Las Vegas Park Speedway
Encyclopedia
The Las Vegas Park Speedway was a horse and automobile racing facility in Las Vegas, Nevada
. It was built to be a horse racing facility and it held single races in NASCAR
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series), AAA, and USAC Stock cars before it was demolished. It opened as the Las Vegas Jockey Club.
to get from New York
in the eastern United States to Las Vegas. He claimed to have helped build tracks in California
and Florida
which turned out to be untrue. The track was built to be a major horse racing facility on the south side of Las Vegas. Smoot funded the track by convincing 8000 shareholders to give him $2 million. "Old Joe knew a track wouldn't have a chance and he said so when he came here in 1946," Greenspun later said in his biography. After the construction was delayed well past its original opening date, Smoot published an apology in a local newspaper. Smoot and two others were charged with felony
embezzlement
after he could not provide receipts for missing $500,000. A trustee
was appointed by a federal judge to run the track. Smoot remained indicted until he was found dead in a hotel room two years later.
(AAA) Champ Car
event was held at the track, followed by a 1955 NASCAR
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) race. The final race was a United States Auto Club (USAC) Stock Car event in 1959.
held its final Indy Car race of the 1954 season on November 14. The 100 miles (160.9 km) event was won by season champion Jimmy Bryan
. 16 cars started the race and six of them were unable to return after being involved in a second lap wreck.
after darkness shorted the event to 111 laps; it was his only NASCAR win. He led the final 106 laps in a Chrysler
owned by 1955 championship owner Carl Kiekhaefer
. Nelson won the race by two laps.
race which it co-sanctioned with Automobile Racing Club of America
(ARCA) on November 29, 1959. The race was shortened to 147 laps on account of darkness; Fred Lorenzen
won the race after starting from the pole position
. 16 of 35 starters finished the race.
, Las Vegas Convention Center
, and part of the Las Vegas Country Club
.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. It was built to be a horse racing facility and it held single races in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series), AAA, and USAC Stock cars before it was demolished. It opened as the Las Vegas Jockey Club.
Construction
Joseph M. Smoot hitched a ride from lawyer Hank GreenspunHank Greenspun
Herman "Hank" Milton Greenspun was the longtime, and often controversial, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. He purchased the Sun in 1949, and served as its editor and publisher until his death...
to get from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the eastern United States to Las Vegas. He claimed to have helped build tracks in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
which turned out to be untrue. The track was built to be a major horse racing facility on the south side of Las Vegas. Smoot funded the track by convincing 8000 shareholders to give him $2 million. "Old Joe knew a track wouldn't have a chance and he said so when he came here in 1946," Greenspun later said in his biography. After the construction was delayed well past its original opening date, Smoot published an apology in a local newspaper. Smoot and two others were charged with felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
after he could not provide receipts for missing $500,000. A trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
was appointed by a federal judge to run the track. Smoot remained indicted until he was found dead in a hotel room two years later.
Horse racing
On September 4, 1953 the track was opened named the Las Vegas Jockey Club. Ticket booths and tote boards did not work properly and only one entrance discouraged customers. Customers had to wait one hour in traffic to park and some went home without attending. 8200 customers attended in the first day and the board of directors closed the track for two weeks after the third day to replace the ticket booths. The track was rapidly losing money, so the board closed after operating 13 days. It opened back up in 1954 to host quarter horse racing but closed after seven weeks.Auto Races
Three major auto racing event were held on the track. In 1954, an American Automobile AssociationAmerican Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
(AAA) Champ Car
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
event was held at the track, followed by a 1955 NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) race. The final race was a United States Auto Club (USAC) Stock Car event in 1959.
Championship car
The American Automobile AssociationAmerican Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
held its final Indy Car race of the 1954 season on November 14. The 100 miles (160.9 km) event was won by season champion Jimmy Bryan
Jimmy Bryan
James Ernest Bryan was an American racecar driver. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway.-Career:...
. 16 cars started the race and six of them were unable to return after being involved in a second lap wreck.
NASCAR
The track's only NASCAR event was held at the 1-mile dirt track on October 16, 1955. The 43rd event for the season was scheduled for 200 laps. The race was won by three-time USAC stock car champion Norm NelsonNorm Nelson
Norm Nelson was an American stock car racer. He competed in the United States Auto Club Stock Cars in the 1950s through 1970s. He won the season championship in 1960, 1965, and 1966 as a driver. Nelson also won five owner's championships. He competed in five NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup ...
after darkness shorted the event to 111 laps; it was his only NASCAR win. He led the final 106 laps in a Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
owned by 1955 championship owner Carl Kiekhaefer
Carl Kiekhaefer
Elmer Carl Kiekhaefer was the owner of Kiekhaefer Marine , and also a two-time NASCAR championship car owner.-Kiekhaefer Mercury founder:...
. Nelson won the race by two laps.
USAC stock car race
USAC held a 250 lap USAC Stock CarUSAC Stock Car
The USAC Stock Car division was the stock car racing class sanctioned by the United States Auto Club . The division raced nationally; drivers from USAC's open wheel classes like IndyCars, Silver Crown, sprint cars, and midgets frequently competed in races and won championships...
race which it co-sanctioned with Automobile Racing Club of America
Automobile Racing Club of America
Automobile Racing Club of America is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States, founded in 1953 by John Marcum. The current president of ARCA is Ron Drager. The ARCA RE/MAX Series races stock cars similar to those seen in past years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and indeed most cars...
(ARCA) on November 29, 1959. The race was shortened to 147 laps on account of darkness; Fred Lorenzen
Fred Lorenzen
Fred Lorenzen , nicknamed The Golden Boy, Fast Freddie, The Elmhurst Express and Flyin Freddy, is a former NASCAR driver active between 1958 and 1972. He won the 1965 Daytona 500. Lorenzen was born in Elmurst, Illinois.-Early career:Lorenzen first caught the car bug young, and had built his first...
won the race after starting from the pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
. 16 of 35 starters finished the race.
Demolition
The board decided to destroy the track. It divided the land into four parcels and it is occupied by the Las Vegas HiltonLas Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
, Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas Convention Center
The Las Vegas Convention Center is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in Las Vegas, Nevada....
, and part of the Las Vegas Country Club
Las Vegas Country Club
The Las Vegas Country Club is a true equity membership club located in the Winchester area of metropolitan Las Vegas, Nevada. It was built on the site of a 1950s horse and automobile racetrack named Las Vegas Downs and later the Las Vegas Park Speedway. The 18-hole golf course was completed in the...
.