Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Configurations

Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) in its current form is measured at 1.500 mi (2.414 km), with 20 degrees of banking in the turns and nine degrees of banking on the track's frontstretch and backstretch.^[1] Before 2006, the track had 12 degrees of banking in the turns.^[2] Different measurements have been used; in 2011, the IndyCar Series utilized a length of 1.544 miles (2.485 km).^[3] Within the main track's frontstretch, there is a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) oval that was built in 2006.^[4] Within the track's infield, there is a road course complex that was built as part of the track's construction in 1996.^[5] The track has also used a "roval" layout during select races.^[6]

Amenities

LVMS is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, in-between Interstate 15 and Las Vegas Boulevard.^[7] At its peak, the track held over 140,000 seats.^[8] As of 2023, according to the Las Vegas Sun, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has a stated capacity of 80,000.^[9] At the time of the track complex's opening, it was situated upon 200 acres of land with a capacity of 3,000.^[10] The complex has since expanded extensively, and as of 2015 is situated upon over 1,200 acres of land according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.^[11]

Numerous amenities exist on the track's complex; most of which were built as part of a 2006 renovation project on the track. As part of the 2006 renovations, the track built a redesigned, interactive garage that is known as the Neon Garage that spectators could access for an extra fee during race weekends.^[4] A three-story, 60,000 square-foot media center,^[12] currently known as the LocaliQ Digital Center for sponsorship reasons,^[13] was also constructed in 2006 within the track's infield.^[14] A 127-unit condominium tower was also slated to be built overlooking the track's first turn;^[15] however, the plan saw opposition from Nellis Air Force Base and United States Air Force officials, who did regular flight training and drills near the track,^[16] later clarifying that it was due to safety risks. Although SMI CEO Bruton Smith initially refused to comply, he relented after the Air Force lobbied the Clark County government to refuse the lodging.^[4][17]

Complex planning and construction

On August 14, 1970, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that businessman Carl "Curly" Price was aiming to sign a lease for a plot of land near the Nellis Air Force Base from the City of Las Vegas to build a drag strip, a "small" road course, and a proposed oval. The proposal received an endorsement from the Review-Journal, which wrote "We hope Curly can get on this on since [North Las Vegas] badly needs a motor sports complex", stating a lack of proper racing facilities.^[26] By February 1971, the complex, initially known as the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was being built with "work [progressing] daily".^[27]

Track complex's early years

On May 16, 1971, the complex was recorded to have held its first races on a 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) dirt oval, sanctioned by the Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts (SNORE).^[28] By July, the Clark County government approved plans to create an oval and a drag strip.^[10] In August, SNORE held another event, this time opening a 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) buggy course.^[29] In December, Price announced that the track would hold its first drag strip event in January 1972.^[30] In December 1971, Larry Horten announced a bid to rival Price's track named the Las Vegas Raceway Park, seeking approval from the Clark County Board of County Commissioners for a 520-acre plot of land that was also directly near Nellis AFB.^[31] However, on December 21, the board rejected Horten's plan.^[32]

The now-named Las Vegas International Speedrome's drag strip held its first races on February 26, 1972, on the 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) to host the first day of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Open Drag Championships.^[22] By May, the International Motorsports Association scheduled races for the rest of the year at the complex's 1.6 miles (2.6 km) road course.^[33] However, by August, the track was displaying issues; the lighting system on the track's road course was reported to malfunction during races.^[34] In September, the West Charleston Lions Club of Las Vegas signed a 15-year agreement to run the drag strip.^[35]

Price's legal troubles

After 1972, almost all major racing, especially drag racing, ceased due to mainly financial issues; though, this was disputed by businessmen Ted Wiens and Mike Sellers. Although the track still held small local events before,^[36] the track did not see any major racing until May 19, 1974.^[37] By August, the financial situation had gotten so dire that local drag racers were pushing their profits to try and revitalize the track.^[36] In October, the complex aimed to host bi-monthly drag strip races, hoping to gain profits from frequently occurring local events,^[38] along with forming the Speedrome Racing Association to conduct the rest of its races.^[39] In 1975, the track was used as the starting point for the Mint 400.^[40] In September of that year, the NHRA returned, with the complex holding its first major drag racing event in almost three years.^[41]

On September 17, the city of Las Vegas considered revoking Price's lease, with stated reasons including that Price owed around $3,400 on monthly payments, increased cases of vandalism to both the track and the Price's machinery, and angry residents stealing bleachers; a final decision was set to come on October 1.^[42] Although Price was able to pay back at least some of the rent,^[43] after a delay that moved the decision to December 16, Price forfeited his lease after failing to stockpile 35,000 cubic yards of gravel.^[44] However, he was given another chance. In July 1976, his lease was officially terminated after failing to maintain the stockpile of gravel needed in Price's contract.^[45] The next month, Price gave scathing comments to the city in an interview with the Review-Journal, reporting a lack of police response with vandalism and high costs and labor to maintain the gravel stockpile.^[46] The next year, the termination was finally approved by Clark County District judge Howard Babcock, immediately ordered Price to vacate the land and to pay $22,140 for failing to maintain his contract and unpaid rent.^[47] However, Price was still the operator, and a decision to remove him from the position was delayed.^[48] In October, Price stated plans of appealing to the Supreme Court of Nevada, which would essentially kill all racing at the track complex for an extended period of time.^[49] In November, he confirmed this decision.^[50] Later that month, the city of Las Vegas temporarily leased the complex out to Show & Go Ltd. until the end of the year.^[51]

Attempts at a revival, new track, more issues

Just before the end of 1977, the track was temporarily leased out for the first three months of 1978 to car clubs.^[52] In February 1978, Bob Van Norman, owner of the Craig Road Speedway, submitted a proposal to take over the complex from the city, offering a proposal of $300 a month to lease the complex.^[53] However, the proposal was withdrawn just over a week later, claiming that he did not want to be accused of favoritism from the city; the withdrawal was considered a big blow by the city to repair the track, with the city claiming that the track could not see any serious proposals for racing in the next 18 months.^[54] However, by June, the complex was able to hold the Silverbird Race of Champions, a race that featured numerous movie stars;^[55] however, the race flopped, seeing a lack of spectators.^[56] By January 1979, the city of Las Vegas began looking for potential leasers, with the complex costing the city thousands of dollars.^[57] Later that month, a group of five businessmen, including Van Norman and Horten, formed Las Vegas Recreation, Inc. in efforts to make a bid on temporary ownership for the track.^[58] On February 21, the city's commission unanimously approved the lease, essentially reviving the complex; however, the permanent lease was not guaranteed until the Nevada Supreme Court's case with Price was settled.^[59]

By April, Review-Journal writer Mike Henle considered the track revived after "seven years of relative silence", with events scheduled for the next six months.^[60] In September, the complex grew to holding concerts. However, the concerts drew criticism from local government and local reporters for excessive violence, drug use, and underage drinking.^[61][62] Criticism grew so much that commissioner Ron Lurie considered revoking the complex's operating permit.^[63] In February 1980, Price lost his appeal, with future bids expected to take place the following year.^[64] The next month, Las Vegas Recreation's lease was extended until the end of 1980.^[65] However, by November 5, the partnership gave up after "several months of horrible luck", with poor timing systems, lighting, and the amount of effort required to maintain the complex being key issues.^[66]

The next day, businessmen Terry Ainsworth and Harold Ellis signed a 10-year lease with the city to lease the complex.^[67] Although the complex was able to see off-road racing, management problems soon plagued the complex; by August, Ellis began looking for a new partner to replace Ainsworth.^[68][69] As a result, Alex Rodriguez, a drag strip driver, sent pleas to fellow Las Vegan racers to come to meetings set up by him to try and clean up the facility.^[69] Rodriguez and his son, Alex Rodriguez Jr., were later appointed by the city to replace Ainsworth, due to the partnership being strained between the two.^[70] Rodriguez, within the first months, invested $75,000 on improvements and a repave of the track.^[71] Drag racing saw an overall uptick; Mike Henle viewed Rodriguez so highly that he declared, "Rodriguez has done a commendable job – and drag racing is up from the canvas because of him".^[72]

In 1982, Van Norman gave up ownership of the Craig Road Speedway to First Interstate Bank due to satisfy debts from his family business, leaving the local stock car racing community without a track. Van Norman stated that he hoped Rodriguez would build a paved oval like Craig Road Speedway at LVIS' complex.^[73] In 1984, LVIS opted to host stock car racing events, essentially reviving the local stock car racing community after a year of relative silence.^[74] In 1985, the track built a new 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) oval, using donations of old Caesars Palace Grand Prix barriers to build the track.^[18] The oval opened in November of that year.^[75] By 1987, with Rodriguez investing over $500,000 into the complex, the complex was regarded highly, including receiving honors from the NHRA as one of the best facilities in the United States.^[76] That same year, the complex announced plans to repave the road course with help from the Sports Car Club of America.^[77]

In March 1988, the city council considered revoking Rodriguez's lease, accusing him of not paying rent and for selling food without proper sales tax permits.^[78] Rodriguez Jr. later admitted to it, blaming his father because he both left the United States for two years and was going through a divorce.^[79] The city approved terminating the lease; however, he was still able to operate the track until December 1990. In addition, the city was now also considering selling off the land to a private operator.^[80] The sale was approved on November 17.^[81] Rodriguez defended himself, stating the improvements he made to the track;^[82] however, the track was still put up for sale on the condition that the buyer must maintain the track for 10 years.^[83]

Richie Clyne and David Juberg era

In May 1989, the track complex was sold to Richie Clyne, the director of the Imperial Palace Hotel's (now called The Linq) automobile museum, for $1,070,000.^[84] Clyne and investor G. Robert Diero stated hopes of completely revamping what they declared as a dangerous and worn-out complex.^[85] Along with the purchase, the track complex was renamed to the Las Vegas International Raceway. By the beginning of 1990, the Las Vegas Speedrome gained a reputation for being "old, dirty, and tattered". At this point, little hope was shown for the track's revival; Review-Journal writer Greg Bortolin estimated millions of dollars for renovations to attract major racing leagues, with no guarantee of interest as at the time, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' (UNLV) sports teams were the only major sports events in the city.^[86] In interviews with track media manager Neal Reid, Clyne stated that he initially wanted to turn the area into an industrial park, but was convinced otherwise by motorsport businessmen Bob Bahre and Tom Wheatcroft.^[87] The track held its first races under Clyne's leadership with the newly rebranded Nissan 400 (now known as the Mint 400).^[88] By 1991, the complex aimed to expand its events, along with general renovations to the complex.^[89] In 1993, David Juberg and Craig Graham, both amateur racers, took over a lease from Clyne to run the track complex.^[90] That same year, the complex was renamed to the Las Vegas Speedway Park by Juberg.^[91] In May, the duo took over the master lease to the track from Tom Villardi.^[92] Around this time, the track still had no major events, including off-road racing due to environmental concerns.^[93]

Purchase by Bruton Smith, expansion and subsequent decline

In December 1998, Bruton Smith announced plans to buy out LVMS and its complex for around $215 million,^[118] with Smith stating to renovate amenities with the purchase^[119] and to sell off 300 acres of industrial space.^[120] He later appointed Chris Powell, a former media relations manager for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company as the track's general manager.^[121] In 2000, LVMS officials modified its 3⁄8 mile (0.60 km) oval and renamed it the "Bullring".^[20]

In 2006, Powell announced a $25-27 million renovation project that aimed to overhaul the existing track. Major changes announced in the press release included changing the banking in the turns from 12 to 20 degrees, increasing capacity to 141,000, a new infield media center, a redesigned garage, and narrowing the racing surface to 50 feet; a 20 feet difference.^[14] The track changes were met with mixed reviews at the time; drivers Jeff Burton,^[122] Kyle Busch,^[123] and Tony Stewart all criticized the changes,^[124] in contrast to Review-Journal writer Ron Kantowski, who praised the changes and Bruton Smith.^[125] In 2011, the track won rights to host the flagship branch of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) after EDC oversaw controversy in its previous location, Los Angeles.^[126][127] That same year, the track experienced its first fatal auto racing accident when longtime IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon died in an accident in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship on the race's 11th lap.^[128] In 2017, the drag strip was expanded to four lanes to accommodate four cars racing at once.^[25] In 2018, the track won rights to host another NASCAR Cup Series weekend in the fall.^[129]

Since the mid-2010s, the track has decreased its capacity multiple times. In 2015, the track announced the removal of 15,000 seats in the track's third and fourth turns to make way for RV parking.^[130] In 2017, the track decreased capacity to around 80,000 seats to make way for increased premium seating options.^[8] Two years later, the Review-Journal reported another significant decrease in capacity, with the track refusing to state the exact amount of seats that were still remaining; the report came after the track recorded its lowest attendance recorded for a NASCAR Cup Series race at the 2018 South Point 400.^[131] By 2023, the track received renewed attention for television visuals showing empty areas of grandstands at the 2023 South Point 400.^[132]

Auto racing

Open-wheel racing

See also: IndyCar races in Las Vegas and 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship

The track hosted its first IndyCar races in September 1996, the first major races ever ran at the track.^[114] Until 2000, the Indy Racing League ran an IndyCar race at the track annually.^[138] In 2004, despite Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) going bankrupt, the track aimed to still host a race at the track.^[139] After a change in ownership, the newly-named Champ Car World Series announced races at the track on July 7, with the race occurring on September 25.^[140] Champ Car ran another race in 2005 before refusing to renew for 2006.^[141]

In 2011, the track was slated to run the IZOD IndyCar World Championship to become the season finale of that year's season, with the IndyCar Series' CEO, Randy Bernard, stating that he hoped it would become a major IndyCar event.^[142] To try to increase the race's stakes and to promote the event, Bernard put up a $5 million bounty to any non-IndyCar driver who could win the race.^[143] However, after numerous drivers rejected it, the challenge was placed onto part-time driver Dan Wheldon, who had to start last.^[144] On lap 11 of the race, a crash involving 15 cars, including Wheldon, occurred. Wheldon died due to sustaining massive head injuries during the crash.^[145] IndyCar cancelled the race in the wake of Wheldon's death.^[128] As a result of Wheldon's death, the track and Speedway Motorsports requested a buyout of their contract with IndyCar, cancelling their IndyCar races in 2012.^[146]

INDYCAR, now owned by Penske Entertainment, returned to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in January 2022 with an event held as part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Indy Autonomous Challenge at CES. ^[147] The contest feature teams of college students engineering a modified Indy NXT based car in a series of driving and passing challenges for driverless vehicles.

Festivals

In 2011, the Electric Daisy Carnival moved its flagship location to the track from Los Angeles following controversies of rampant underage drug use in Los Angeles, which led to the injuries of numerous people and the death of a 15-year-old.^[126][127] The track has held the event annually since.^[153]

Other events

In 2013, the track hosted the World Long Drive Championship.^[154] 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.^[155] Since 2023, the track has hosted a Las Vegas branch of the FoodieLand Night Market, a food festival.^[156]

Since 2012, Enrico Bertaggia, a former Italian Formula Three driver, has run 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.^[157] The track also hosts the "Driver's Edge" program, a driving education course.^[158]