In this Las Vegas neighborhood, roaring engines, car-racing expected

By Conor Shine

Sunday, March 11, 2012 | 3 a.m.

Travis Carlson stood over a grill cooking hamburgers and bratwursts. Nearby, children ran around laughing and yelling, while adults lounged in lawn chairs, sipping drinks and catching up.

The scene was typical backyard barbecue, except for the roar of stock cars zipping around the track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway only a few hundred feet away.

“This is about as close to the action as it gets,” said Holly Carlson, Travis’ wife.

The Carlsons, who are from Salt Lake City, were among the thousands of race fans who have parked their RVs in the speedway’s infield for the weekend, turning the paved lot bounded by the racetrack into a makeshift city with many of the comforts of home, including satellite television, electricity and hot water.

Fans began setting up camp on the infield Wednesday in advance of NASCAR Weekend, which features multiple races over several days, concluding with the Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 race today.

By Friday, the campers were well established, with couches, lawn chairs, grills and tables organized to create a comfortable space for relaxing, eating and watching the races.

Hundreds of flags bearing the logos of NASCAR drivers flew high around the parking lot, and campers decorated their sites with cardboard cutouts and other memorabilia from their favorite racers.

Life on the infield spawns a unique atmosphere. It’s part party, part family reunion, as fans from across the country gather and reconnect with friends they’ve made from past races.

“You’re meeting new people all the time,” said Lindsay Thompson, of Salt Lake City. “New friends tend to accumulate quickly.”

Enjoying the races from the infield is a way of life for some, who travel the country from NASCAR event to NASCAR event in their motor homes.

“It’s the camaraderie you get,” said Art Coffin, who stays on the infield wherever he goes. “Anybody that’s forgotten something, somebody else will share.”

The chance to spend the weekend at the speedway also appeals to locals, like the Watkins family. The Watkinses live in Henderson but set up their RV on Thursday for four days of NASCAR.

“We started out eight years ago in the grandstands and slowly migrated in,” Richard Watkins said. “We’ve been staying here for five years. It’s a big party.”