LVMS NASCAR WEEKEND MIGHT EXPAND

If you’re planning a visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the March 4-6 NASCAR Weekend, you might want to arrive before Thursday of that week.

A tip from a charter member of Wolf’s Big Ear Posse told me late Friday afternoon that on March 3 (a Thursday), an open test session for NASCAR Nationwide teams will be conducted.

Usually these sessions are closed to the public but this one not only would be open to spectators and they would be admitted at no charge. That means free.

And they wouldn’t have to sit in grandstands and watch the new style Nationwide cars run around the 1.5-mile oval.

Teams would be allowed to practice noon-2 and 3-5, and all drivers would be required to spend much of the hour between the sessions signing autographs in the Neon Garage infield area.

That’s huge, especially considering among those expected to enter the March 5 Sam’s Town 300 Nationwide race are Mark Martin, Danica Patrick and Kyle Busch.

If everything pans out, this bonus day would be the best shot for fans to get an autograph from that trio.

Keep watching for an official announcement from the speedway.

Meanwhile, an official announcement was made Friday afternoon that NHRA and the speedway have added a second Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event to the schedule.

It will be March 24-26, which is the weekend before the first annual visit to the track by the NHRA pro tour.

That will be a boon for area hotels because at least 500 teams are likely to compete. It also should lead to many teams hanging around to join the fray a week later in the NHRA Full Throttle event.

The event will now be the second event Lucas Oil NHRA Sportsman event at LVMS this year. The annual fall visit will be Nov. 4-6.

As noted in today’s column in the Review-Journal, this year will be racing’s biggest ever in Southern Nevada. And on Friday, it just got bigger.