The 14th NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was filled with superlatives – both on and off the track.
The Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup event saw its 10th consecutive sellout, and TV ratings increased 29 percent from 2010 as Carl Edwards won for the second time in four years on the 1.5-mile superspeedway.
“We’re thrilled with every aspect of the weekend,” said LVMS president Chris Powell. “We had beautiful weather, large crowds and some very popular storylines for the race fans. Vehicles flowed better than ever and we’ve already received many positive responses on the overall event experience.”
Heavy interest in tickets over the past three weeks led to the sellout, while race fans watching at home gave FOX a ratings boost for the third consecutive week in NASCAR racing. Sunday’s race received a 5.3 overnight rating, up dramatically from the 4.1 recorded in 2010. Final national ratings will be available later in the week.
On the race track, fans saw memorable moments and record-breaking performances. It all started when Matt Kenseth broke Kurt Busch’s Sprint Cup track qualifying record during Stratosphere Pole Day. Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300 saw Mark Martin become the first four-time Nationwide winner at LVMS, and Danica Patrick became the highest-finishing woman in a NASCAR national event with her fourth-place run.
The event also was a boon to local charitable organizations. Speedway Children’s Charities raised more than $110,000 through various events, including a driver and memorabilia auction and the speedway’s annual track walk.
“Everybody wins with the NASCAR Weekend here,” Powell said. “This event is a big shot in the arm of the local economy and it comes at a time when we need it the most. Businesses and charities benefit from the hundreds of thousands of race fans who come to town, and the fans were blessed with four great days of racing. We’re already looking forward to doing this again next year. Planning begins tomorrow.”
LVMS PR
