Our Experience at the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Race in Las Vegas!

Article written in collaboration with Reese Dlabach.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy of Meghan Petruk.

My name is Meghan, and Reese and I had the pleasure of attending the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was an unforgettable experience for the both of us to cover the event and create content to help promote the sport and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

Saturday 

Meghan: Saturday featured practice sessions, qualifying for Sunday’s race, and the X Series race leading up to the big day on Sunday. We took in practice from the pit lanes and the Neon Garage area, watching the teams set up, drivers walking by, and cars racing around from track level. This was a great opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes of a race weekend. 

Meghan Petruk outside the Neon Garage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy of Meghan Petruk.

NASCAR qualifying was different from what I was used to in IndyCar, Formula 1, and other open wheel racing series. They send the cars out one by one to do an out lap, a hot lap, and a cool down lap, recording their fastest times to set the grid for Sunday. 

It was then time for the X series race. This was my first time seeing a race at an oval track. Even though I was not familiar with the drivers, I randomly chose to cheer for Justin Allgaier's lucky #7, and he went on to win the race!

After the race, I met up with some of the girls from Sports Girls Club!

Reese: I started my drive up to Las Vegas late Saturday morning in order to pick up another Sports Girls Club intern from the airport that afternoon. 

Saturday night was spent eating dinner with all four of us from Sports Girls Club, Meghan, Cheyanne, Kelly, and I, while discussing our plans for being at the track the next day. 

Cheyanne, Meghan, Reese, and Kelly from Sports Girls Club in Vegas. Photo courtesy of Reese Dlabach.

Sunday

Sunday started early for me; I got up at 7 a.m. in order to make it to the track before 9 a.m., and it was the best decision I could’ve made. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway had so much to offer before the race. Outside of the stands, there were countless merch stands and different activities for fans to access. 

There were a few cars on display, and some drivers even came out to meet fans! I definitely wasn’t expecting to meet Ross Chastain at 9:30 in the morning in front of a merch truck!

Reese Dlabach with NASCAR driver Ross Chastain before the race. Photo courtesy of Reese Dlabach.

I explored the Neon Garage for a while after entering the speedway. There was a massive area sectioned off for the drivers meeting and places to buy food and drinks. The most fascinating part was that you could look down into the garages where teams were working on the cars before the race. 

There was so much to access that gave you a peek behind the curtain of NASCAR, and it was incredible to experience at my first NASCAR race. 

A behind the scenes look at the pits. Photo courtesy of Reese Dlabach.

After spending time in the Neon Garage, I went down to walk through where teams set up their stations along pit road. Getting to be so close to where so much of the action takes place was one of the coolest things I’ve had the opportunity to do. Walking between different stands and collections of tires was unbelievable. 

Inspecting the pits led me to the actual garage areas where teams had their individual hospitality trucks. Here, I ran into a couple more drivers and amassed quite the collection of driver hero cards!

On my way to the pre-race Driver’s Red Carpet on the track, I got to walk down the pit lane where the cars were lined up. Actually walking on the track itself was surreal, and being so close to the cars we were about to watch race for the next few hours was amazing. 

Reese Dlabach in the pit lane pre-race. Photo courtesy of Reese Dlabach. 

Meghan: After we took in the Driver’s Red Carpet from on the track, we got to meet some of the drivers and get their autographs and photos with them! 

NASCAR driver signing autographs. Photo courtesy of Reese Dlabach.

Meghan Petruk at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy of Meghan Petruk.

After we made it up to the Influencer Suite, where we had an incredible view of the race. We got to take pictures with the Polaroid camera and add them to the guest book! We also met some of the other influencers and people in the suite, including the event photographer, who we chatted with about his work at the circuit. We were also fed complimentary food and beverages for the race, including these adorable cookies with the Pennzoil 400 logo on them. 

Meghan Petruk in the Influencer Suite. Photo courtesy of Meghan Petruk.

Influencer Suite at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy of Meghan Petruk.

Cheyanne, Meghan, and Reese from Sports Girls Club in the Influencer Suite. Photo courtesy of Meghan Petruk.

The race was fantastic, with lots of action, crashes, and fighting at the top.

We got to witness Josh Berry win his first NASCAR race! After the race, we ran down to the Winner’s Circle for the celebrations, confetti, and speeches. 

The whole experience reminded me of my childhood watching Cars (2006), and many Cars references were made throughout the weekend, including Guido’s pit stop speed and comparing the red cars to Lightning McQueen and the green cars to Chick Hicks. 

Meghan, Reese, Kelly, and Cheyanne from Sports Girls Club at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy of Meghan Petruk.

Just like that, it was time to say goodbye and wish everyone safe travels back home! It was a fantastic weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Thank you to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for having us; we hope to come again soon! 

Edited by Neha Grewal