LVMS prepares for NASCAR weekend, busy schedule of racing

NASCAR weekend will garner just about all the attention next week, but life already is beginning to get hectic at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with preparations leading up to the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series races.

Those won't be the only events at the Speedway next week.

The LVMS' Dirt Track hosts the World of Outlaws and West Coast 360 Sprint Cars, West Coast Late Models and IMCA Modifieds on Wednesday and Thursday.

Gates open at 4:30 p.m. each day at the track, which received a new clay racing surface.

■ CAREFUL WHERE YOU PARK -- LVMS is cracking down on cars parked on Hollywood Boulevard where signs prohibit parking during NASCAR weekend. Tow trucks will haul away vehicles found in those areas.

"Over the past few years, we have seen a number of people parking in this area," LVMS president Chris Powell said in a statement. "It hinders egress in two ways. The people walking to their cars are preventing people from driving through the Speedway Commerce Center to exit, and once people arrive at these illegally parked vehicles, they start interrupting the steady flow of traffic."

The speedway also encourages fans to use mass transit, and seats can be reserved at lvms.com.

■ NASCAR FANS DON'T CRY -- Jersey Boys, one of the Strip's most popular shows, will perform a 10-minute set before the Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 400 on March 11.

Jersey Boys is based on the life of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, which produced hits such as "Walk Like a Man" and "Big Girls Don't Cry."

■ ON THE HORIZON -- Though NASCAR weekend is the highlight of the local racing calendar, it's also the beginning to a busy month at LVMS.

The Lucas Oil Pacific Division drag racing series makes its first Las Vegas stop March 23 to 25. That series returns in early November.

The NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals is March 30 through April 1, and the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will be back at LVMS in late October.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.