NHRA: Las Vegas Motor Speedway to Host NHRA National Event in 2000
21 July 1999
LAS VEGAS, July 21 -- The intensity and raw power of the NHRA
Winston Drag Racing Series will roar to live at the nation's entertainment
capital when Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts its first-ever national event in
2000.
The event, scheduled for April 7-9, 2000, at the 1,600-acre motorsports
complex located just northeast of Las Vegas, was announced today by Chris
Powell, executive vice president and general manager of LVMS, and NHRA
president Dallas Gardner. The dragway, currently under construction joins the
complex's 1.5-mile superspeedway, 3/8-mile paved oval, dirt track, road
courses and off-road tracks.
"We at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are extremely excited to be announcing a
national event for the 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing season," Powell said.
"The addition of an NHRA national event is further evidence of the tremendous
facility we have here at LVMS. And our new drag racing venue will be one of
the finest anywhere."
LVMS, owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc., is the fourth new
facility added to the NHRA schedule during the last three years. All four new
sites feature state-of-the-art, stadium-type facilities.
The addition of LVMS falls in line with NHRA's strategic plan to build and
renovate dragstrips to meet the needs of fans, competitors and sponsors. The
entrance into the Las Vegas marketplace reinforces the NHRA's presence into
another of the nation's major metropolitan areas.
"Las Vegas is a great motorsports city, and we've wanted to bring NHRA
drag racing to the desert for some time," Gardner said. "We're happy to
announce today that the stars of the world's quickest and most powerful
motorsport will make a stop in the world's biggest entertainment mecca, Las
Vegas, in April of 2000.
"It is very gratifying to see Speedway Motorsports Inc. make this kind of
commitment to NHRA drag racing. The recent debut of the new Bristol Dragway
certainly demonstrates Bruton Smith's confidence in our sport."
The new facility will feature a first in drag racing -- luxury suites
constructed above the grandstands. Future plans for the dragstrip also
include four-lane capability.
"We have looked at the four-lane concept several times over the past five
years and have solicited input and opinion from racers, tracks, owners and
sponsors to help evaluate the potential," Gardner said. "With the
infrastructure in place at LVMS, we will have the future capability to
field-test the concept and experiment with possibilities. There may be
significant value to four lanes in drag racing's future, but we are going to
be careful before we take any segment of the sport in that direction. There
are many issues we will have to address, and it is premature at this time to
even speculate on the ultimate use and direction of the concept."
LVMS, which currently hosts NASCAR Winston Cup, Pep Boys Indy Racing
League and Pennzoil World of Outlaws events among others, becomes the third
SMI track to host an NHRA event. Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.,
annually presents the Autolite Nationals; and Bristol Dragway features the
Winston Showdown, NHRA's all-star event.
A group of approximately 200 people attended the announcement. Local
business and political leaders, including Nevada Lieutenant Governor Lorraine
Hunt, joined speedway and NHRA officials as well as some of the top drag
racers in the world at the event.
"Without a doubt, the largest sporting events this area has ever hosted
have occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway," said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar
Goodman. "Drag racing itself has a rich history in Las Vegas dating back to
the 1950s. The biggest names in drag racing have all competed in Las Vegas
throughout the years, but an NHRA national event has been missing until now."
Many of the big names in drag racing were on hand for Tuesday's
announcement. Top fuel stars Kenny Bernstein and Gary Scelzi joined Funny Car
standout John Force, Pro Stock's Warren Johnson and local competitor George
Marnell at the gathering.
"I love Las Vegas and I can't wait to get here and race," Force said. "I
know we're going to have great crowds because everyone loves Vegas. I will
guarantee you we will put on a good show."
In March of 1999, approximately a quarter of a million people came onto
the speedway grounds for the Las Vegas 400 NASCAR Winston Cup and Sam's Town
300 NASCAR Busch Series races.
In addition to the 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing event, Las Vegas Motor
Speedway will host the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Winston West Series and Pep Boys Indy Racing
League on its 1.5-mile superspeedway. The NASCAR Featherlite Southwest
Series, the NASCAR Winston Racing Series and 600 Racing's Legends Series all
visit the speedway's 3/8-mile paved oval. The Penzoil World of Outlaws
compete on the 1/2-mile dirt facility.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a division of Speedway Motorsports
. Speedway Motorsports is a leading promoter and marketer of
motorsports entertainment in the United States. The company owns and operates
six motorsports facilities, including Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol (Tenn.)
Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway at Charlotte, Sears Point Raceway, Texas
Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. SMI also provides event food,
beverage and souvenir merchandising services through its Finish Line Events
subsidiary and manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing
cars through its 600 Racing subsidiary.
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., the NHRA is the primary sanctioning
body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 22
national events through its NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. The NHRA has
85,000 members nationwide and 142 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned
sportsman and bracket racing series provide competition opportunities for
drivers of all levels. The NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering
the Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, Sears Craftsman E.T. Racing Series and
the Street Legal Program. The NHRA also offers the Junior Drag Racing League
for youths ages 8 to 17.
Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.