Hello everyone!

I am Nate Hirschi, announcer at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  For the past seven years, I have been lucky enough to occupy a seat in the tower at the drag strip. 

I started calling races on Saturday mornings for the Short Line Express Markets NHRA Jr. Dragster Championship Series.  That has grown into announcing for the almost all of the activities at the drag strip with Dan Lea as well as a season behind the microphone at the Bullring and teaming up with Toby Kruse and Chet Christner each year to call the action during NASCAR weekend.  Along with all of the local race activities, I have been fortunate enough to announce NHRA divisional and national events both here in Las Vegas and on the road.  So, having said all that, on to the good stuff.

Spring is in the air and this weekend, so is the nitro!  This has got to be one of my favorite weekends of the entire year.  The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is in town for one of two Vegas stops on the 2011 tour.   The excitement of side-by-side racing at more than 300 miles per hour pours through the air coupled with the pungent smell of nitromethane bringing tears to the eyes of fans everywhere.  There is truly nothing like feeling 16,000 horsepower vibrate your body to it’s core.  It all starts on Friday, April 1, and culminates with final eliminations on Sunday, April 3.

Normally, this weekend would be a very busy one for me on the announcer’s deck.  But, due to some scheduling conflicts, I will not be spending much time on the microphone at this event.  Instead, I am going to be enjoying the race as a true fan.  I’ll be strolling around the pits taking in all the sights and sounds.  I plan to stop by and visit a few good friends who will be camping at the track.  I have to admit, that is the best way to spend a race weekend at the drag strip.  Of course, I will also spend plenty of time watching the race and will definitely stop by the Bullring on Saturday night.  So, if we run into each other while you are out and about, say hello and let’s chat for a while.

This is only the start of a very full season at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  There are a lot of races and other activities planned for this year.  It is going to be one of the best ever so stay tuned!