10,000 extra seats at LVMS for 2004.

Wednesday's announcement of a sold-out grandstand for the March 2 UAW DaimlerChrysler 400 has convinced officials of Speedway Motorsports, the parent company of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, to add more seats before next year's race.

"This is evidence of the enormous confidence that Bruton (Smith, SMI chairman) has in the Las Vegas community," said Chris Powell, LVMS president and general manager. "He's been talking about seat expansion here for some time, and the ticket sales for this year's NASCAR Weekend helped make the decision."

Speedway officials announced Thursday that 10,000 seats would be built above the front straightaway. The new seats will tower over the existing grandstand that sits adjacent to the beginning of the front stretch. Construction will begin in the weeks following the March 1-2 Sam's Town 300 and UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.

"These will be the best seats in the house," Powell said. "The sightlines will be some of the best in motorsports. And the construction will include restrooms and concessions on a mezzanine level."

Powell said the new seats will further add to the speedway's effect on the state of Nevada and the Las Vegas community.

"The additional seats will positively affect the tremendous impact that the speedway has on the local economy," Powell said. "It will impact everything from hotel rooms, restaurants, airlines, car rentals and, of course, gaming. The list goes on and on."

Weekend ticket holders to this year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 will have the first opportunity to upgrade to the new seats. Speedway officials will announce pricing for the new seats at a later date. Public sale of tickets will begin in September. However, race fans may call the speedway ticket office at 1-800-644-4444 to be placed on a waiting list for the new seats.

"At a time when there is a great deal of uncertainty within the world and challenges to our economy, motorsports in Las Vegas has remained strong."

Meanwhile, sales continue for the Saturday, March 1 Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series event in two weeks. And despite the sell-out of grandstand seats, the speedway also is selling infield-access passes for the Sunday, March 2 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Those passes are $88 and include a reserved-seat ticket for the Sam's Town 300 and a ticket for the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Sept. 27.