NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Ecosave 200
The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Track Length: 1.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Friday, March 14
The Time: 9 p.m. ET
The Purse: $782,900
TV: FS1, 9 p.m. ET
Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 201.0 miles (134 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)
Where To Watch NASCAR This Week:
Friday, March 14
NCTS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS2 at 3:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (The CW App at 6 p.m. ET)
NCTS Race: Ecosave 200 (FS1, NRN, SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET)
Saturday, March 15
NCS Practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying (Amazon Prime, PRN, SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Race: The LiUNA! (The CW, PRN, SiriusXM at 4:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 16
NCS Race: Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM at 3:30 p.m. ET)
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Las Vegas Storylines and Insights:
- 2025 will mark the 33rd time the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series has competed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (starting in 1996).
- Grant Enfinger leads the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standings by one point over reigning series champion Ty Majeski in second following Atlanta.
- Six different winners in the last six CRAFTSMAN Truck races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2020-2024).
- Four of the last seven Truck races at Las Vegas have been won by the driver that leads the most laps.
- In three of the last five Truck races at Las Vegas the last pass for the lead was with 21 or more laps to go, twice with four or less laps to go: 2024 (21 to go), 2023 (24 to go), 2022 (2 to go), 2021 (4 to go), 2021 (31 to go).
- In total, 22 different drivers have won the pole at Las Vegas in the Truck Series.
- Four former Truck Series Las Vegas pole winners have made starts this season – Kyle Busch (three), Rajah Caruth (one), Matt Crafton (one), Johnny Sauter (one) and Ben Rhodes (one).
- Eleven times the Truck Series race winner at Las Vegas started from the pole or first starting position, most of all tracks; the most recent driver to win the pole was Rajah Caruth in 2024.
- In total 26 different drivers have won a race in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Las Vegas.
- Five former Truck Series Las Vegas winners have made starts this season – Kyle Busch (four), Rajah Caruth (one), Grant Enfinger (one), Johnny Sauter (one) and Chandler Smith (one).
- Rajah Caruth became the 12th driver to win their first career pole and first race in the same event last year at Las Vegas.
- Caruth looks to become the first driver in series history to win back-to-back Truck races at Las Vegas.
- Seven drivers have scored their first career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Rajah Caruth (2024), Christian Eckes (2021), Ben Rhodes (2017), John Wes Townley (2015), Johnny Sauter (2009), Shane Hmiel (2004) and David Starr (2002).
- Chevrolet won the last two Las Vegas races; Chevrolet’s only wins in the last 13 Las Vegas races.
- The last two Las Vegas races were won from the pole, there’s never been three straight won from the pole at Las Vegas (back-to-back four times)
- Corey Heim became the youngest driver to reach 12 wins after he was awarded the win in Daytona.
- Las Vegas will be Matt Crafton’s 200th start on a 1.5-mile track, only one driver on the preliminary entry list has 200 career Truck starts (Ben Rhodes 212).
- Matt Crafton was in 93% of the 1.5-mile races in series history (199 of 215).
- Corey Day is making his first Truck start since signing a multiyear agreement with Hendrick Motorsports in December 2024, he made four starts last year with a best finish of 16th at Miami.
- Las Vegas is the first of five conventional 1.5-mile tracks on the 2025 schedule. All five are in the next nine races.
- The five races on 1.5 mile tracks in 2025 is the fewest in a season since 2000.
- The first two Truck races of 2025 have combined to produce 49 leads changes (30 at Daytona and 19 at Atlanta) – the series-most through the first two races of a season.
- The first two Truck races of 2025 have combined to produce 23 different leaders (12 at Daytona and 11 at Atlanta) – the series-most through the first two races of a season.
- Both races in 2025 were won with a last lap pass, Kligerman was later disqualified at Daytona after winning with a last lap pass.
NASCAR & Las Vegas, Etc.
Historical & Significant Events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
- In 1995, hotel/casino CEO’s Ralph Engelstad (Imperial Palace) and Bill Bennett (Circus Circus & Sahara), both racing enthusiasts, agreed that there was a market for a “state of the art” speedway in Las Vegas. Richie Clyne, an Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino executive who originally had the vision for the development was assigned to manage the project.
- In April 1995, construction began on a 1600-acre site located on North Las Vegas Blvd. near Nellis Air Force Base.
- The location had a long racing history dating to a drag strip in 1958. A road course was added in 1983 and a 3/8-mile paved oval in 1985. The site is now the location of a 1.5-mile speedway, an industrial park, a drag strip (3/00), a 1/2-mile dirt track (11/96), a 3/8-mile paved oval (4/00) and two road courses.
- The speedway was completed in June 1996. The track had 12-degree banking in the turns, three degrees on the backstretch and nine degrees on the frontstretch. Total seating capacity was 130,000.
- Building of the track was the largest excavation project in Nevada history. More than 600,000 tons of concrete and 10 million linear feet of steel were used to build the $200 million facility.
- On June 22-25, 1996, the first drivers to test the superspeedway were Tony Stewart and Richie Hearn. Hearn went on to win the Inaugural IRL Las Vegas 500K on September 16, 1996, setting a fast time with a speed of 222.359 mph, a world record (since broken) for 1.5-mile tracks.
- In December 1998, Speedway Motorsports agreed to purchase the track for $215 million. The purchase included the track for $150 million and $65 million for the real estate and warehouses. Chris Powell has headed the track since the SMI acquisition in early 1999.
- Speedway Motorsports launched a multimillion-dollar renovation project at the beginning of 2006 to include the Neon Garage, track changes (progressive banking was added to the turns), relocated pit road and a state-of-the-art media center.
- The centerpiece of the project was the new garage area for the Cup teams and an interactive fan area. The two-level, four-building garage area encompasses 32,000 square feet. A 52,000-square-foot roof deck allows fans to look directly down into the individual garage stalls. Windows on the lower level allow fans to watch the teams work. In addition to the close proximity, the Neon Garage has concession stands and an entertainment area.
- The most dramatic change was to the track, as the banking was increased, and a new pit road was built. The turns changed from 12-degree banking to 20 degrees and each straight to nine degrees. The new pit road is 150 feet closer to the grandstands. Moving pit road allowed for construction of a quarter-mile oval in front of the main grandstand.
- The new media center opened in 2007. It can accommodate more than 500 media members and has room for drivers’ meetings and a full-service spa for the racers and their families. The 58,600-square-foot facility is equipped with meeting rooms, offices, interview rooms and a cafeteria. The Blackjack Club is on the third floor of the structure.
- Different tracks located within the Las Vegas Motor Speedway facility: Superspeedway, Drag Strip, Bull Ring, Dirt Track, Go-Cart Track, Inside Road Course (within the superspeedway), Outside Road Course, Off-Road Course, and Exotics Course.
- In 2011, the Electric Daisy Carnival moved its flagship location to Las Vegas Motor Speedway from Los Angeles. The track has held the event annually since.
- In 2012, Enrico Bertaggia, a former Italian Formula Three driver, started running the Dream Racing program at the track, a program where the general public can drive exotic cars around a road course on the track’s complex.
- In 2013, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the World Long Drive Championship.
- 2018 marked the first season where LVMS was part of the Playoffs hosting the first race, this was also the first season where LVMS hosted two Cup races. LVMS has hosted a Playoff race every year since.
- In 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the track held a graduation ceremony for Faith Lutheran High School, a private Lutheran school based in Summerlin.
- Since 2023, the track has hosted a Las Vegas branch of the Foodie Land Night Market, a food festival.
Latest Las Vegas Motor Speedway Storylines:
- With a voice that transcends the screen, echoes through generations and a presence that commands respect, Academy Award winner, actor, producer, director and narrator Morgan Freeman has been named grand marshal of this year’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
- Morgan Freeman will join a list of distinguished guests who have also delivered the command at LVMS including Las Vegas Raider A.J. Cole, Vegas Golden Knight Adin Hill and former Vegas Golden Knight William Carrier, legendary car builder Carroll Shelby, actor Mark Wahlberg, comedian Tim Allen, former Raiders Marcus Allen and Derek Carr, actor Cole Hauser, socialite Kim Kardashian, country music group Rascal Flatts, noted broadcaster Brent Musburger, legendary musician John Fogerty and UFC President Dana White.
- Reigning WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green has been named the honorary pace car driver for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Known for her showstopping presence inside and outside the ring, Green will take on a new role in her career at LVMS. She will ignite the atmosphere with her energy and flair right before she hops into the Toyota Supra pace car, leading a pack of drivers revving their engines in anticipation of 400 miles of action-packed racing.
- Ross Chastain took a pit stop from the racetrack and joined students for a special Nevada Reading Week event where he inspired young racers and readers. The NASCAR Cup Series driver visited Lucille S. Rogers Elementary School in Las Vegas, where he engaged with students through storytelling and interactive discussions about the importance of reading and education.
- Milestone starts this weekend at Las Vegas in the NASCAR Cup Series: Ty Dillon (250th career Cup start), Carson Hocevar (50th career Cup start), and Zane Smith (50th career Cup start).
