The Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a mainstay on the NASCAR Cup calendar for a fairly long time. It also happens to be a home race for none other than Kyle Busch, as well as Noah Gragson and Riley Herbst. The Oval primarily plays host to all three NASCAR national series and even hosted IndyCar for a while.
The oval itself is 1.5 miles long and the track configuration is 20° banking on turns and 9° banking on the front and back stretch. Founded in 1971, the tri-oval made its way onto the NASCAR calendar in 1998. A year later, Speedway Motorsports Inc. stepped in and became the track’s owner. Since then, they have been in charge of the intermediate speedway which has gone through a lot over the years.
Where is Las Vegas Motor Speedway located, and when did it become a part of the NASCAR schedule?
The oval is located between Interstate 15 and Las Vegas Boulevard and has undergone a number of changes. As mentioned before, the LVMS made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1998. Mark Martin had the honor of being the inaugural race winner, though the most successful driver is Jimmie Johnson with 4 wins. However, it has to be said that Joey Logano has won four times at Vegas, even if two of them came in the fall.
When it was first founded, it was known as the Las Vegas International Speedrome from its inauguration until 1990. Then it got another name change to Las Vegas International Speedway until 1992. The track was renamed for a second time, this time as the Las Vegas Speedway, but that did not last long. Instead, it went through another name change to Las Vegas Speedway Park until 1996. Finally, it has been known as the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the name has stuck ever since.
The History of Las Vegas Motor Speedway and its run-in with law
The race track came into being after businessman Carl “Curly” Price signed a lease for a plot of land. This plot was situated near Nellis Air Force Base and the idea was to build a drag strip, a “small” road course, and a proposed oval. It once boasted a capacity of 140,000 seats. Unfortunately, that number has gradually reduced over the years, and by 2023 it had a capacity of 80,000. When it first opened all the way back in 1971, it sat on 200 acres of land and had a capacity of 3,000. Of course, the size gradually expanded to 1,200 acres of land by 2015.
Mar 3, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez (99) leads the field for the restart of the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
In 2006, the venue underwent a massive renovation, which added a number of new amenities. This included a redesigned, interactive garage that spectators could access for an extra fee during race weekends. The renovation also added a three-story, 60,000-square-foot media center in the infield. There were initial plans for a condominium tower, but that was quickly shot down, thanks to pressure from the US Air Force.
However, not everything ran smoothly, as the facility was facing a number of issues. Chief among them were problems with the lighting system on the road course. However, that was just scratching the surface, as Price wasn’t immune to any issues. By 1972, racing at the venue began to slowly cease owing to financial issues. It got to a point where Price’s license was in danger of being revoked, as he owed around $3,400 on monthly payments. Finally, in 1976, his lease was officially terminated, but it wasn’t as if future owners were able to solve the crisis better.
Why is Las Vegas Motor Speedway significant for Kyle Busch?
As mentioned before, this is pretty much a home race for the Richard Childress Racing driver. After all, Rowdy was born and raised in Las Vegas. Busch visited the Ethel M chocolate factory as a child with his grandmother with the company later joining him as a sponsor. He made it a point to visit their factory during the Las Vegas race.
However, he has only won on home soil on one occasion, which was back in 2009, when he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. Now though, things will be a bit tougher for Busch, but he is still excited to race in front of his home fans.
Additionally, Gragson and Herbst are also Las Vegas locals, and will be aiming for decent results as well. Coming back to Busch, despite one win to his name, he does have a good track record with multiple Top 5s.
The iconic moments that Las Vegas Motor Speedway bore witness to
In its 27-year history, the LVMS has seen a fair few classic moments. Among them is the 2006 spring race, when a certain Jimmie Johnson was just bursting onto the scene. This was after he won that year’s Daytona 500 and finished 2nd at Auto Club Speedway, and Johnson triumphed again. However, the win was hard fought as he just barely beat Matt Kenseth to the win.
In one incident in 2017, during the Kobalt 400, Kyle Busch wasn’t afraid of throwing a punch at Joey Logano. During the last lap, Logano made contact with Busch’s #18 Camry at Turn 4, leaving him spinning and then subsequently crashing into the inside wall. Busch limped his car halfway down the pit road before approaching Logano and throwing the punch, before Team Penske crew members pulled him away. “I got dumped. Flat-out just drove straight into the corner and wrecked us. That’s how Joey races, so he’s going to get it,” he said.
Of course, who could forget the infamous right hook that Bubba Wallace pulled on Kyle Larson? The subsequent fallout was pretty glorious, as the drivers briefly brawled it out before they were separated. Later on, Wallace would earn a one-race suspension for his conduct.
What is NASCAR’s schedule at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
On the subject of the NASCAR schedule, everything kicks off with the NASCAR Truck Series practice at 3:35 PM ET on Friday. A little more than an hour later, the Truck drivers will be back out for qualifying. At 6:05 PM ET it is the Xfinity Series’ turn for practice, followed by qualifying at 7:10 PM ET. Finally, Friday’s action concludes with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at 9:00 PM ET.
Saturday’s action begins at 1:35 PM ET with Cup Series practice. An hour later, the Cup drivers will be back on track for qualifying, and the NASCAR Xfinity race begins after that at 4:30 PM ET. Finally, Sunday is the big day when the Pennzoil 400 begins at 3:30 PM ET.
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