Fri, 20 Dec 2002, 08:27 PM 2002 a year to remember at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Courtesy of John Bisci

LAS VEGAS –- Las Vegas Motor Speedway enjoyed its most successful season ever during 2002. Record crowds and television viewers, exciting action and new racing programs all contributed to making 2002 the best in the seven-year history of Nevada’s largest sports facility. In all, more than 400 racing events and 1,100 non-racing events were held on speedway property during 2002.

The season started with a bang as the largest NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series crowds in the speedway’s history watched Sterling Marlin visit LVMS’ Victory Lane, and it ended with Speedway Children’s Charities distributing more than $228,000 to children-related organizations in the Las Vegas community.

“I think it’s a tribute to the hard-working employees of Las Vegas Motor Speedway that we’ ve enjoyed such a successful year,” said Chris Powell, LVMS president and general manager. “We’ve always said that we want to continue to improve. I think 2002 showed a dramatic improvement over 2001, and we have every reason to believe that 2003 will be even better.”

Following are the top 10 headlines produced at LVMS during 2002.

The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam’s Town 300 both play to record crowds and a record number of television viewers.

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam’s Town 300 play to record crowds and record television viewers. An estimated crowd of 137,500 jammed the speedway’s 1.5-mile superspeedway as Marlin led a Dodge charge to the finish in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. One day earlier, 81,000 had turned out to watch Jeff Burton dominate the Sam’s Town 300. Meanwhile, record numbers were watching both races on television. The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was the third-highest rated NASCAR Winston Cup race on the 36-race schedule, while the Sam’s Town 300 was the highest-rated NASCAR Busch Series race on the F/X Network and the second-highest rated NASCAR Busch Series race on cable in 2002.

Speedway Children’s Charities donates record $228,000 to 31 local charities. In 2001, SCC donated 196,000 to 17 charities. Fundraisers such as the NASCAR driver auction, a junior dragster fundraiser and Bob and Mike’s Birthday Bash and Car Show played major roles in the large contribution.

LVMS creates Midnight Mayhem to make streets safer. Midnight Mayhem is a street-legal drag racing program designed at keeping illegal street racers off the street and in a safe and controlled environment. The first year attracted almost 400 cars per night. The program was praised by local law enforcement and garnered media attention locally and nationally. NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Tony Stewart sweeps pair of USAC races at the Bullring. Stewart’s appearance at the Bullring highlighted a season of competitive weekly races.

Ex-LVMS racer Kurt Busch has big year in Winston Cup. Kurt Busch competed in Legends Cars and Grand American Modifieds at LVMS as recently as 1999. In 2002, he stunned the NASCAR world by winning four races and finishing third in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series points standings.

Gaughan takes Craftsman Truck Series rookie of the year title. The Las Vegas-based Orleans Racing Team and local racer Brendan Gaughan won two races en route to winning rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Both wins came at Texas Motor Speedway, a sister track to LVMS.

All four NHRA national champions post wins at The Strip. The NHRA’s four national champions all posted wins during 2002 at The Strip. John Force, Larry Dixon, Angelle Savoie and Jeg Coughlin Jr. all posted wins during the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals. For Dixon, it was a clean sweep as we won the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals in April. Non-traditional events highlight non-racing calendar at LVMS. Major corporations such as Mazda, Ford, General Motors, Saturn,

BF Goodrich, U.S. Food Service and Global Cash used the speedway for major consumer and dealer events. Ford Trucks, Nike, GNC, T-Mobile and Sonic Drive-Ins used the speedway as a backdrop for national television ads. Hollywood also found its way to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NBC’s Spy TV, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Street Smarts and the Discovery Channel’s new show Rides all filmed episodes at the speedway.

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 selected “Best Sporting Event in Las Vegas” by readers of Las Vegas Review-Journal. The NASCAR Weekend has become one of Las Vegas’ busiest weekends with few hotel vacancies, full airline flights, packed restaurants and busy gaming areas.

Pop star Britney Spears prepares for upcoming movie by driving a stock car at LVMS. Spears wasn’t the only celebrity spotted at LVMS in 2002. The list includes Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats, Pamela Anderson, Vanna White, Richard Karn (Al Borland from “Home Improvement”), Carrot Top, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Roy Clark, Miss Universe, Chuck Norris, Reggie Jackson, Jim McMahon and Rush Limbaugh.

While 2002 was a banner year for Las Vegas Motor Speedway attention now turns to 2003. All title sponsors for each national event in 2002 will return in 2003. The NHRA Sport Compact Series will make its Las Vegas debut March 14-16. The Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event has been moved under the lights on Sept. 27. The Midnight Mayhem program will increase to 23 events in 2003. The Bullring is bringing back the IMCA Modifieds as a weekly class. The Bullring will host a 100-lap Super Late Model event on Thursday, Feb. 27 to kickoff the NASCAR Weekend. New parking and traffic plans will make access in and out of the speedway easier, and the new loop of the I-215 beltway will further enhance the traffic flow in and out of the speedway during major national events.

Press Releases: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Feb 05- Motorcycle Drag Racer Dystany Spurlock Aims for Historic NASCAR ARCA Series Bid
Jan 28- Hyde Reaches Elite Eight at U.S. Street Nationals
Jan 28- Red Line Oil Joins Hull Racing for the 2026 Season
Jan 28- Speedmaster Signs Mult-Year Partnership with John Force Racing as Co-Primary Sponsor of Josh Hart's Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 19- Jon Schaffer Named Crew Chief for Paul Lee's Nitro Funny Car Team in NHRA Mission Foods Series
Jan 17- John Force Racing Renews Apparel Partnership with Marwin Sports USA
Dec 18- Motorsports Community Raises $13,000 for Riley Kids at Return of Rev ‘n Roll Event
Dec 17- Sam Pack Ford Releases Buddy Hull Edition Mustang
Dec 13- Summit Motorsports Park Launches Launches "Race For Hope" Charity: Accelerating Positive Change
Dec 13- Sander Racing Wheels Named Official Wheel Partner of Elite Motorsports