How much money does NASCAR bring to Las Vegas? LOTS!

The 2012 Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas made its largest economic impact on the Las Vegas community in the 15-year history of the event. This year also marked the fourth consecutive year that the economic impact has seen an increase over the previous year.

This year’s event, held March 9-11, contributed $240,605,600 to the local economy, according to figures released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That represents a staggering 26.3-percent increase in economic impact over the 2011 event.

“This is tremendous news for our entire community,” said LVMS President Chris Powell. “For one weekend to generate almost a quarter of a billion dollars is a major shot in the arm for all local merchants. It’s also a great indicator that NASCAR remains strong and is a major player in Southern Nevada. This is the biggest sporting event each year in Nevada, and we’re proud of the role the speedway plays within the community. We also are very appreciative of the local businesses and government agencies that help make this a first-class event that keeps fans coming back year after year.”

The LVCVA study found that 71 percent of fans attending the race came from out of town and 13 percent travelled from out of the country. The study also reported that 75 percent of the attendees of this year’s race stayed in a local hotel compared with 64 percent in 2011.

“Las Vegas and NASCAR continue to build on an already great partnership and the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup race is the largest single-day event in Las Vegas each year,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.  “This year’s race demonstrated once again that Las Vegas continues to be a fan favorite on the NASCAR circuit and we look forward to many more years of successful events.”

The race weekend included the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Stratosphere Pole Day and two nights of dirt-track racing for USAC and the World of Outlaws.

Tickets for the 2013 NASCAR Weekend already are on sale at www.lvms.com or 1-800-644-4444.