Kyle Busch’s Home Track Bids Adieu to Veteran After 26 Years of Service

From Kyle Busch’s two-decade-long career, it’s hard to pick his best ones. He’s dominated almost all! But one that is easily top-3 on stats and closest to Rowdy’s heart has to Las Vegas Motorspeedway. The homeboy always has extra motivation when the series comes here. And Busch boasts an average finish of 11.3 in 27 race starts. The track has been memorable, be it his first victory there in 2009 or his 2017 wrestling match with Joey Logano.

And speaking of memorable moments…remember the thrilling 2014 race, Dale Earnhardt Jr, on the final turn, was out of fuel. And Brad Keselowski won. Even the 2022 race was epic; Kyle Larson understood why you should never mess with Bubba Wallace. The fairly young track has become a fan favorite in a very short amount of time. And it’s thanks to one man. Whose journey with the track is now coming to an end.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway president retires

The track was made a part of NASCAR in 1996. It was first only the Truck Series. After the tremendous response, it got an Xfinity date in 1997. And finally, in 1998, it was made a part of the Cup Series. This was when Speedway Motorsports Inc. bought the track. And it was Chris Powell who was given the reins of the track. After 26 long years, he’s decided to retire. The 2025 Pennzoil 400 NASCAR race weekend (March 14-16) would be his last race.

And on the 31st of March, his heir (not announced yet) will take up the operations. Even after giving two and a half decades of his life to the track, Powell had only gratitude. While making the announcement, he said, “Our success through the years has not been about one person, but rather the incredible commitment displayed by my teammates through the years. Their attention to detail has made me so proud, and I could spend years thanking each one of them for their unending efforts. I’m certain my successor will receive the same kind of support.”

Powell’s contributions to the track are immense. Thanks to Powell, the track in 2006 was reconfigured and got an all-new garage area called the “Neon Garage.” It gives special access to fans to get a closer experience of the race and their favorite drivers. And after showing consistency, NASCAR decided to give Vegas a second date in 2018. That too in the playoffs (South Point 400)!

Moreover, the property isn’t just about the oval layout—it also features a drag strip, a dirt track, and a .375-mile oval that the ARCA Menards Series West uses. Also, under Powell’s leadership, the track has hosted numerous charity events and fundraisers. Only last December, the Speedways’ Speedway Children’s Charities distributed $530,000 to 83 regional non-profits, working to improve the lives of needy children.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Powel. Do you remember when Tony Stewart gave him a hard time?

Tony Stewart slams Chris Powell

2007 was the first race after the newly configured track, and Tony Stewart did not like the changes that were made. During the driver introductions, he lashed out at Powell. He said, “You know it’s just a shame, I mean they had a really really nice facility here. And you know Chris Powell and their staff really destroyed a really nice racetrack. Because they were afraid we were all getting strung out. “

Although the race only had twelve cautions, it had a lot of close saves because it was tough to drive on the track. In fact, Dale Jr had recalled,

“There were like top-10 saves, there were some saves that were miraculous, ” so you get the picture. And Stewart, after the test, even questioned whether Powell was qualified enough to make changes to a racetrack or not. “I don’t know, it’s just frustrating. I mean you come here and test. You know, and we were running really fast, and you come back, and you know, good year brings a tire that they’ve changed on us so uh you know just it’s it takes the two days that you spend out here. Plus the travel time and all the money that you spend to come out and test for these races. It takes all that and throws it out the window,” he had said. However, some data showed that the changes made passing on track 75% more than the 2006 race. So actually, the race product improved, but still, it was a risky race.

What are your best memories about Las Vegas Motor Speedway? Share with us in the comments below.