By ALAN SNEL
Before T-Mobile Arena and the planned new Raiders stadium and the new 51s ballpark in Summerlin there was Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas’ biggest sports venue.
And with these new palatial sports venues coming online, the Speedway north of town off I-15 knew it was time to invest millions of dollars to enhance the fan experience and improve the upscale race-viewing options as Las Vegas Motor Speedway also adds a second NASCAR event to its schedule in 2018.
The race fan enhancements include three renovated clubhouses areas, the new “Turn One Social Pavilion,” two loge-box seat offerings and a racing-inspired interactive social lounge.
“Certainly with the new facilities both already built and in the planning stages here in town, we needed to make sure that our event experience is as good if not better than all of the new venues coming online,” Speedway spokesman Jeff Motley told LVSportsBiz.com Monday.
Construction has already begun and the improvements will be up and running for fans for the Speedway’s first of two tripleheader NASCAR weekends in 2018.
The clubhouse experience will be redefined with an air of exclusivity as rails will separate the club seating sections and gates will mark the ends of aisles leading to general seating.
There will be also a terrace between club seating and clubhouses for an upscale feel where club members can mingle and talk racing in this outdoor social zone.
The clubhouse interior will be remodeled to allow for flexible space containing many food and drink options, a combo of different types of tables and chairs plus lounge seating. There will be new finishes in the clubhouses with a “speed and light” theme to represent the high-speed racing and the city of Las Vegas’ lights.
With sports venues offering so many more upscale seating, food and viewing options, it was time for the Speedway to meet its fans’ higher expectations.
“Sports fans today are looking for greater variety and expect a more dynamic experience at events, and our enhancements will help provide them with memories they won’t soon forget,” Speedway president Chris Powell said.
“These changes will help modernize and diversify our facility,” Powell said.
Below the Richard Petty Terrace near Turn 1, the Speedway will highlight several different seating options, including loge boxes. This area will seat about 200 fans and will cater to die-hard race fans who want to be close to the racing but also enjoy the comforts of swiveling armchairs, padded seating and all-inclusive food and drink stations from concessionaire Levy Restaurants.
Levy Restaurants already has the food contract at T-Mobile Arena and LVSportsBiz.com is predicting Levy Restaurants will also want a piece of the food concession action at the Raiders new stadium.
Detroit-based architectural firm Rossetti designed the Speedway renovations.
Fans who have purchased annual and weekend grandstand tickets, along with premium-seat holders, will have access to the Speedway’s new interactive sports lounge, a 5,200-square-foot space in a reconfigured area located above the general seating between Turn 4 and the start-finish line. The sports lounge will give fans a chance to gather while being surrounded by static and dynamic displays.
The Speedway makes history in 2018 when it becomes the first NASCAR speedway to host two tripleheader weekends in the same year. In addition to the March 2-4 Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Weekend, the Speedway will host its first late-season NASCAR Weekend Sept. 14-16.
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. in Charlotte, NC owns Las Vegas Motor Speedway on 1,030 acres. The LVMS 1.5-mile, quad-oval super-speedway track has seating capacity for 123,000, according the Speedway Motorsports website.
Contact LVSportsBiz.com founder/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com