Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Developing Racing's Grassroots

Unlike its sister track in Charlotte, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is not in a racing town. Unlike Phoenix International Raceway in neighbouring Arizona, it doesn’t have decades of racing behind it. So why is Las Vegas the only NASCAR Sprint Cup track that helps develop NASCAR from the grassroots?

Facility

Like sister tracks in Texas and Charlotte, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is more than a 1.5 mile speedway. The site comprises a 1/2 mile dirt track, a NHRA sanctioned drag strip and the Bullring. But unlike the other tracks in Speedway Motorsports Incorporated’s portfolio, the speedway wasn’t built first.

Origins

The facility has been known by several different names and has undergone a constant change since it opened in 1958 as a drag strip. In 1983 a road course was added and 2 years later, a 3/8 mile oval track was constructed in a site within the property that was once a gravel pit. It joined NASCAR Whelen All-American in 1990, when it was known as Las Vegas International Speedway.

The Bullring

When Richie Clyne redeveloped the site to include the 1.5 mile speedway in 1997, the short track shared its name with the new speedway. It only became ‘The Bullring’ when the facility was acquired by Speedway Motorsport Incorporated in 1999. In addition to the change of name, the track was remodelled and a new 5,500 seat grandstand was added.

Weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American racing takes place on Saturday nights and includes Super Late Model, Chargers, Bombers, Legends, Bandoleros and Thunder Roadsters.

The Strip

The Strip also plays host to weekly racing as local teams and drivers compete in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League and the NHRA Summit Racing Series. The track is also home to Midnight Mayhem, where the public are allowed to race their cars. It’s an initiative that’s helping to keep illegal street racers off the roads by offering them an alternative.

Twice a year the professional drivers of the NHRA Full Throttle Series race at The Strip. The first meeting is in April and the second forms part of The Countdown to the Championship.

Speedway

Although the Speedway is not part of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, it attracts the third largest crowd of the series. The race has been run in late February or early March since 1998. It is 400 miles long and provides the winner with a championship belt, similar to those worn by champion boxers, in place of a traditional trophy.

Other races at the Speedway include a NASCAR Nationwide event that runs in conjunction with the Sprint Cup race, and the season ending IndyCar race.

Dirt Track

With a dirt track that plays host to the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the Duel in the Desert for IMCA Modified, there are lots of opportunities for drivers to impress at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Busch Brothers

Kurt Busch was the first driver from Nevada to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. His championship in 2004 was also the first under the Chase for the Championship format. Although Kurt Busch only finished ninth in that year’s race at Las Vegas, his championship owes a lot to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Both he and his brother Kyle Busch started their careers at the speedway and both captured championships at the track before progressing to NASCAR’s national divisions. Kurt was crowned Dwarf Car Champion in 1994 and followed up with championships in the Hobby Stock and Legends car divisions.

Between 1999 and 2001, Kyle Busch won more than 65 Legends race and took two track titles at The Bullring before moving onto Late Model stock cars. He went onto win 10 Late Model races at the Las Vegas short track before transferring to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Roush Fenway Racing in August 2001.