15,000 seat Terrace to honour Earnhardt at LVMS.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will honour the memory of Dale Earnhardt by naming its soon-to-be-constructed grandstand for the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion. The new seating area will be known as the Dale Earnhardt Terrace.

Speedway officials also announced that the new construction, initially announced as a net of 10,000 new seats, will instead be increased to a net of 15,000. Approximately 6,000 seats will be removed so that the 21,000-seat Earnhardt Terrace can be built.

Each of the new seats will be of the "flip-down" variety.

"The decision to build the Earnhardt Terrace is indicative of the great support for motorsports in the Las Vegas community," said Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports. "In the four years since SMI acquired Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we've experienced tremendous growth and found Las Vegas to be a perfect home for racing. This addition will afford us the opportunity to bring thousands of new race fans into Las Vegas and provide another large boost to the Nevada economy."

LVMS General Manager Chris Powell said the speedway had been searching for a fitting way to honour Earnhardt since his death in February, 2001.

"We've been communicating with Teresa (Earnhardt) on this for several weeks," Powell said. "She's been wonderful to work with. We both agree that the only way to honour Dale is in a first-class manner, befitting his commitment to excellence.

"Seats in the Earnhardt Terrace will offer the finest views in motorsports. In addition to seeing great racing action, fans also will have a tremendous view of the world famous Las Vegas Strip."

All grandstand seating for this Sunday's race has been sold out for more than two weeks.

Speedway officials two weeks ago announced intentions to build 10,000 additional seats, but the interest in this year's event and the numerous telephone calls about the planned new seats helped ratchet up the number.

"There already is tremendous interest in these new seats," Powell said. "I only wish they were available today, because a lot of race fans have been unable to purchase seats for this Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400."

The Earnhardt Terrace will tower over the existing grandstand that sits adjacent to the beginning of the front stretch. The structure will include a mezzanine lever that features concession stands and restrooms."

Powell said the new seats will bring additional fans and thus additional revenue to the state.

"The Earnhardt Terrace 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. 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.