LAS VEGAS, Nv.— After many years of trying, it became official today that Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) would receive a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS), NASCAR Xfinity (NXS), and Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) date in 2018.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) approved unanimously Wednesday afternoon. The deal is for seven-years at $2.5 million a year.
The date is currently set to fall the third or fourth weekend of September, but flexibilty is available.
In attendance at the announcement included Jamie Little, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Spencer Gallagher, Brendan Gaughan, and Noah Gragson. All are natives of the Las Vegas area.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Speedway Motorsports and Las Vegas Motor Speedway to create a NASCAR spectacle worthy of the greatest racing in the world and the Entertainment Capital of the World,” said Speedway Motorsports, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith.“It’s taken a tremendous amount of work to make this happen, and we are very thankful to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and NASCAR for their support in our endeavor to create a triple-header NASCAR weekend in such a world-class destination.”
“Over the years, Las Vegas has become a major sports city as a popular destination for a variety of championship and professional sports events, and today we are proud to add a second NASCAR Cup race to that roster. Las Vegas, NASCAR and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) have developed a strong and successful partnership, and we are certain this second race will prove to be another great success,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Who loses a date? Speedway Motorsports Inc. will remove the September MENCS and NCWTS date from New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) and the NXS standalone date from Kentucky Speedway (KYS). These transition of dates will provide LVMS two triple-header weekends on the NASCAR circuit, the first of its kinds.
NASCAR has confirmed that tracks have the ability to request a transfer of date. The sanctioning body would not further comment on the specifics of any agreements within the sanctioning agreement, but noted they’re all currently admidst five-year agreements.
This announcement comes at the heels of the sports scene boom in the Las Vegas area as the National Hockey League (NHL) is expanding into the market and with interest from the National Football League (NFL) about expanding to the area.
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