Las Vegas Motor Speedway will get second NASCAR race weekend in 2018

Expect the puns and jokes about doubling down to be flowing any second now …

Las Vegas has been a popular stop on the NASCAR circuit, and the sport’s governing body is betting that fans will enjoy a chance to see racing twice a year.

As expected, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and city officials held a joint press conference to announce the addition of a second NASCAR race weekend starting next year. The interesting twist is that both weekends will feature Monster Energy NASCAR Energy Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck series races, something that currently doesn’t even happen once a year as the Truck Series visits Vegas on its own.

Though NASCAR tracks don’t release attendance figures except to tout the rare sellout, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one site that appears to be bucking the trend of reduced attendance over recent years. That makes a second race a logical move.

The question now is whether or not the new date will come at the expense of another track’s second race — which seems likely since the addition of a brand new race to the schedule is likely to be unpopular among drivers and teams, at least at the Cup Series level. There’s bound to be plenty of speculation between now and whenever NASCAR announces its 2018 schedule later this year about which venue might lose out.

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Still, for race fans in the greater Las Vegas area and people who might consider combining their love for the Strip and the track into one trip, this development is a welcome one. Plus it gives writers everywhere a chance to work even more gambling puns into race coverage, and it’s hard to put a price on that.