Spring race:
UAW-DaimlerChrylser 400

NASCAR moved to Sin City in the late 1990s with the development of the $200 million Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Located a few miles north of "The Strip," Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits like a diamond in the desert with seating for nearly 150,000 fans. One of the most complete racing complexes in the world, its 1,600 acres include road courses, a three-eighths mile oval, a dirt track and a state-of-the-art drag racing facility. Construction of the $200 million complex began in 1995. At its heart, however, is the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway, home of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. LVMS is the third stop on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series circuit. The first NASCAR race held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a Busch Series event in 1996. Two years later, the Cup series made its first visit with Mark Martin picking up the victory.

Nearly 2,000 tons of concrete were originally used to build more than 100,000 seats. Shortly after Speedway Motorsports Inc. bought the track in 1998, it announced plans to add 22,000 seats in the Dale Earnhardt Terrace overlooking the frontstretch. Construction started shortly after the 2004 race and was completed in time for the 2005 UAW-DaimlerChrylser 400. The day of the 2005 race Chris Powell, LVMS's General Manager, announced that come 2006, a new grandstand would e built. Construction of the Richard Petty Terrace in Turn 1 was completed in 2006, allowing fans a shot at 14,000 additional tickets and pushing the tracks seating capacity to nearly 150,000.

Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth have visited victory lane twice with Jeff Gordon and Sterlin Marlin making the trip once. Jimmie Johnson, however, has won three times in a row. He is the first driver to win three consecutive races at LVMS.

Infield Construction

Following the 2006 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 crews began a multi-million dollar renovation of the track surface and infield. The banking has been increased from twelve to twenty degrees, a new state-of-the-art media center has been built in the infield along with a fan interactive Neon Garage where fans can look down on the cars or look through windows at ground level, and pit road has been moved 275 feet closer to the grandstand.

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Where to stay:

Where to eat:

I would highly recommend the NASCAR Cafe situated in the Sahara. Good food, good fries, and lots of tv's showing some sort of racing. Six of which are really big.
--Tuhy

Sidetrips:

The Stratosphere. Good view of the Strip and everything around. If it's windy up there, make sure that you don't have a hat on, and lean into the wind. It's alot of fun, trust me. You can also watch people get freaked out on the rides up there, or go on them yourself. You'll purchase the tickets for them before you ride the elevator up. Go there, you'll think it was worth it. --Tuhy

Track Facts:

Completed : 1996
Distance : 1.5 miles
Shape : D-shaped oval
Banking :
20° turns
9° frontstretch
3° backstretch
Frontstretch : 2,275 feet
Backstretch : 1,572 feet
Seating : 137,000

Photos:

View from Richard Petty Terrace. This was taken the day of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. You can tell because there are two cars on the infield. Those represent where the first and last pit stall will be next year.


View of Richard Petty Terrace taken below the Dale Earnhardt Terrace coming out of Turn 4. The white dashed lines on the infield grass represent where the new pit road will be next year.

Past Winners:

Year	Series	Winner	Car	Avg. Speed
2007	Nextel Cup	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	--
2006	Nextel Cup	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	133.358 mph
2005	Nextel Cup	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	121.038 mph
2004	Nextel Cup	Matt Kenseth	Ford	128.790 mph
2003	Winston Cup	Matt Kenseth	Ford	132.934 mph
2002	Winston Cup	Sterling Marlin	Dodge	136.754 mph
2001	Winston Cup	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	135.546 mph
2000	Winston Cup	Jeff Burton	Ford	119.982 mph
1999	Winston Cup	Jeff Burton	Ford	137.537 mph
1998	Winston Cup	Mark Martin	Ford	146.554 mph

Schedule:

Date	Event
09/22/07	Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
02/29/08 - 03/02/08	NASCAR Sprint Cup Weekend