Las Vegas Motor Speedway facts for kids
 
The Speedway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
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| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
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| Time zone | UTC−8 / −7 (DST) |
| Capacity | 80,000 |
| Owner | Speedway Motorsports, Inc. |
| Address | Las Vegas Motor Speedway 7000 N. Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89115 |
| Opened | 1972 drag strip and road course 1985 3/8 mile oval 1996 1.5 mile oval |
| Major events | NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 South Point 400 NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300 Alsco Uniforms 302 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Bucked Up 200 World of Westgate 200 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series NHRA World Finals Baja 1000 (Qualifying for Trophy Trucks and Class 1) K&N Spring Fling Million bracket race |
| Tri-Oval Superspeedway | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.5 mi (2.41 km) |
| Banking | Turns – 12–20° (Progressive) |
| Race lap record | 226.491 mph (364.502 km/h) (Arie Luyendyk, Treadway Racing, 1996, IndyCar Series) |
| The Bullring Oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.375 mi (0.604 km) |
| Dirt track | |
| Surface | Clay |
| Length | 0.5 mi (0.8 km) |
| Drag strip "The Strip at LVMS" | |
| Surface | 1/4-mile concrete |
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a huge place for car racing and other exciting events! It's located near Las Vegas, Nevada, about 15 miles northeast of the famous Las Vegas Strip. This amazing complex covers about 1,200 acres and has many different tracks for all kinds of motorsports. It's owned by a company called Speedway Motorsports, Inc..
Contents
History of the Speedway
After a place called Stardust International Raceway closed in 1971, people started planning a new race track in Las Vegas. This new place was called the Las Vegas Speedrome. It opened in 1972 with a road course and a drag strip.
Building the Tracks
In 1985, a smaller 3/8-mile oval track was added. Later, in 1989, a new owner bought the track and renamed it Las Vegas Speedway Park. This owner then teamed up with another person to build a brand new, big superspeedway on the same spot. It cost $72 million and opened in September 1996.
The very first race on the new superspeedway was an IndyCar event on September 15, 1996. Richie Hearn won that race. A NASCAR Truck Series race followed in November. In 1998, Speedway Motorsports bought Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Big Changes and New Races
From 1999 to 2002, a special "Winston No Bull 5 Million Dollar Bonus" race was held here. Famous drivers like Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon won a million dollars!
The drag strip was moved to a new spot called "The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway." The old drag strip and road course were rebuilt into a longer 2.4-mile road course. The smaller 3/8-mile oval track was also updated.
In 2006, big changes were made to the main track. The turns were made steeper, going from 12 degrees to 20 degrees. This "progressive banking" helps cars race side-by-side more easily. A cool new area for fans called the "Neon Garage" was also built. Here, fans can watch teams work on cars and even meet drivers!
The updated track reopened in August 2006. Kurt Busch, a NASCAR champion from Las Vegas, was the first to test a stock car on it. Mike Skinner won the first NASCAR Truck Series race on the new surface in September 2006. In March 2007, Jeff Burton won the first Busch Series race, and Jimmie Johnson won the first NASCAR Cup Series race on the new track.
Fun Events Beyond Racing
In 2011, a huge music festival called Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) started happening at the speedway. Hundreds of thousands of people attend this three-day event every year! It's a massive party with electronic music.
In 2012, a third road course was added, designed by Romain Thievin. It's 1.4 miles long with 11 turns. The drag strip was expanded to four lanes in 2017, allowing four cars to race at the same time!
Starting in 2018, Las Vegas Motor Speedway began hosting a second NASCAR race weekend each year. This means more exciting races for fans! Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, some races were changed or moved, including the NHRA World Finals.
Different Tracks at LVMS
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a huge complex with many different tracks for various types of racing.
Main Oval Track
The main track is a 1.5-mile (2.41 km) tri-oval superspeedway. It has a special asphalt surface with turns that are banked (sloped) from 12 to 20 degrees. This progressive banking helps cars go faster and race closer together.
Other Cool Tracks
- The Bullring: This is a 0.375-mile (0.604 km) paved oval track.
- Dirt Track: A 0.5-mile (0.8 km) oval track made of clay, perfect for dirt racing.
- The Strip: This is a 0.25-mile (402 m) drag strip made of concrete, where cars race side-by-side for speed.
- Inside Road Course: A 1.1-mile track with different layouts.
- Outside Road Course: This course has several layouts, with the longest being 2.4 miles.
- Dream Racing Course: A 1.5-mile road course, also with different configurations.
- Off-road Course: A large area designed for off-road racing with many possible layouts.
Exciting Records
Many fast races have happened at Las Vegas Motor Speedway! Here are some of the top records:
NASCAR Race Records
- NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying: Kurt Busch set the fastest qualifying time in 2016, going 196.378 mph!
- NASCAR Cup Series Race: Brad Keselowski won a race in 2014 with an average speed of 154.633 mph.
- Most Wins (NASCAR Cup Series): Jimmie Johnson has won 4 times here.
- Most Laps Led (NASCAR Cup Series): Matt Kenseth has led 516 laps.
More Fun Events
Besides car races, Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts many other exciting events:
- The RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship for golf was held here in 2013.
- The finish line for The Amazing Race TV show was here in 2014.
- The World of Outlaws sprint car series races on the Dirt Track.
- The Red Bull Air Race World Championship used to visit the speedway.
- The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), a huge electronic music festival, has been held here every year since 2011.
- In 2020, high school students had a special "drive-thru" graduation ceremony at the speedway due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They even got to do a parade lap around the track!
Images for kids
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The Speedway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
See also
In Spanish: Las Vegas Motor Speedway para niños
Las Vegas Motor Speedway race results at Racing-Reference The Bullring race results at Racing-Reference High Resolution image from Google Maps
