Track Trivia: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Look out Sin City, here comes NASCAR! I was at this race two years ago for my very first in-person race and Jimmie Johnson won. It's a really nice layout in the infield--if you have a pit pass you can see into the Neon Garage where the cars, crews and drivers are from two levels, plus there's a few stages and some decent food and places to sit. Also appreciated were the cooling misters, because even in early March the desert can bake under the sun.  

I will always remember Las Vegas fondly because during practice on the Friday before that Sunday's race, I was wearing my Tony Stewart hat and right by the entrance to the track when none other but Smoke was about to pull out. The NASCAR official stopped him right in front of where I was standing, to allow another car to exit the track. I was so excited to be so close I started jumping up and down, yelling "Go Tony" and whoo-whooing like a silly kid, and I know he heard by what happened next. Usually drivers just pull out smoothly--but good old Smoke spun the back tires and did a nice smoky burnout turning onto the track! I was one of the only women in the area, so I guess my higher-pitched voice cut through the background noise when Tony's car had to idle. Some of the guys hanging out even said things like they had been to a bunch of races and had never seen that happen. Pretty cool, and memorable. 

Las Vegas Motor Speedway opened in 1996 and had its first Cup race two years later. It's a 1.5 mile D-shaped oval with seating for 142,000. There's 20 degrees of banking in the turns and 9 degrees on the front and backstretch. I'm still not sure who I'll start for my fantasy team, but I'm bucking history and conventional wisdom--which indicate a Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards/Matt Kenseth Rousch win--and leaning towards Kyle Busch. This is his hometown, he's never won here, and the kid has a burning need to win at all costs. At least we shouldn't have to worry about rain, so burn, baby, burn!