NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shelby 427 and NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300

Just a few miles north of The Strip, Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits like a diamond in the desert. For NASCAR fans, it is one of the most exciting stops on the schedule. Needless to say, there is plenty in Vegas to fill up your weekend.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be packed with race cars when qualifying gets under way for the Shelby 427 on Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Fifty-one teams have filed entries for this year’s event, which are the second-most entries ever for a Sprint Cup race at LVMS. There were 53 entries for the 2007 event.

Every former Cup winner at LVMS is entered, including 2002 race winner Sterling Marlin, who did not attempt to qualify last year. Six Sprint Cup Series champions also are in the field.

More than any previous year, race fans attending Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Feb. 27-March 1 NASCAR Weekend events are advised to use mass transportation or alternate routes due to a highway improvement project on Interstate 15.