NASCAR weekend to affect traffic around Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Although fan capacity is capped at 15 percent for NASCAR weekend in Las Vegas, officials still caution that the event likely will affect travel on Interstate 15.

Motorists are urged to avoid I-15 northbound near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend’s race activities, culminating in Sunday’s sold-out Pennzoil 400, the Nevada Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.

“We expect heavy traffic along northern Interstate 15 during NASCAR race weekend,” said NDOT spokesman Tony Illia. “We advise taking alternate routes, if possible. But, if travel through the area is unavoidable, please plan accordingly and budget additional time to reach your destination.”

Race fans won’t be able to access the speedway grounds from Las Vegas Boulevard this year due to COVID-19 protocols, according to Jeff Motley, speedway spokesman. Only team members, officials and media may use the gate off of Las Vegas Boulevard.

All racegoers must use I-15, as they won’t be allowed past the Entry 4 checkpoint without NASCAR clearance, Motley noted. Motorists may tune into KBAD AM-920 for traffic reports throughout the weekend.

The speedway was approved by state and local entities to host 12,500 fans for NASCAR weekend, a far cry from the 80,000-person capacity the 1.5-mile track can hold.

“We’re thrilled to have the return of race fans to our NASCAR races; it’s good not only for our speedway, it’s good for our community,” LVMS president Chris Powell told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.