Tuesday, March 15, 2005 | 9:42 a.m.
By most accounts, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's eighth annual NASCAR weekend was an overwhelming success -- both on and off the track.
Saturday's Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race attracted a crowd estimated at 110,000 and was won by sentimental favorite Mark Martin, the series' all-time leader in victories with 47.
Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race attracted an event-record crowd estimated at 156,000 and the Fox Sports broadcast of the race drew a 5.8 overnight rating -- an increase of 5.5 percent over last year's telecast of the race.
Jimmie Johnson won the third Nextel Cup points race of the season, holding off Las Vegas natives Kyle and Kurt Busch in one of the more entertaining Cup races on the 1.5-mile oval. The race featured 25 lead changes among 12 drivers but Johnson's average winning speed was slowed to 121.038 mph due to an event-record 10 caution flags.
Off the track, speedway officials have overcome many of the traffic glitches that plagued the first two Cup races at LVMS. Speedway general manager Chris Powell said the overwhelming majority of race fans were on the grounds about an hour before the 12:15 p.m. start and the parking lots were emptied in under the "industry standard" of three hours following the conclusion of the race.
"There is no question this was our most successful event ever," Powell said. "Race fans had beautiful weather, a very competitive race and saw the best that Las Vegas and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have to offer."
Speedway owner Bruton Smith lauded his staff, the Nevada Highway Patrol, Metro Police and local government agencies for developing a traffic plan to handle the estimated 40,000 vehicles that descended on the speedway Sunday.
"We've got to give credit to the Highway Patrol, the Metro Police," Smith said. "I remember when I first bought this place, Las Vegas Boulevard was two lanes. By begging and pleading, we got that changed rather quickly and it really works and it's working more.
"We work on this traffic all the time. I can tell you now that every time you come here, you're going to see some changes."
Among the changes race fans will see in 2006 is the addition of a 14,000-seat grandstand above the existing grandstand in Turn 1. The structure, to be called the Richard Petty Terrace, will be similar to the one opened last year near Turn 4 that honors the late Dale Earnhardt and will expand the facility's permanent seating to nearly 146,000.
Smith also hinted at other changes and/or improvements, but refused to go into detail.
"When you come back next year, you'll see a lot more changes," he said. "Our budget this year for changes here is $30 million and it'll grow from that; next year our budget will be $50 million to spend here."
One of those changes is not expected to include a second annual Nextel Cup race -- for which Smith has been lobbying for several years. Although he said the city of Las Vegas deserves a second Cup date, Smith said he was not prepared to move a race date from one of his other tracks to accomplish that.
Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. also owns Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
Smith again denied a recent rumor that he would move one of the race dates from Atlanta Motor Speedway facility to Las Vegas.
"That was a nasty, dirty, rotten rumor and I don't know who started it, but there was no truth to it at all," Smith said, adding that Atlanta's Cup dates are "very secure."
Smith said he would consider buying another speedway that hosts Nextel Cup races to move a date to Las Vegas, but said there are no deals in the works.
"I keep my ear (pressed) to the door because if there's a knock at the door, I'm going to get up and answer it," Smith said. "You have to look for opportunities and that's what I constantly look for."
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