands. Moving pit road allowed for construction of a quarter-mile oval in front of the main grandstand.
· The new media center opened in 2007. It can accommodate more than 500 media members and has room for drivers’ meetings and a full-service spa for the racers and their families. The 58,600-square-foot facility is equipped with meeting rooms, offices, interview rooms and a cafeteria. The Blackjack Club is on the third floor of the structure.
· Different tracks located within the Las Vegas Motor Speedway facility: Superspeedway, Drag Strip, Bull Ring, Dirt Track, Go-Cart Track, Inside Road Course (within the superspeedway), Outside Road Course, Off-Road Course, and Exotics Course.
· In 2011, the Electric Daisy Carnival moved its flagship location to Las Vegas Motor Speedway from Los Angeles. The track has held the event annually since.
· In 2012, Enrico Bertaggia, a former Italian Formula Three driver, started running the Dream Racing program at the track, a program where the general public can drive exotic cars around a road course on the track’s complex.
· In 2013, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the World Long Drive Championship.
· 2018 marked the first season where LVMS was part of the Playoffs hosting the first race, this was also the first season where LVMS hosted two Cup races. LVMS has hosted a Playoff race every year since.
· In 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the track held a graduation ceremony for Faith Lutheran High School, a private Lutheran school based in Summerlin.
· Since 2023, the track has hosted a Las Vegas branch of the Foodie Land Night Market, a food festival.
Quick Track Facts & Insights: Las Vegas
– In April 1995, construction began on Las Vegas Motor Speedway on a 1,600-acre site located on North Las Vegas Blvd. near Nellis Air Force Base.
– The track’s location had a long racing history dating to a drag strip in 1958. A road course was added in 1983 and a 3/8-mile paved oval in 1985. The site is now the location of a 1.5-mile speedway, an industrial park, a drag strip (3/00), a 1/2-mile dirt track (11/96), a 3/8-mile paved oval (4/00) and two road courses.
– In December 1998, Speedway Motorsports agreed to purchase Las Vegas Motor Speedway for $215 million. The purchase included the track for $150 million and $65 million for the real estate and warehouses in the surrounding area.
– Speedway Motorsports launched a multimillion-dollar renovation project for LVMS at the beginning of 2006 to include the Neon Garage, track changes (progressive banking was added to the turns), relocated pit road and a state-of-the-art media center.
– The new media center opened in 2007. It can accommodate more than 500 media members and has room for drivers’ meetings and a full-service spa for the racers and their families. The 58,600-square-foot facility is equipped with meeting rooms, offices, interview rooms and a cafeteria. The Blackjack Club is on the third floor of the structure.