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Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Races, Driving Experiences & More
NASCAR weekends, drag racing, dirt racing, and the chance to actually get behind the wheel — all just up the freeway from the Strip.
More Things to Do in Vegas →I’ve lived in Las Vegas my whole life, and one thing people don’t always realize is that we’re a serious racing town. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits on about 1,200 acres roughly 15 miles northeast of the Strip, and it’s so much more than one racetrack. It’s a whole complex — a 1.5-mile superspeedway, a drag strip, a dirt track, a short-track oval, and driving programs where you can climb into a real race car yourself. Here’s what’s out there and how to make the most of a visit.
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The tracks at the Speedway
The 1.5-Mile Superspeedway
This is the main event — the tri-oval that opened in 1996 and hosts the big NASCAR weekends. With 20-degree banking in the turns, the cars get moving fast, and the grandstands hold well over 100,000 fans. There’s also a road course built inside the oval that opens up even more configurations for different kinds of racing.
The Strip at LVMS
The dedicated drag strip is where the quarter-mile action happens. It hosts NHRA national events plus a full calendar of local drag racing — bracket series, Jr. Dragsters, and more. If the sound of top-fuel cars is your thing, this is where you want to be.
The Dirt Track
The complex also runs a dirt racing surface for off-road and dirt-oval events. It’s a grittier, more old-school kind of racing than the polished superspeedway, and it gives the venue a whole different flavor on the nights it runs.
The Bullring
The Bullring is the short-track oval where a lot of grassroots and regional racing plays out. It’s a great, affordable way to catch live racing without a huge national event on the calendar — and it’s often where local drivers get their start.
Races you can go watch
NASCAR Weekends
The Speedway hosts two big NASCAR weekends each year — a spring race weekend and a fall one — bringing the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Truck Series to town. These are the marquee dates that fill up hotels and turn the whole northeast valley into a racing party. Check the official schedule for exact dates before you plan your trip.
NHRA & Drag Racing
Over on The Strip, the drag-racing calendar runs deep — headlined by an NHRA national event, plus ongoing local series through much of the year. If you’ve never felt a nitro-burning car launch in person, put this on your list. It’s an experience you feel in your chest.
Concerts & Festivals
The Speedway grounds aren’t only for racing — the wide-open acreage also hosts major festivals and large-scale events throughout the year. It’s one of the few local venues big enough to handle a crowd of that size, so keep an eye on the calendar for more than just green flags.
Get behind the wheel yourself
NASCAR Racing Experience
You don’t have to just watch. The NASCAR Racing Experience lets you either ride shotgun with a pro instructor or actually drive a real stock car around the oval yourself. It’s the kind of bucket-list thing that sounds intimidating and turns out to be the highlight of a whole trip.
Dream Racing
Dream Racing runs exotic supercar experiences on the road course — think Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other machines most of us only see in magazines. Instructors guide you every lap, so it’s built for first-timers as much as for gearheads.
Track Tours
If driving 150 mph isn’t your speed, a guided track tour is a fun, low-key way to see the facility from the inside — the pit areas, the garages, and spots most fans never get to on a race day. It’s a great option for families and anyone who just loves the atmosphere.
Plan Your Visit
Where it is: The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is in North Las Vegas, roughly 15 miles northeast of the Strip off I-15. Give yourself extra drive time on big event days — traffic in and out of the complex can be heavy.
What to expect: This is a huge, multi-track complex, so know which venue your event or experience is at before you head over. Sun and heat are real out here, so bring water, sunscreen, and a hat — and ear protection is smart if you’re close to the action.
Hours, tickets & pricing vary by event and experience — always check the official Las Vegas Motor Speedway site for the current schedule and to book.
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Lori Ballen
REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty Las Vegas, leading The Ballen Group. A lifelong Las Vegan sharing the best of the valley.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this site are affiliate links. Portions of this content are generated by AI.