This weekend will celebrate the 20th year of NASCAR in Las Vegas. Today we learned that a second top-tier NASCAR Cup race will be added to the Las Vegas schedule beginning in the fall of 2018. Las Vegas also gets another Truck Series race from the New Hampshire racetrack, as well as a stand-alone Xfinity Series race from the Kentucky Speedway to create a tripleheader racing weekend.
NASCAR Weekend 2017
Thursday night kicks off the 2017 Las Vegas NASCAR weekend with the almost annual Truck Haulers Parade down the Las Vegas Strip. That starts at 6PM at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign and turns off the Strip at Sahara Avenue. Get there early if you want a good spot and don’t worry about photos; Nobody gets anything good as the lights bounce off the shiny chrome. Just enjoy the sights and the sounds of these big rigs with all their decals and glitter sparkling down the road!
Friday morning the gates open at 8AM at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Stratosphere Pole Day. Saturday is the Boyd Gaming 300 and Sunday is the Kobalt 400. (Click here for details)
The race track is a continuous parade of entertainment and excitement. Inside the Neon Garge area, you get to see the cars as they work on them, see the drivers and hear some great entertainment. The RV park in the background is full of people partying and cheering on their drivers and the fans are all in a great mood and full of energy and excitement.The
The problem is usually the traffic getting there and getting back. If you drive yourself or use private transportation, LEAVE EARLY to get there then wait a few hours before leaving the track. Otherwise, pack a lunch and have some cold non-alcoholic beverages in the vehicle for the long, slow ride back to the Strip. The traffic is always heavy and there will be a lot of construction.
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is offering a shuttle service that runs from the Las Vegas Strip and will run down one of the runways at Nellis Airbase and end up at the track. Avoiding the construction and congestion of Las Vegas Blvd or the I-15. Shuttle Tickets and info here.
Or you can fly from the Maverick Helicopter terminal down by the Welcome sign and fly out there and back for $549 per person. (details)
The NASCAR Effect
When we talk NASCAR in Las Vegas, we always add in the “NASCAR Effect” and that means even if you don’t want to fight the traffic and spend a day in the beautiful las Vegas spring sunshine on the track while also watching Nellis Air Force Base show off their wares above you, you can still join in the fun.
NASCAR fans coming to watch the race in Las Vegas, are known to bring a few other people along for the fun and they stay in town, in a casino or elsewhere. Playing, gambling and having fun. So you can go on the Strip or down on Fremont Street and see the action and enjoy the people watching without the sunburn or the long drive. You may have to pay for parking, but that’s another story!
It used to be a 2 to 1 ratio. For every out of town NASCAR fan at the track, 2 of their friends were on the Strip partying.
The Vegas Tourist will be on the scene, at the track and posting frequently on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram Send us your questions or say hello if you are there and want a shout out!! We love to meet our fans and share stories!
(Photos: Tom Donoghue)
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