Motorsports Mecca

With its dry weather and vast open expanses, Nevada is a perfect fit for NASCAR, off-road, and many other racing disciplines.

By CHARLIE JOHNSTON | March/April 2012

Nationwide attendance at NASCAR events has gone into a skid in recent years, down from a pre-recession high of nearly 4.7 million for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series in 2005 to slightly more than 3.5 million in 2010 according to a USA Today story. When they are compiled, numbers for 2011 will likely follow the downward trend. The crash is little surprise considering the sport’s reliance on corporate sponsors, which tend to tighten their belts in a down economy, and climbing gasoline prices that seem to have no ceiling.

But, it’s not all bad news, especially in Nevada. Attendance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011 was on pace with pre-recession numbers at 152,000, and has actually climbed from a 2009 low of 140,000.

Considering attendance woes nationwide—Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw crowds for the Brickyard 400 plummet from 270,000 in 2007 to less than 140,000 in 2011—it is no small feat that Las Vegas continues to fill seats. “Vegas is a lot like Talladega [Alabama] since it’s a destination race,” says NASCAR standout and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch. “People come from all over the country to have fun in the city and take in a race at the same time.”

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NASCAR WEEKEND

For three days in March, the eyes of the motorsports world are on Sin City. NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 9-11, draws hundreds of thousands of spectators, who, in addition to the main events, have access to qualifying and practice races, as well as the chance to meet teams and drivers at the Neon Garage.

Boyd Gaming’s seven Las Vegas Properties—Sam’s Town, Suncoast, The Orleans, Gold Coast, and California, Fremont, and Main Street Stations—feature race weekend packages that include accommodations, race tickets, and roundtrip transportation to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In addition to room packages, the resorts also offer fans several events at which they can meet drivers and immerse themselves in the NASCAR atmosphere.

NASCAR Weekend Events

March 8
Chat with Jimmy Johnson, Suncoast, suncoastcasino.com, 877-677-7111

Dale Earnhardt Jr. interview, Sam’s Town, samstownlv.com, 800-897-8696

Kyle Busch Foundation Slot Tournament, Riviera, rivierahotel.com

March 9
Kurt Busch, David Reutimann, Dave Blaney, Kenny Schrader, Robert Richardson Jr., and Scott Riggs autograph session, Riviera, rivierahotel.com

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 Stratosphere Pole Day qualifying, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, lvms.com, 800-644-4444

Regan Smith and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. autograph signing, Sam’s Town, samstownlv.com, 800-897-8696

Find out more driver appearances here.

March 10
NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 qualifying, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, lvms.com, 800-644-4444

NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, lvms.com, 800-644-4444

Joe Nichols post-race concert, Sam’s Town, samstownlv.com, 702-284-7777

March 11
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, lvms.com, 800-644-4444

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CATCHING UP WITH KYLE BUSCH

Kyle Busch recently took some time out of his busy race schedule—which includes Las Vegas’ NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races on March 10 and 11, respectively—to talk with Nevada Magazine about his experiences growing up in Southern Nevada. Photo: Mars Inc.

Q:

This story portrays Nevada (including its rural areas and towns) as a motorsports-friendly state. In your experience, is that accurate?

A:

I would say that it is. It was a great place for me and my family to race at the Bullring in Vegas. We raced there well before they built Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Bullring, and other places [around] Nevada, were great places to race growing up.

Q:

Growing up in Las Vegas, you had aspirations to become a driver from a young age. Was the state more, less, or equally motorsports-oriented during your early years here?

A:

It was more about the fact that I came from a racing family than where we were living. But obviously [Nevada’s] weather lends itself to being able to run more races than where my parents grew up in Illinois. We mostly raced on pavement growing up, mostly at the Las Vegas Bullring but starting in the cul-de-sac [our house was on] running around on a go-kart with my brother and dad. Those were fun times.

Q:

Before your driving career officially started, you crewed for your older brother Kurt’s Dwarf car team. You two are obviously close—how competitive were you with one another as kids? Are you still?

A:

Kurt is seven years older than me, so I always wanted to do what he was doing and as I got older, I wanted to beat him, too. We didn’t race against each other for a championship ever. When we first did start racing against each other was 1999, and I remember my first win was March 27 [of that year]. I think I qualified first, and I won the race that night. Kurt was actually in Denver, Colorado—he was racing at Colorado National Speedway, and I think he sat on the pole up there and ran well. It was pretty cool and [when] he came back a couple weeks later, we ran our first race against each other in which I could actually keep up with him. I think that was Friday night, and he was supposed to let me win—I [barely lost] and the next night I said, “Forget it, I’m going all out.” I went straight to the front, and there were no cautions throughout the race, and I walked the dog on that one. I’m sure he remembers it a little differently.

Q:

You’ve won quite a bit all over the country. Specifically you had a pretty emotional win in 2009 at the Shelby 427 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. What was so special about that race? What was it like winning on your home track?

A:

It was cool. To go out there and to run a smooth race, and to have a shot at winning at the end of the race, that’s what it’s all about. I watched [Las Vegas Motor Speedway] being built from the ground up, and I remember when it wasn’t anything but a gleam in Richie Clyne’s [founder of Las Vegas Motor Speedway] eye—all those guys who made that place happen. It was the biggest at the time, but the triple at Bristol in 2010 and the Kentucky win last year rank up there now, too. It was awesome, just the feeling of a lifetime. I told everyone that it would be just like any other race, but it really meant a lot more than that when I got to victory lane. To have my mom and my brother come to victory lane just made it that much more special.

Q:

What makes Las Vegas Motor Speedway unique compared to other stops on the NASCAR circuit? How are the fans?

A:

For myself and my family, it’s special because it’s where we grew up. I raced every weekend just outside of what’s now the big oval at the little Bullring. As for the fans, Las Vegas has one of the best setups for the fans with the Neon Garage, so they can see what we are doing while we are working on the race cars. Not many tracks have that, so it makes Vegas unique. Vegas is a lot like Talladega [Alabama] since it’s a destination race, and people come from all over the country to have fun in the city and take in a race at the same time, so you have a bigger mixture than just fans from the region like some other tracks might have.

Q:

You currently live in North Carolina. Aside from races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, how often do you come back to visit? Is there anything you miss about Nevada?

A:

Our [race] schedules are so busy, that I really don’t get back to Las Vegas unless I’m racing there, have an appearance for a sponsor, or am there for the season-ending banquet. We race 38 weekends a year, but if you add in the appearances, there isn’t any off-time to just come back and hang out unless you tie it in with a commitment in the city. I probably miss the weather the most. I’m used to the warm desert weather and always feel at home when we get back to Vegas or any of our races on the West Coast.

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RACETRACK ROUNDUP

From enormous to tiny and asphalt to dirt, Nevada is home to myriad raceways and tracks. Most support a variety of race types, and many are run by local volunteers. Have some sympathy for outdated websites and schedules, and call ahead to ensure there will be a race during your visit.

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

The granddaddy of Nevada motorsports venues, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is about 15 miles northeast of The Strip via Interstate 15. In addition to the immense 1.5-mile, 142,000-seat Superspeedway, the 1,300-acre complex is home to an off-road course, 2.5-mile and 1.3-mile road courses, a half-mile dirt track, the original .375-mile Las Vegas Bullring, a quarter-mile drag strip, a three-quarter-mile kart sprint course, a stadium truck course, and the Neon Garage, the “Disneyland” of NASCAR where fans have unprecedented access to race teams and drivers, unique concession areas, live entertainment, and a bird’s-eye view of Winners Circle.

Upcoming Events

March 7
IMCA Modified and Late Models

March 8
World of Outlaws & 360 Sprint Cars

March 9-11
2012 NASCAR Weekend

March 16
Dodge Midnight Mayhem

March 17
Short Line Express Market Jr. Dragster

March 17-18, 24-25
USLCI Spring Sizzler race series

March 30-April 1
NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals

April 13-15
Mopars At The Strip

April 14
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series opening night

April 15
USLCI Sunday Shootout

April 20-22
Fun Ford Weekend

April 21-22
Tony Rowe Enterprises Las Vegas Bracket Drag Racing Series

April 27
Dodge Midnight Mayhem

April 28
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Las Vegas Motor Speedway
7000 Las Vegas Blvd. N., Las Vegas, NV 89115
lvms.com
800-644-4444

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BATTLE MOUNTAIN RACEWAY

Battle Mountain Raceway is an elongated quarter-mile dirt oval with long straight aways and tight turns and basic spectators seating and concessions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Battle Mountain Raceway
2351 Frontage Rd., Battle Mountain, NV 89820
bmraceway.com

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LOVELOCK SPEEDWAY

Lovelock Speedway features a quarter-mile dirt oval and sits northwest of the town via Meridian and Pitt Roads.

Upcoming Events

March 24
Test & Tune

April 12
Points Race

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Lovelock Speedway
lovelockspeedway.com
775-842-5813

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PAHRUMP VALLEY SPEEDWAY

Upcoming Events

March 3
Mini Stocks, Bombers, Super Stocks, Dwarfs, Mod Minis, Pro Stock, and IMCA

March 10
Test & Tune

March 17
Mini Stocks, Bombers, Super Stocks, Dwarfs, Sport Mods, Coupes, and IMCA

March 31
Mini Stocks, Bombers, Super Stocks, Dwarfs, Sport Mods, Pro Stocks, and IMCA

April 5-7
Dwarf Car Nationals

April 14
Mini Stocks, Bombers, Super Stocks, Dwarfs, Sport Mods, Coupes, Pro Stock and IMCA

April 28
Mini Stocks, Bombers, Super Stocks, Dwarfs, Sport Mods, Pro Stocks, and IMCA

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Pahrump Valley Speedway
1881 Grieco Way, Pahrump, NV 89041
pahrumpvalleyspeedway.com
702-328-8101

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RATTLESNAKE RACEWAY (FALLON)

Fallon’s Rattlesnake Raceway is a quarter-mile dirt oval administered by the Lahontan Auto Racing Association. According to the raceway’s Facebook page, it is “the oldest continuously operated oval track in the state of Nevada.”

Upcoming Events

March 31
Play Day

April 7
Points Race, Karts

April 21
Points Race, Demo Derby

April 28
Big Boy Toy, Points Race

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Rattlesnake Raceway
2000 Airport Rd, Fallon, NV 89406
rattlesnakeraceway.net
775-423-7483

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RENO-FERNLEY RACEWAY

Reno-Fernley Raceway calls its nearly four-mile road course “the West’s longest and most challenging.” The course has 10 configuration options and includes up to 35 turns and several hills, making for very exciting racing for drivers and spectators. For speed-seekers, the raceway’s quarter-mile drag strip features plenty of high-octane excitement in warmer months.

Upcoming Events

March 24-25
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Flagger Training

March 31
SCCA Flagger & Fire Training

April 13
Friday at the Track Test & Tune

April 21
SCCA Performance Driving Experience Time Trial No. 1

April 22
Mustangs & Messerschmitts

April 27-29
Great American Stock Cars

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Reno-Fernley Raceway
1965 U.S. Hwy 95A, Fernley, NV 89408
renofernleyracetrack.com
877-382-7223

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SUMMIT RACEWAY (ELKO)

Elko’s Summit Raceway is a quarter-mile, semi-banked, D-shaped dirt oval track. Summit’s race season typically runs from late April into September.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Summit Raceway
PO Box 1192, Elko, NV 89803
summitraceway.com

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TONOPAH SPEEDWAY

Tonopah Speedway is a quarter-mile banked dirt oval track.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Tonopah Speedway
Central Nevada Racing Association
PO Box 3040, Tonopah, NV 89049
tonopahspeedway.com
775-482-3337

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TOP GUN RACEWAY (FALLON)

The National Hot Rod Association sanctioned quarter-mile drag strip at Fallon’s Top Gun Raceway is perhaps the most popular motorsports venue in Northern Nevada. The track’s 3,000-seat grandstands and 500-racer staging area have been attracting spectators and drivers for more than a decade. State-of-the-art computerized timing and staging equipment, a walkway connecting the stands over the track, and lights for night racing make Top Gun a fan favorite.

Upcoming Events

March 31
Test & Tune Season Opener

April 14
Test & Tune

April 15
Summit ET No. 1, JR Series No. 1

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Top Gun Raceway
15550 Schurz Hwy., Fallon, NV 89406
topgunraceway.com
775-423-0223

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WINNEMUCCA REGIONAL RACEWAY

The Winnemucca Regional Raceway features a one-third-mile dirt oval with an Outlaw Kart track in the center of its infield. Its pits have space for more than 100 cars and trailers and grandstands, and pit grandstands have seating for more than 350 spectators.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Winnemucca Regional Raceway
332 S. Bridge St., Winnemucca, NV 89445
winnemuccaracing.com
775-304-5085

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BEST IN THE DESERT RACING ASSOCIATION & THE MINT 400

For race fans who like to see the dirt fly, many of the Silver State’s most popular off-road events are presented courtesy of Best In the Desert Racing Association. If you don’t immediately recognize the organization, no doubt some of its races ring a bell, such as the world-famous Mint 400, March 23-25, and August’s Vegas to Reno, the longest off-road race in the country. Other races include the Canidae Tap It Silver State 300 from May 4-6 and the TransWest Ford Henderson 250 in the fall.

The Mint 400 has been the quintessential off-road race since Norm Johnson, a retired racer and former advertising and publicity director for the Mint Hotel, created it in 1968. For 2012, the race features a new 400-mile course near Jean, where some of the original Mint 400 races were held.

The course will include some of the standby features of classic Mint 400 races, including a high-speed passing zone near a dedicated spectator area, rocky washes, silt beds, and high-speed graded roads. The famous Miss Mint 400 beauty contest, where women from around the country compete for money, prizes, and a General Tire photo shoot, has also been reinstated for 2012.

Upcoming Event

March 23-25
General Tires Mint 400

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Best In the Desert Racing Association
3475 C Boulder Hwy, Boulder City, NV 89121
bitd.com
702-457-5775

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VIRGINIA CITY GRAND PRIX

The Virginia City Grand Prix, April 28-29, features two days of motorcycle racing with 1,000 racers and 3,000 cheering spectators on the streets of the Comstock. This year marks the 41st running of the Virginia City Motorcycle Club event.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Virginia City Motorcycle Club
PO Box 1082, Virginia City, NV 89440
vcgp.com
775-527-1034