Las Vegas Motor Speedway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Las Vegas Motor Speedway

America's Racing Showplace
Tri-Oval (1996–present)
Location	7000 North Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas, Nevada
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (UTC−07:00 DST)
Coordinates	36°16′17″N 115°00′40″W / 36.27134°N 115.01112°W / 36.27134; -115.01112
Capacity	80,000
Owner	Speedway Motorsports (1999–present)
Broke ground	24 February 1971; 54 years ago (1971-02-24) (track complex)
Opened	16 May 1971; 54 years ago (1971-05-16) (track complex)
Construction cost	US$1 million (initial track complex) US$72 million (main track)
Former names	Las Vegas Speedway Park (1993–1996) Las Vegas Speedway (1992) Las Vegas International Speedway (1990–1992) Las Vegas International Speedrome (1971–1990)
Major events	Current: NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 (1998–present) South Point 400 (2018–present) NASCAR Xfinity Series The LiUNA 300 (1997–present) Focused Health 302 (2018–present) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200 (2018–present) Victoria's Voice Foundation 200 (fall race) (1996–1999, 2001–2021) Indy Autonomous Challenge (2022–present) Music Festival: Electric Daisy Carnival (2011–Present) Former: IndyCar IZOD IndyCar World Championship (1996–2000, 2011) American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Las Vegas (1997–2000) Champ Car World Series (2004–2005) GT World Challenge America (2000, 2019) Trans-Am Series (2000)
Tri-Oval (1996–present)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Banking	Turns: 20° Frontstretch: 9° Backstretch: 9°
Race lap record	0:24.636 (219.192 mph (352.755 km/h)) ( Richie Hearn, Reynard 95I, 1996, IndyCar)
The Bullring Oval (1985–present)
Length	0.375 mi (0.604 km)
Long Road Course (1996–present)
Length	2.499 mi (4.022 km)
Race lap record	1:32.873 ( Miguel Molina, Ferrari 488 GT3, 2019, GT3)
Medium Road Course (1996–present)
Length	2.15 mi (3.46 km)
Race lap record	1:08.273 ( Allan McNish, Audi R8, 2000, LMP900)
Short Road Course (1996–present)
Length	1.938 mi (3.119 km)
Race lap record	1:06.019 ( Butch Leitzinger, Riley & Scott Mk III, 1997, WSC)

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a huge racing complex located in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's known as "America's Racing Showplace" and hosts many exciting events. The main track is a 1.500 mi (2.414 km) oval where cars race at super high speeds.

This famous venue has hosted major races like NASCAR and IndyCar. It can hold about 80,000 fans! The complex isn't just one track; it has several different racing areas. These include a smaller 0.375 mi (0.604 km) oval, a dirt oval, and various road courses. Speedway Motorsports owns the facility, which has grown a lot since it first opened in 1971.

About the Speedway

Track Layouts

The main track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) is 1.500 mi (2.414 km) long. It has special banked turns that are 20 degrees steep. The straight parts of the track, called the frontstretch and backstretch, are banked at 9 degrees. This banking helps cars go faster around the corners.

Inside the main track, there's a smaller 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) oval built in 2006. There's also a complex of road courses. These road courses are used for different types of sports car racing. Sometimes, a "roval" layout is used, which combines parts of the oval and road course.

What You'll Find There

An overhead picture of Las Vegas Motor Speedway taken in 2011.

LVMS is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, right between a major highway and Las Vegas Boulevard. The track once had over 140,000 seats. Today, it has about 80,000 seats for fans. When it first opened, the complex was 200 acres. Now, it covers more than 1,200 acres!

Many cool features were added during a big renovation in 2006. One of these is the Neon Garage, where fans can get closer to the race cars and teams. There's also a large media center, called the LocaliQ Digital Center. This center helps reporters cover all the exciting events.

Other Tracks at LVMS

The complex has several other tracks besides the main oval. Two of these were built even before the big main track. In 1985, a 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) oval was added. It was later changed to 3⁄8 mile (0.60 km) and renamed "The Bullring" in 2000.

There's also a 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) dirt oval that opened in 1996. For drag racing fans, a special drag strip called "The Strip" opened in 2000. In 2017, this drag strip was made even bigger to allow four cars to race at the same time!

Speedway History

Early Days and Growth

The idea for a racing complex in North Las Vegas started in 1970 with businessman Carl "Curly" Price. He wanted to build a drag strip and a road course. Construction began in 1971, and the first races were held on a dirt oval in May 1971. The drag strip opened in February 1972.

Over the years, the track faced some challenges. The original owner, Curly Price, had difficulties managing the complex. Eventually, he lost his lease in 1976. After this, different groups tried to bring the track back to life.

New Owners and Big Changes

In the 1980s, drag racer Alex Rodriguez and his son took over. They invested a lot of money to improve the track. In 1985, they added the 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) oval, which is now known as The Bullring. This helped bring stock car racing back to the area.

In 1989, Richie Clyne bought the complex and renamed it the Las Vegas International Raceway. He had big plans for the future. By 1993, David Juberg and Craig Graham leased the track and renamed it Las Vegas Speedway Park.

Building the Modern Speedway

Around 1993, Clyne started thinking about building a large NASCAR-style track. In 1994, he announced plans for a $65-70 million, 100,000-seat facility. This new track would be able to host major NASCAR races. Construction began in 1995.

The new Las Vegas Motor Speedway officially opened on September 13, 1996. Its first major race was an IndyCar event. The track quickly became a popular spot for racing. In 1997, it hosted its first NASCAR Busch Series race. The next year, it secured a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race.

Speedway Motorsports Takes Over

In December 1998, Bruton Smith and his company, Speedway Motorsports, bought LVMS for about $215 million. Smith planned to make even more improvements. In 2006, a $25-27 million renovation project completely changed the track. The banking in the turns was increased from 12 to 20 degrees, making races even faster and more exciting.

In 2011, the track became the new home for the Electric Daisy Carnival, a huge music festival. Sadly, in the same year, IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon passed away in a crash during a race at the track. This led to changes in how IndyCar races were held there.

Since the mid-2010s, the track has adjusted its seating capacity. It removed some seats to create more space for RV parking and premium seating options. In 2018, the track gained a second NASCAR Cup Series race weekend in the fall.

Exciting Events

Auto Racing

NASCAR Races

LVMS hosts two big NASCAR race weekends each year. The main events are the NASCAR Cup Series races: the Pennzoil 400 in the spring and the South Point 400 in the fall.

The track also hosts races for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, including the LiUNA! 300 and the Focused Health 302. The NASCAR Truck Series also races here with the Ecosave 200.

Open-Wheel Racing

The track held its first IndyCar races in September 1996. These were some of the first major races at the new track. IndyCar races were held annually until 2000.

The lap 11 crash at the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship. This accident led to the cancellation of future human-driven IndyCar races at the track.

In 2011, the IZOD IndyCar World Championship was held at LVMS. During this race, a serious crash occurred, and driver Dan Wheldon tragically passed away. Because of this, IndyCar races with human drivers were stopped at the track.

However, IndyCar returned to LVMS in 2022 with the Indy Autonomous Challenge. This event is part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It features college student teams who engineer self-driving race cars. They compete in challenges for these driverless vehicles.

Other Racing

The Bullring dirt track has hosted the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series many times. In 2025, the High Limit Racing series is also scheduled to race there.

LVMS also hosted the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2014 and 2015. This event features planes racing through a course marked by air gates.

Festivals and More

Since 2011, the Electric Daisy Carnival, a huge music festival, has made LVMS its home. It moved here after facing issues in its previous location.

Other events include the World Long Drive Championship in 2013. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the track even hosted a graduation ceremony for Faith Lutheran High School. Since 2023, the track has also hosted a Las Vegas version of the FoodieLand Night Market, a popular food festival.

You can even drive exotic cars yourself at the track through the Dream Racing program. There's also a "Driver's Edge" program for driving education.

Lap Records

As of October 2024, here are some of the fastest official race lap records at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

See also

In Spanish: Las Vegas Motor Speedway para niños