• Sports News

Dirt Track at LVMS Heats Up in November with Two Exciting Events for Sprint Cars and IMCA Modifieds

The month of November finds most race tracks in the country boarded up for the winter. Not so in Las Vegas. The desert climate allows racing to continue late into the year when most other venues are covered in snow. Constructed in 1996, Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s half-mile dirt oval has hosted a handful of prestigious events each year and the longest-running series has been the annual Duel in the Desert for IMCA Modifieds.

The 13th annual Duel in the Desert will take place Nov. 11-13. Saturday’s A-Feature once again will pay $7,777 to the winner which explains why a record number of entries each year invade the oval in hopes of cashing in at LVMS. The 2009 edition of the Duel in the Desert boasted a record IMCA Modified entry list of 264 cars (from 24 states and four Canadian provinces). The previous record for entries – 219 – was set in 2008.

Perhaps the most notable is Johnny “The Jet” Saathoff of Beatrice, Nebr., who won the prestigious race in 2004 and 2009.

IMCA Stock Cars will join the Modifieds and complete programs of racing will take place on Thursday and Friday, leading up to Saturday’s now-historic spectacular.

For 2010, the Duel in the Desert will share top billing in November with a new attraction, the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series.

Scheduled for Nov. 26-27 of Thanksgiving Weekend, the Las Vegas Sprint Car Supernationals Presented By K&N Filters will attract the biggest names in winged Sprint Car racing from across North America. The Lucas Oil ASCS Series includes stops in Florida, New York, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, California, Kansas, Ohio, Washington, Pennsylvania, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Oregon, Iowa and Canada.

One of the series’ biggest stars is Wright of Hooks, Texas, is a four-time Lucas Oil ASCS champion and is the series’ all-time winner (163). The 34-year veteran of the Sprint Car wars won the Knoxville Nationals in 1998.

A two-day discount ticket is available for the Supernationals: $35 for adults and $12 for kids. It is possible to spend the entire month of November at LVMS. The Strip at LVMS, adjacent to the Dirt Track, fills up the calendar page with several legendary meets.

The Supreme Sportsman Series for Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Comp and Stock/Super Stock opens the month on Wednesday, Nov. 3. The 64-car purse will pay $19,200.

Next on the schedule is Nov. 5-7 Short Line Express Markets NHRA Div. 7 Gambler Showdown, which is billed as the “largest NHRA divisional race on the planet.”

The Street Car Super Nationals takes center stage on the quarter mile Nov. 18-21, featuring street-appearing cars – powered by superchargers, turbochargers and nitrous oxide – blazing the drag strip with runs in excess of 220 mph.

The ninth annual Las Vegas Bracket Nationals will find drag racers from across the continent enjoying their Thanksgiving turkey in the pit area as the holiday tradition has expanded to five days: Nov. 24-28. The Super Pro class will pay $5,000 to win each day. Another Bracket Nationals tradition is the Geezer Gambler, a bracket race limited to drivers age 55 and older. Most notable is the Ultimate Gambler, featuring a $1,000 entry fee and a winner-take-all jackpot.

For more information, please call LVMS at (702) 644-4444 or visit www.LVMS.com.