NASCAR Weekend: Racing … and traffic

Sixty traffic barrels, 218 signs, 1,500 orange cones.

These traffic devices -- and a well-coordinated plan -- will help guide thousands of motorists smoothly and quickly into and out of the largest sporting event west of Texas.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials expect 100,000 race fans Saturday and 150,000 Sunday at this weekend's NASCAR event.

Motor sports draw the biggest crowds in the country -- about 300,000 for the Indy 500, 250,000 for the Daytona 500 and 170,000 for the NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway. For comparison, the last Super Bowl drew 103,000 spectators and the NCAA Final Four, 70,000.

"There isn't another sports venue west of Texas as big as the Las Vegas Motor Speedway," spokesman Jeff Motley said.

The raceway, counting recreational vehicle parking, holds about 155,000 spectators. "It (traffic) has been a challenge, but we've had a few years of experience with it now. Every year it gets better and better, and we're pretty happy with where we are."

And officials have no reason to expect anything different this weekend.

"Each year, I think things get better," said Chris Powell, president of the speedway. "Ten, 12 years ago, that was not necessarily the case."

Longtime race spectators can attest to that. It literally took hours to get to the raceway, which drew comments like this one from a fan who attended the 1999 race: "You can take this town and stick it!"

Extensive road improvements now have race fans talking about what happened on the track rather than the freeway. Connecting the Las Vegas Beltway to Interstate 15 helped. Last year was even better as the Nevada Department of Transportation finished widening Interstate 15.

"The widening of I-15 was a huge help," said Powell.

Still, guiding so many vehicles into a single facility with limited egress and ingress is a challenge, and that is why raceway officials and law enforcement are urging fans to arrive early, leave late and take different routes.

Spectators driving from the east side of the valley should use Las Vegas Boulevard, which will have five open northbound lanes on the way in and five southbound lanes on the way out.

Fans coming from the west are asked to use Interstate 215, which feeds into Interstate 15 just south of the raceway.

Those coming from the south or the Strip should take Interstate 15. Upon exiting the freeway, three off-ramp lanes will be available. Motorists are urged to stay in the left or center lane unless they are headed for lots 1 through 5; in that case stay in the right lane.

When leaving the raceway, traffic exiting from entrances 1 through 7 will be directed south on Las Vegas Boulevard. Entrances 8 and 9 will be directed north on Las Vegas Boulevard for at least an hour after the race. Drivers headed north on the freeway are asked not to attempt to enter Interstate 15 north from Speedway Boulevard. Instead, take the freeway south for a mile to Interstate 215, then turn around at Range Road.

For up-to-the-minute traffic information, motorists can upload an application for iPhones and Android phones from the speedway's website at lvms.com.

Fans who would rather not drive also have options.

Coach America is shuttling fans to and from the Speedway from hotel-casinos downtown and on the Strip. Shuttles leave from the following hotels and tickets can be purchased in the lobby of each property: the Golden Nugget, the Tropicana, Treasure Island, the Riviera and the Las Vegas Hilton. A round-trip ticket costs $35 on Friday and Saturday, $45 on Sunday and $65 for a three-day pass. The tickets can only be used one time each day.

Fans traveling in large groups also can charter a bus. Speedway officials recommend Key Tours, a company they say they have previously used.

As always, Maverick Helicopters, on the south end of the Strip, is offering rides to the race. One round-trip ticket goes for $500.

Practice kicks off at 9 a.m. today. On Saturday, qualifying begins at 9 a.m. with the Nationwide series race, the Sam's Town 300, starting at noon. On Sunday, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 starts at noon.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.