March 28, 2024

Vegas, baby! City will host two NASCAR Cup races

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host two top-tier NASCAR races beginning in 2018.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors approved a race sponsorship agreement with the track and parent company Speedway Motorsports Inc. on Wednesday, with this year’s race coming up Sunday. Las Vegas’ win is New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s loss, with SMI shifting one of the New England track’s two NASCAR Cup Series races to Nevada.

“Las Vegas and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have become great destinations for NASCAR fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The experience is unique to any other in our sport. We look forward to having NASCAR racing there for two race weekends in 2018.”

SMI said it will move its September race date at New Hampshire to Las Vegas to create the second race. The company also will move the Truck Series race from New Hampshire, as well as a stand-alone Xfinity Series race from Kentucky Speedway to create a triple-header weekend.

LVMS will become the first facility on the NASCAR schedule to host two yearly weekend events with all three national series. The race dates will be announced later by NASCAR as part of the full 2018 schedules.

“The fantastic support that NASCAR as a sport and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway receive from Las Vegas is phenomenal, and it really has proven to be something that we can ignore,” SMI President Marcus Smith said. Smith, tourism officials, along with brothers and Las Vegas natives Kurt and Kyle Busch participated in the deal’s announcement in Las Vegas.

The sponsorship deal is for $2.5 million per year for seven years with the option of extending the agreement three years.