| | | | | | | | | | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Viva Las Vegas |
| | Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located just a few miles north of The Strip, is a 1,200 acre racing complex with four different tracks for racing. Owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the complex includes road courses, a three-eighths mile oval, a dirt track and a drag racing facility. The 1.5-mile track is home of a 400-mile race on the NEXTEL Cup Series, as well as Busch and Truck Series events.
 | | />Las Vegas Motor Speedway is also home to several race teams, and the track is used by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for driver training.
In 1995, construction began on the $200 million complex, with almost 2,000 tons of concrete originally used to build more than 100,000 seats. In 1998, after Speedway Motorsports Inc. bought the track, plans were announced to add 22,000 seats overlooking the frontstretch in the Dale Earnhardt tower.
In 1996, the first NASCAR race was held at the complex, a Truck Series event. In 1997 the Busch Series held a race there, and in 1998 the Cup Series had its first race there with Mark Martin claiming the win.
In 2006, fans got a shot at 14,000 additional tickets as the construction of the Richard Petty Terrace in Turn 1 was completed. The improvements pushed the track’s seating capacity to almost 150,000.
And there were more improvements in store for 2006. The whole surface was reconfigured with progressive banking installed, and other additions included some fan-friendly features in the infield and moving pit road closer to the straightaway.
In 2007, grandstand seating during NASCAR weekend will be smoke-free.
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