In a surprising revelation, as Chris Powell retires as president of Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), he has shared that Tony Stewart never liked the track. Despite its popularity among NASCAR fans, Stewart was not a fan of racing at Las Vegas, citing personal frustrations with the track’s design changes.
In 2007, when Powell introduced the Neon Garage, it allowed fans to get closer than ever to the pit action. NASCAR fans loved the new experience, and it was regarded as one of the best additions Powell made to the track.
Tony Stewart’s Dislike for Las Vegas Motor Speedway Revealed
As Powell prepares to retire after 26 years at LVMS, he shared a story with fans after the race:
“I love Tony, I love Tony, but when we built this Neon Garage, Tony was not in a good frame of mind that weekend. Moments later, he’s out in the driver’s meeting — I mean the pre-race introductions — he hops off the stage, gets in the back of the pickup truck, and Allen Bestwick, I think, was with him.
“He said, ‘Tony, how you feeling today? What do you think about today’s race?’ He said, ‘I don’t know what Chris Powell was thinking about building this garage out here the way he did, and now he’s re-banked the track. And I had nothing to do with this part, but now he’s re-banked the track.
“We had a great racetrack, and now we went from 12 degrees where we could really race, and now it’s 20 degrees. Now, the fans liked the 20 degrees, but Tony didn’t.’”
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Stewart’s frustration may have stemmed from his discomfort with fan engagement. In a 2024 interview with SpeedFreaks, he explained his stance.
“There’s not a driver in NASCAR that would stay in the ropes for an hour and sign autographs. Because you have so many things that you have to do. And you know, my debrief with the crew chief — there’s not a lot of information for me to do right now until I get dialed in a little more with the race car.”
However, Stewart’s experience in the NHRA Nationals has shifted his perspective.
“I think supporting NASCAR fans is really hard at a NASCAR track because you want to see your drivers, but there’s not great access to them now. You know, garage passes really don’t mean much anymore because they’re not driving in and out and having practice.”