Las Vegas Motor Speedway: History

Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

History

·      The construction to build the superspeedway known today as Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) began in 1995. Speedway Motorsports Inc. acquired the property in 1998.

·       The first NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race won by Ken Schrader on Nov. 2, 1996.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on March 1, 1998, won by Mark Martin.

·        In 2006, the track was reconfigured to include progressive banking.

Notebook

·        There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

·        128 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas; 97 in more than one.

·        Four drivers have participated in all 16 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.

·        Dale Jarrett won the inaugural pole with a speed of 168.224 mph (32.773 secs.).

·        10 drivers have poles at LVMS, led by Kasey Kahne, who posted his third last season (2004, 2007 and 2012).

·        Kyle Busch is the only driver to win consecutive poles at LVMS from (2008-‘09).

·        Youngest LVMS pole winner: Kyle Busch (3/2/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 0 days).

·        Oldest LVMS pole winner: Dale Jarrett (3/4/2001 – 44 years, 3 months, 6 days).

·      Nine different drivers have won at LVMS, led by Jimmie Johnson (four). Three other drivers have multiple wins at Las Vegas: Matt Kenseth (three), Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards (each have two).

·        Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in wins at Las Vegas with seven, followed by Hendrick Motorsports with five.

·       Las Vegas-native Kyle Busch became the first and only Only two LVMS races have been won from the front row: Kyle Busch, 2009 (pole); and Carl Edwards, 2008 (second-place).

·        Three of the 16 races (18.7%) have been won from a top-five starting position at Las Vegas.

·        Seven of the 16 (43.7%) races have been won from a top-10 starting position at Las Vegas.

·        Four of the 16 races (25%) at Las Vegas have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 25th, by Matt Kenseth in 2004.

·        Youngest LVMS winner: Kyle Busch (3/1/2009 – 23 years, 9 months, 27 days).

·        Oldest LVMS winner: Sterling Marlin (3/3/2002 – 44 years, 7 months, 32 days).

·        Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart lead the series in runner-up finishes at Las Vegas with two each.

·        Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart lead the series in top-five finishes at Las Vegas with six each.

·        Mark Martin has 10 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver. His average finish is 13.4.

·       Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finish at LVMS with a 9.5; Carl Edwards (9.6) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.  

·        There has been one green-white-checkered finish at Las Vegas: 2006 (270/267).

·        Kyle Busch made his first start and Kasey Kahne won his first pole at Las Vegas, in the same event (2004).

·        Aric Almirola made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2007.

·      Three drivers have won consecutive races at Las Vegas: Jeff Burton (1999, 2000); Matt Kenseth (2003, 2004) and Jimmie Johnson is the only one of the three to win three consecutive races (2005, 2006 and 2007).

·       Eight of the nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Las Vegas participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Mark Martin (1998; inaugural event) is the only driver to win at Las Vegas in his first appearance.

·     Tony Stewart competed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 13 times before winning (2012); the longest span of any of the nine winners. Stewart is the only driver to have made 10 or more attempts before his first win at LVMS.

·       Bobby Labonte leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Las Vegas without visiting Victory Lane with 16.

·     Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Las Vegas was the March 12, 2006 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.045 second.

·       No driver has won the first three races of the season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The five drivers that have won the first two events of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season are: Matt Kenseth (2009), Jeff Gordon (1997), David Pearson (1976), Bob Welborn (1959) and Marvin Panch (1957).  

·      Three reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions have gone on to win at Las Vegas the following season: Matt Kenseth (2004), Jimmie Johnson is the only one to do it multiple times(2007, 2010) and Tony Stewart (2012).

·     Three drivers have won at Las Vegas and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season: Jeff Gordon (2001), Matt Kenseth (2003) and Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2007 and 2010).

·     Danica Patrick and Shawna Robinson are the only two female drivers to compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.