Las Vegas Motor Speedway Highly Ranked By Fans

USA Today posted their annual “10Best” list, based entirely on fan voting, of the best NASCAR tracks around.

The winner once again, for a 2^nd straight year was Pocono Raceway.

The triangle shaped track nestled in Long Pond, Pennsylvania is a 2.5 mile long uniquely shaped track that provides a test for the toughest of drivers.

It’s width and unfamiliar layout provide for some high quality action and the location is superb for making it a weekend getaway.

Pocono wasn’t the only track to be shown love however, as you could imagine the “10Best” rank the ten best.

Who would have thought?

The entire ranking looks just like this:

1. Pocono

2. Watkins Glen

3. Chicago Street Course

4. Las Vegas

5. Atlanta

6. New Hampshire

7. Dover

8. Michigan

9. Bristol

10. Talladega

The poll does beg the question… who in the world were the voters?

Very few NASCAR fans would have any of these tracks outside of maybe a Bristol, Talladega, Atlanta or maybe even Dover as a favorite track, let alone top 5.

So I can only assume the ranking takes into heavy consideration the extended area and surroundings, the facilities and food options alongside maybe fan experience opportunities as opposed to just the quality of racing.

Regardless, it’s incredibly cool to see Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the top five of any list, so we aren’t going to question it.

Nestled in at 4^th, LVMS is credited for their fan experiences such as exotic car opportunities or the full blown racing experiences provided where you can strap yourself into one of the high powered machines.

Obviously being connected to a Vegas vacation helps the cause of LVMS, but the racing product can be fun to experience live at least once.

According to LVMS.com, the “track features 20-degree banking in the turns and 9- to 12-degree straightaways, and NASCAR's elite can reach speeds nearing 200 miles per hour.”

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway the capacity has been trimmed in recent years but still seats a stout 80,000 making for a legit party when filled up for the Cup race.

For perspective that is 15,000 more than a packed Allegiant stadium on a Raiders game day.

Or 28,556 more people than in Rice Eccles to watch the Utes.

If you prefer basketball analogies, that would be 61,694 more people than what the Delta Center can hold for the Utah Jazz.

Racing fans come in all sorts of varieties, and you’ll get to witness all 80,000 of them in high-definition when headed to the track.

Despite NASCAR making concentrated efforts to expand westward, the schedule still tilts heavily to the south and even the Midwest.

This makes NASCAR in Vegas somewhat of a rare treat as of now over in this part of the world.

It’s been 27 years of racing in Vegas for NASCAR and the action has increased in that timeframe.

Las Vegas was only awarded one race on the yearly schedule from 1998 to 2017.

But for the 2018 season, NASCAR awarded Vegas a second race over New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which continues to this day.

It all started back in 1998, as mentioned above with a storied history.

“In 1998, the track gained a race on the NASCAR Cup schedule for the first time, Mark Martin taking the win in the inaugural Las Vegas 400 in front of 120,000 spectators. The profits from all the NASCAR events totaled $40 million for the local economy.” (racingcircuits.com)

Now to top off why Vegas may have got a top 5 rating, the Neon Garage.

“The Neon Garage is the perfect combination of Vegas and NASCAR! Enjoy live entertainment options, watch Victory Lane celebrations, tech inspections, and get up-close during driver Q&A's throughout the weekend. A Neon Garage Pass also grants access to a NASCAR-approved viewing area behind the team pit boxes near Pit Road. Fans in the Neon Garage can enjoy free Wi-Fi all weekend long! And kids 12 and under get in FREE!” (LVMS.com)

The Neon garage is like a zoo for racecars.

Walkways provide unique looks down into the garage area where teams and crews tune up and work on the race cars themselves.

You can watch the race from the grandstands, but you can get to know the contestants and machines up close and personal beforehand, which only adds to the experience.

If you’ve never been, a little sightseeing in the neon garage will allow you to pick your favorite car to cheer on before the green flag drops.

Whether it be the speed, the atmosphere or the things to do and see at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, there’s something for everyone.

And at the bare minimum, you can say you officially visited one of the best NASCAR tracks, that is at least according to USA today.