Vegas revs up for more racing

Daytona champ sees additions as sign of hometown’s growth.

evening Pac-12 session. That’s being played for the fifirst time at the new T-Mobile Arena, where the NHL expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights will begin play in the fall.

And Busch, in town for LAS VEGAS — T h e s i g n a - Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race, ture event remains in Florwas excited about Wednesida and most race teams call day’s announcement that North Carolina home, but the the mile oval north of nation’s gambling mecca is the Strip will host a second about to become NASCAR’s Cup race beginning in 2018, busiest market. during the 10-race playoffff.

This week’s announceThe addition of the two ment that Las Vegas Motor lower-tier races will make Speedway will host six races Las Vegas the only NASCAR yearly in NASCAR’s top three t r a c k t o host t wo t r i pl e - circuits starting in 2018 suits header weekends each year. Daytona 500 champion Kurt This race weekend starts Busch just fifine. He’s watchwith Cup qualifying today ing his hometown go through and includes an Xfifinity Series a sports boom. race Saturday. The Truck

“As a kid I went to a lot Series is offff until April 1. of UNLV basketball games, early ’90s, we were the real deal. We were on a national stage,” Busch, 38, said Thursday during a visit to his old school, Durango High. “Then it seemed to fifizzle out for a while.”

While the Runnin’ Rebels have fallen on hard times in hoops, the Las Vegas sports scene has never been more crowded as the population grows and the city recovers from the 2008 recession.

As Busch was finishing l a s t i n a Bi g Wheel r a c e against students and making a $5,000 donation to his former school, the Las Vegas Stadium Authority was meeting down the street to discuss lease details of the proposed NFL stadium that would lure the Raiders from Oakland.

There were also three college basketball conference tournaments going on, with Busch having tickets to the

Mo n e y i s d r i v i n g t h e growth. The Raiders are in play because the state of Nevada has pledged $750 toward a $1.9 billion domed stadium. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley agreed to pay a $500 million expansion fee. Money draws numerous UFC and boxing matches to town.

And S pe e dway Motorsports Inc. decided to move its fall Cup and Truck Series d a t e s f r o m N e w H a mp - shire and an Xfinit y race from Kentucky to the desert because the Las Vegas track will receive $2.5 million a year for seven years from the city’s convention and visitors authority. The bureau i s funded mostly through hotel taxes.