LVMS loses Le Mans Series event

Monday, Oct. 2, 2000 | 10:18 a.m.

For the second time in less than a month, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has lost an event at its 1.5-mile superspeedway.

The American Le Mans Series announced Friday that the sports car endurance racing series would not return to LVMS in 2001. The speedway hosted the sports car series' season finale last November on its 2.25-mile infield road course.

Last month, the Indy Racing League decided to end its relationship with LVMS after staging an annual race here since the speedway's opening in 1996.

LVMS general manager Chris Powell said the decision for the ALMS not to return to Las Vegas next season rested with ALMS executive director Bill Donaldson.

"What it came down to was a matter of market size," Powell said. "They are trying to scale back as much as they can on the number of superspeedways (on their schedule).

"They stuck with Texas (Motor Speedway) and Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte because they are in what they consider bigger markets than Las Vegas."

Previous ALMS and the defunct Professional Sports Car Racing, Inc., events at LVMS have failed to draw well and another small crowd is expected for the ALMS event at LVMS Oct. 27-29.

"I think the future for events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will never be centered around sports-car racing," Powell said. "The focus of our efforts right now is to bring in other forms of motor sports, whether it be Indy Racing League or CART or another Busch or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event and, ultimately, that second NASCAR Winston Cup event."