The 2005 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas had a record $167 million impact on the state's economy, the greatest expenditure figure in the eight-year history of the event and an astounding 17.1-percent increase from 2004.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual study revealed that the final number was $167,127,800, up from $142,673,400 in 2004. The numbers, a product of one-time expenditures, are based on interviews with race fans during the March 11-13 weekend and reflect the amount of money spent - both gaming and non-gaming - during the four-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"NASCAR Weekend once again provided an economic boon to Las Vegas and to Nevada," said Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell. "This event has become one of the most anticipated stops on the NASCAR circuit for hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world. The increase in total expenditures from 2004 is phenomenal and is yet another example of the importance of NASCAR to our state's economy."

The study estimated approximately 99,300 visitors attended the race from outside Southern Nevada.

The event weekend is estimated to have drawn more than 340,000 people through the gates at the speedway. The events included the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race, Friday's qualifying day and two nights of the J.D. Byrider Las Vegas Outlaw Nationals for the World of Outlaws.

According to the economics research department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, each dollar brought into the area creates a little more than one additional dollar. Based on UNLV's analysis, the event generated more than $350 million as the money cycles throughout the Nevada economy.

There are varying schools of thought on the domino effect of dollars tumbling through an economy.  Some economists theorize that a dollar spent can be re-spent as many as seven times in a community.  If that were the case, the NASCAR Weekend's impact on the state's economy could exceed $1 billion.

The NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas is highly anticipated each year by the business community. Flights were up dramatically at McCarran International Airport in the month of March and many hotels and casinos have reported record revenues for their first quarter that ended March 31. In addition, each race fan's expenditures increased 15 percent from $1,544 in 2004 to $1,682 in 2005.

Powell said the speedway would continue to have a huge impact on the community and state.

"In terms of its impact on this community, the NASCAR Weekend now ranks near the top with many of the major conventions and trade shows that visit Las Vegas every year," Powell said.  "We want to make this event bigger and better each year. It takes a collective effort between the speedway, local government and our business community to maintain that constant growth."

Following is a breakdown of the speedway's growing impact on the state's economy since 2001.

2001: $97,163,700          
2002: $121,425,500  
2003: $133,451,000          
2004: $142,673,400          
2005: $167,127,800