"A 1.5-mile tri-oval in the desert north of the Strip, opened in 1996, seating 123,000, where NASCAR's elite run near 200 miles per hour. Race 28 of the O'Reilly Chase runs here."
Key Takeaways
- 1.5-mile asphalt tri-oval in Las Vegas, Nevada, opened in 1996, with 20-degree banking in the turns and 9-to-12-degree banking on the front and backstretch.
- 123,000 seats and 102 suites, plus an inside road course, driving experiences, and a 60,000-square-foot media center. Speeds for NASCAR's top series approach 200 mph.
- More than a racetrack: the facility has hosted everything from NASCAR weekends and concerts to the Electric Daisy Carnival, long-drive golf championships, and air races.
- A Speedway Motorsports track, part of the same portfolio as Charlotte, Bristol, and Dover, with the company's Weather Guarantee protecting NASCAR ticket holders against rainouts.
- The 2026 O'Reilly Chase visits October 3: Race 28, the Focused Health 302, with the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 on Sunday, October 4 and the CARS Tour West Kyle Busch Classic opening the weekend on Friday, October 2.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Track Type: Asphalt tri-oval Length: 1.5 miles Banking: 20 degrees in the turns · 9 to 12 degrees on the straightaways Opened: 1996 Seating: 123,000, with 102 suites Operator: Speedway Motorsports Also on site: Inside road course · drag strip · Bullring short track
The Chase at Las Vegas: Race 28
Race 28 of the 33-race season, the fourth of the nine Chase races, runs in the desert the first weekend of October. The Chase is the O'Reilly Series championship: the top 12 drivers in points after Race 24 at Daytona settle the title over the season's final nine races.
| Date | Race | Series | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct 2 | Kyle Busch Classic | CARS Tour West | Weekend opener |
| Saturday, Oct 3 | Focused Health 302 | NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series | Race 28 of the Chase |
| Sunday, Oct 4 | South Point 400 | NASCAR Cup Series | Cup playoff weekend |
Tickets: sold through lvms.com and by phone at 800-644-4444; tickets are digital through the LVMS mobile app. Free general parking surrounds the speedway, camping areas with 24-hour security can be reserved through the ticket office, and the Neon Garage and pre-race track passes offer infield access. Under the Speedway Motorsports Weather Guarantee, a rained-out ticket becomes a credit toward a future NASCAR race at any Speedway Motorsports track if the holder cannot attend the makeup date.
Overview
Las Vegas Motor Speedway brings the O'Reilly Chase west: Race 28 opens the championship's second half on a fast, sweeping 1.5-mile tri-oval where the racing runs wide and the speeds run high. The 20-degree corner banking, and straightaway banking that rises from 9 to 12 degrees, keep momentum up all the way around; the track's own materials put NASCAR's elite near 200 mph. Its 123,000 seats and 102 suites give it enormous scale, and that scale, plus the location, has made it a fixture for far more than racing: concerts, the Electric Daisy Carnival, long-drive golf, and air-race championships have all used the property.
For racers, Vegas is the archetypal modern intermediate track: multiple grooves, big corner speed, and the aerodynamic chess of traffic management.
History
The speedway opened in 1996 as Las Vegas grew into a major-league sports market, and NASCAR arrived soon after; the track has been a fixture of the national calendar since. Beyond the big oval, the complex grew into a full motorsports campus: an inside road course, a drag strip, and the Bullring short track that hosts local-series racing.
Today the track operates within the Speedway Motorsports portfolio, the company founded by Charlotte Motor Speedway builder O. Bruton Smith, whose tracks include Charlotte, Bristol, Dover, Texas, Sonoma, and Nashville. That membership shows up for fans most concretely in the company-wide Weather Guarantee on NASCAR tickets.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway opens |
| Late 1990s onward | NASCAR national series racing becomes an annual fixture |
| 2000s onward | The complex grows into a multi-venue campus: road course, drag strip, Bullring short track |
| 2026 | The O'Reilly Chase visits with the Focused Health 302 (October 3) |
The Racing
Vegas rewards commitment. The banking lets drivers run the corners hard in multiple lanes, and long straightaways make the draft and corner exit matter in equal measure. Clean air is valuable, but the width of the racing surface keeps the field honest: a faster car can usually find a lane. Tire falloff across a run opens the classic intermediate-track chess match between track position and fresh rubber.
At Chase distance the Focused Health 302 turns those trade-offs into championship arithmetic: by Race 28, every position swap among the surviving Chase drivers moves the standings. Track records by series are maintained by the speedway's media office and updated event by event.
Ownership and Management
Las Vegas Motor Speedway operates within the Speedway Motorsports family of tracks. Fan-facing policies shared across the company, including the Speedway Motorsports Weather Guarantee, apply at Vegas, and the ticket office at 800-644-4444 is the hub for seating, accessibility accommodations, camping reservations, and lost and found.
Visiting Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The speedway is north of the Las Vegas Strip along Las Vegas Boulevard North. Parking is free in the public lots with premium options closer to the gates, and tailgating is permitted in all public lots under the track's posted rules. The venue is cashless; no ATMs are on site. Each guest may bring one non-alcoholic beverage (up to 64 ounces, no glass) and one food item through the gates, with no coolers in the grandstands. The Speedway World gift shop and track tours run on weekdays outside event windows, and El Monte RV is the track's official RV rental partner for race-weekend stays.
See Also
- Charlotte Motor Speedway Track Guide covers the Chase race one week after Vegas, at Speedway Motorsports' home track.
- O'Reilly Series standings for the live Chase picture.
- The Grand National Show, our weekly show, follows the stories behind the race through the Chase.
2026 O'Reilly Chase tracks
- Darlington Raceway · Race 25
- World Wide Technology Raceway · Race 26
- Bristol Motor Speedway · Race 27
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway · Race 28
- Charlotte Motor Speedway · Race 29
- Phoenix Raceway · Race 30
- Talladega Superspeedway · Race 31
- Martinsville Speedway · Race 32
- Homestead-Miami Speedway · Race 33
O'Reilly Series reference
Track facts compiled from primary sources: lvms.com (Speedway page and FAQ, captured in our source records August 24, 2026; event calendar read August 26, 2026). Records by series are maintained by the speedway's media office. Page version 2, August 26, 2026.