Question regarding Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Hi, saw some older posts and seems there are quite a few NASCAR fans here.

My question is about the parking there.

My gf is a diehard...DIEHARD...NASCAR fan. However she has never been to the LVMS race. So I got her and I tickets this year. Unfortunately she was unable to get off work either Friday or Monday(were from LA). So we are going to drive up Saturday(just going to Sprint Cup) and she has a 9:15 flight back home on Sunday night. I'm staying an extra day or two.

Race starts at 12:15....I presume we will be done sometimes around 4:30, and then we gotta get over to McCarren by 7:45 or thereabouts.

But I keep reading that parking there is a nightmare and it takes hours to get out.

My question is...is this really going to be a problem? Like it will take more than 3 hours to get out of the race and to McCarran? If it helps, I'm very good with Las Vegas surface streets and if there is a route that way, I'd be fine with doing that.

FrankieRizzo will give you all the details when he sees this thread.

Never been to LVMS but I know that having been to the races in Phoenix and Texas that it could be a nightmare getting out. Been known to take over two hours to just get out of the parking lot.

But I agree that Frankie would be the one to ask.

Should not be a problem.

I worked the 1st Cup race at LVMS. That was a traffic nightmare, both coming and going. They know how to handle it now. More gates and more lanes for traffic on both I-15 and Las Vegas Blvd North have made it much easier to get in and out of the place.

Hey Speck72,

Congrats on scoring tickets for your guys' first LVMS Nascar race! You guys are going to LOVE IT!!

To answer your questions about the parking....

While the parking situation has gotten better, over the years, it is still a mess.

You can assume that the race will end at around 4:30 or 5PM , but it still takes at LEAST 2.5 hours to get out of the lot, and back to near the strip area.

Being that you're going to be in a hurry, to get to the airport on time, to check in, check bags, get through security lines, and head to your gate, on the busiest "tourists heading back home" day (Sunday) you're going to need plenty of time.

Personally I wouldn't risk it. But the good news is that you have options!

The best option, if you need to get back to the hotel and pick up bags, and stuff is going by way of shuttle bus. I've used "Speedway Shuttle Services" in the past and they are great.

Nellis Airforce Base, which is right next to the Speedway, allows the shuttle busses to cut through their facility and avoid all the long traffic lines that stack up, once drivers get out of the speedway lot.

Cutting through the base, saves LOTS OF TIME!!

The shuttle has gotten us back to the strip in less then 30 minutes (After the race) and you'll have plenty of time to get to the airport after that.

I have their number and web site if you want to look up prices for a shuttle ride on Sunday only.


Option 2: If you insist on driving yourself, one helpful hint is getting a preferred parking pass. One year my friend won a contest for VIP seating in one of the Sprint Cup Seats, and her tickets came with a "VIP Parking pass" She asked if I would give her a ride to/from the track that year, and I would use the parking pass as a bonus. We got out of there really quick that year, and were back home within the hour of race end.

There is also a "Lucky 7" parking lot that they sell passes to, which is also another preferred lot that empties out some time after the VIP parkers empty out. You're usally going to wait an hour before this lot opens, and then its an hour or so, after that to get all the way back to the strip area

Its weird how they work it, but it makes sense, they empty out the lots of the folks that paid the most to park, FIRST, then dwindle down to the FREE PARKERS in the huge lots last. The shuttle busses start moving as, soon as they get a full load, and they come out of their own exits, and head through the base.

If you're going to drive yourself, and are limited on time, the FREE PARKING lot is the worst option!

Just keep in mind that there will be 150,000 ++ people watching this race with you, its NEVER going to be easy for that many people to get out of the same place at the same time.

If it were me, and I had to get some one to the airport by 7:45 at the end of the race, I would go the shuttle-bus route.

Hope that helps, just let me know if you need any more information.

--Rizzo

Option 3: Enjoy the race at House of Rizzo on the 150" big screen TV with surround sound...complete with warm gold spike beer. Roscoe can sleep on your lap while Momma Rizz whips up some famous Philly cheese steaks.

It has been a few years since I have been to the races, but here is how we did it.......if you want to do it on the "cheap".

We used to park in this free lot north and east of the speedway, just off LV Blvd. With about 20 laps to go, leave our seats and walk towards the Turn 3 & 4 grandstands (closest to our car). Watch the end of the race from those stands, and as soon as the checkered flag flew, literally run like hell to the car, onto LV Blvd, go north about 5 miles, then catch I-15 south.

Usually worked pretty good and we would be back in the strip area within an hour.

Now, whether they still allow free parking in this lot, I do not know. Probably best to do that shuttle or preferred parking thing like others have mentioned.

Don't know if you have your seats yet but when I had the honor of attending a race with Mr & Mrs Rizzo all the action to see was coming out of turn-4 so keep an eye on that part of the track. Also cool seeing the fighter jets landing in the background.

Trust the info the previous posters have given you - Absolutely avoid the free parking if you are going to be in a rush to get out!!! We go to the NHRA races and it's always been well over 2 hrs to get out when we've parked there, so I'm not surprised to see that it sounds the same for NASCAR. I really wish the track could work out a better way to steamline the exit process, because other than that it's a first class facility for racing! You'll love the experience!

Thank you very much for the advice so far. I appreciate it.

Rizzo, for the shuttles...we have neon garage passes and driver introduction passes. Will the shuttles get us there early? We'd like to arrive when everything opens in the morning. Do the shuttles pick you up at your hotel? We are not actually on the strip, we are at Orleans.