NASCAR truck racer: Speedway should ‘put on more of a show’

At 21 years old, baby-faced NASCAR truck racer Ty Dillon isn’t too much older than the kids that the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is trying to attract to Saturday’s big-time truck race.

With the speedway’s parent company, Concord, N.C.-based Speedway Motorsports, Inc., reporting revenues and ticket sales dropping annually for five years, Dillon suggested the company’s speedways such as the one in Las Vegas “put on more of a show” before and after races like other sports events like Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship and motocross.

“They should throw in more theatrics before and after the event,” Dillon told the Review-Journal during a truck series luncheon held Thursday by the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Indeed, capturing the younger demographic — especially kids and young families — is part of the speedway’s marketing strategy for Saturday’s Smith’s 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. The 219-mile, 146-lap race starts at 5:30 p.m., with a purse of $484,607 on the line.

Las Vegas speedway officials said Saturday’s truck race is ideal for younger kids and families because the race is two hours — a shorter time span than the usual three-hour NASCAR car race and one that can maintain the interest for younger and newer fans.

To make the race affordable, the Las Vegas speedway also has a ticket deal where it’s selling a block of 5,000 tickets for $5,000, said Kevin Camper, senior vice president of sales and marketing. Casino-hotels can buy the block at a buck per ticket and make them accessible to younger fans, he said.

The speedway is also making its Neon Garage free to all fans on Saturday, said Jeff Motley, the speedway’s public relations director. The Neon Garage is in the infield of the speedway’s 1.5-mile, tri-oval track, offering entertainment, food, drinks and access to drivers.

Contact Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Follow @BicycleManSnel on Twitter.