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DRAGS: Suites Along the Side Make Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dragway Unique

21 July 1999

    LAS VEGAS, July 21 -- The construction of a state-of-the-art
drag-racing facility at Las Vegas Motor Speedway gives travelers yet another
reason to visit Las Vegas.  Work on the project begins today and will be
completed in time for a 200O national event sanctioned by the National Hot Rod
Association.

    "Las Vegas has a world-class superspeedway, and we're extremely pleased to
be adding a world-class drag-racing facility," says Chris Powell, executive
vice president and general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  "Everyone in
Las Vegas can be proud of the dragway that will be built here at LVMS."

    Speedway Motorsports Inc., the parent company of LVMS, is known for its
innovations.  Bruton Smith, SMI chairman has played a huge role in raising the
standards for motorsports facilities across the country.

    Once completed, the LVMS dragway will be the only drag-racing facility on
the NHRA circuit to line the track with luxury corporate suites instead of
building them behind the starting line.

    "Placing the suites down the side of the raceway will give our guests a
true concept of the speed involved and a better feel for the competition,"
says Devin Horihan, director of development for SMI and the manager of the
LVMS project.  "Normally suites are built in a tower behind the starting line.
Perspective can alter the entire experience of watching a car go 300 mph in a
quarter-mile."

    The building of a dragway offers just as many challenges as a 1.5-mile
superspeedway.

    "This is a totally different game when comparing circle tracks to
dragstrips," says Horihan.  "What you learn in building an oval is that there
is very minimal crossover between circle tracks and dragstrips as far as
construction.  It appears to be easier to build a drag-racing facility.
There's a straight track, and there's a straight shot of grandstands, but
there is a lot more to it than that."

    Just as degrees of banking and track width are crucial factors in the
design of a superspeedway, there are numerous components that affect the
construction of the dragway.

    "There are some real close tolerances for the transition from the launch
pad to the pavement," Horihan says.  "The percentage of grade and width and
length of the track are critical measurements."

    The first 500 feet will be concrete, and the remaining 3,500 feet -- which
includes the "shutdown" area -- will be asphalt.

    "Most of the speed is developed in the first 500 to 600 feet," Horihan
says.  "The concrete is a better surface on which to get traction."

    In typical SMI fashion, the project is expected to set the stage for the
future of drag racing.  "Bristol was an innovative project that turned heads,"
says Horihan, who developed Bristol Dragway, site of the NHRA Winston Showdown
conducted in July, 1999.  "This strip will do that and more.  We plan to
construct the premiere racing facility for fans and drivers."

    LVMS dragway facts:
    * Twenty-eight luxury suites will line the facility at the top of the main
      grandstand.  Future plans include the addition of more suites.
    * From start to finish the strip is a quarter of a mile, or 1,320 feet.
    * The starting line is 4,000 feet (.76 miles) from the end of the shutdown
      area.  One lane placed vertically would be 3.5 times higher than the
      tower of the Stratosphere, a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.  The
      Stratosphere tower is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the
      United States and the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.
    * More than two miles of retaining walls border the racing lanes.  If
      placed end to end, the walls would stretch 10,560 feet, longer then
      McCarran Airport's main runway, which is the second longest runway at a
      commercial airport in the United States.
    * The dragway calls for 8,000 cubic yards of concrete, including retaining
      walls, building foundations and the racing surface.
    * The LVMS dragway, like the superspeedway, will host night events and
      utilize a revolutionary lighting system process developed by Musco
      Lighting, which uses mirrors to simulate daylight, without glare and
      shadows.
    * More than 100,000 cubic yards of dirt will be moved to construct the
      facility.
    * The dragway will have more than 20 miles (105,600 feet) of underground
      wiring.
    * The duel buildings located behind the starting line will house race
      control and a media center.