By Alan Snel
LVSportsBiz.com
It’s a busy September sports month in Las Vegas.
And right smack in the middle of it are the big boys of NASCAR who are going racing at the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 15.
This year’s Sunday race is a big deal for the Speedway folks who convinced NBC to start the race later so that it would finish under the lights after last year’s South Point 400 event had fans feeling the not-so-pleasant effects of cheering amid triple-digit-degree and intense heat conditions.
But wouldn’t you know it, the South Point 400 race goes head-to-head that Sunday Sept. 15 with the sports kings of Las Vegas — the Vegas Golden Knights, which are launching their seven-game preseason schedule on the day of the NASCAR race at the Speedway.
The Knights play at 3 p.m. The drivers at the South Point 400 start their engines at 4 p.m. Oh, by the way, the Oakland-to-Las Vegas Raiders play rival Kansas City at 1 p.m. Sept. 15, too.
To generate ticket sales, Las Vegas Motor Speedway bought TV time to show this spot. Check out the “night” theme running through the TV spot, a few crashes and even a Kiss theme band entertaining race fans. (Kiss frontman Gene Simmons is an open-wheel racing fan and once wrote a marketing theme song for the Indy race league.) When in doubt about a TV commercial for a NASCAR race, feel free to spice up the ad with crashes.
The Speedway now hosts two NASCAR weekends a year, heavy lifting for a venue that has seen decreasing NASCAR attendance over the years. They’ve done everything to perk up sports fans’ interests, from creating space for drivers to have social media sessions to opening more club-style areas to even having a pool on site.
Earlier this year, LVSportsBiz.com held a Q-and-A with Kevin Camper, Speedway senior vice president for sales and marketing, about these issues.
In many ways, the Speedway, along with UNLV basketball, the National Finals Rodeo, boxing/UFC and the Triple A baseball team, represent the “Old School” of Las Vegas’ sports scene. Joining them have been the “new kids” like the Golden Knights, the WNBA Aces, minor league Lights soccer team and soon, the Raiders.
The South Point 400, like all NASCAR races, attracts visitors who love NASCAR so Las Vegas Motor Speedway can rely on tourists for the turnstiles. Conversely, when the Golden Knights host the Arizona Coyotes for the preseason game on the same day, it’s safe to say the overwhelming majority of fans at T-Mobile Arena will be rabid local fans who have expressed their longing for VGK hockey on social media for months. VGK hockey borders on religion for many locals who are literally the faithful.
The Speedway is rolling out a new $49 Sunday-only South Point 400 ticket, which is just less than half of the average VGK ticket of $100 and change. The $49 standing room only ticket for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs kickoff event will allow race fans access to the Turn 4 Turn Up area on the concourse level.
Here’s the ticket hype from the Speedway’s website: “Fans can enjoy the 267-lap South Point 400 from one of the most scenic vantage points on the entire property, with a great view of the 1.5-mile speedway in the foreground and the Las Vegas Strip serving as a one-of-a-kind backdrop.”
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