Stardust International Raceway

The Stardust International Raceway was an auto racing track in present-day Spring Valley, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. It featured a flat, 3-mile (4.8 km), 13-turn road course, and a quarter-mile drag strip. Some track maps depicted the road course with 10 numbered turns.

Stardust International Raceway
LocationSpring Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Coordinates36°6′28″N 115°15′9″W
OwnerStardust Racing Association
Broke groundJuly 25, 1965
Opened1965
Closed1971
Major eventsUnited States Road Racing Championship
Can-Am
Trans-Am
USAC Champ Car
NHRA National Open
SurfaceAsphalt
Length3 miles (4.830 km)
Turns13 (10)
Race lap record1:30.950 (Bruce McLaren, McLaren M8A-Chevrolet, 1968, Can-Am)

Stardust International Raceway was developed in 1965 by the Stardust Racing Association, a Nevada corporation headed by the primary owner of the Desert Inn and Stardust hotel-casinos.[1] The track was developed ostensibly to attract high rollers to the Stardust hotel.[2] The Stardust Racing Association also owned the property and functioned as event promoter.

In 1966 it began hosting the season finale of the Can-Am championship. In 1968 the USAC Championship Car series held a race at Stardust. The drag strip hosted the NHRA Stardust National Open in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971.

The Stardust Racing Association was dissolved on April 1, 1968, 1 day after the USAC Stardust 150. The hotel and raceway were sold in January 1969 to the Parvin-Dohrmann Corporation, and the new ownership closed the track shortly thereafter. Larry Horton, the track's manager, re-opened the drag strip in August 1970 and ran drag racing events until October 1971. Real estate developers Pardee Homes acquired the Stardust International Raceway property and related adjacent properties in August 1970 and built the Spring Valley community. Pardee commenced residential development on a portion of the property as drag racing events were still in operation directly adjacent. The track was replaced by the Las Vegas Speedrome, which opened in 1972 as a drag strip and road course. It was subsequently expanded in 1985 with a 3/8 mile paved oval, in 1996 with a 1.5 mile oval, when the circuits current name, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was used, and in 2000 with the current drag strip location.

Results

Sports car
YearDriverEntrantCarDistance/DurationChampionshipReport
1965 United States Hap SharpUnited States Chaparral CarsChaparral 2A-Chevrolet200 miles (320 km)Competition Press & Autoweek Seriesreport
1966 Canada John CannonDan Blocker Genie Mk.10-Chevrolet180 miles (290 km)United States Road Racing Championshipreport
1966 United Kingdom John SurteesUnited Kingdom Team SurteesLola T70 Mk.2-Chevrolet210 miles (340 km)Can-Amreport
1967 United States Mark DonohueUnited States Roger PenskeLola T70 Mk.3-Chevrolet183 miles (295 km)United States Road Racing Championshipreport
1967 United Kingdom John SurteesUnited Kingdom Team SurteesLola T70 Mk.3-Chevrolet210 miles (340 km)Can-Amreport
1968 New Zealand Denny HulmeUnited Kingdom Bruce McLaren Motor RacingMcLaren M8A-Chevrolet210 miles (340 km)Can-Amreport

Trans-Am
YearDriverEntrantCarDistance/DurationReport
1967 United States Mark DonohueUnited States Roger PenskeChevrolet Camaro350 miles (560 km)report

USAC Champ Car
SeasonDateRace NameWinning DriverChassisEngineTeamReport
1968March 31Stardust 150United States Bobby UnserEagleFordLeader Cards Racingreport

Lap records

The official lap records at Stardust International Raceway are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleDate
Road Course: 4.820 km (1965–1971)
Can-Am (Group 7)1:30.950[3]Bruce McLarenMcLaren M6A1968 Stardust Grand Prix
U.S.A.C. IndyCar1:32.401[4]Dan GurneyEagle 671968 Stardust 150
Group 41:35.700[5]John SurteesLola T70 Mk.21966 Stardust Grand Prix
Trans-Am1:50.900[6]Jerry TitusFord Mustang1967 Las Vegas Trans-Am round

References
  1. Cannon, Randall (2018-09-18). Stardust International Raceway : Motorsports Meets the Mob in Vegas, 1965-1971. Gerry, Michael. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1476673899. OCLC 1016962048.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. "Stardust memories". Las Vegas Sun. May 22, 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  3. "Can-Am Las Vegas 1968". Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  4. "1968 STARDUST 150". Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  5. "Can-Am Las Vegas 1966". Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  6. "Trans-Am Las Vegas 1967". Retrieved 24 May 2022.


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