Smooth comings, tougher goings at NASCAR

Monday, March 6, 2000 | 12:03 p.m.

The $4 million in improvements to roadways and Las Vegas Motor Speedway entrances -- plus some race fans arriving early to beat the crowds -- helped keep traffic to the CarsDirect.com 400 race moving smoothly Sunday.

"It moved much smoother," Metro Police Sgt. Bob Roshak said.

Fans started piling up at entrances to the speedway about 8 a.m. for the 11 a.m. Winston Cup race, but the coordinated effort by the speedway and the Nevada Department of Transportation apparently worked to shorten the four- to five-hour waits some had last year.

Leaving was a bit more problematic. The same rain that forced the premature scrub of the race created slick roads on the way out, and longer delays of two to three hours. Metro reported a handful of fender benders but no injuries in their jurisdiction.

"Obviously it was still congested with 135,000 people trying to leave at the same time," Roshak said.

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