View source for Caesars Palace Grand Prix

{{Short description|Auto race held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA}}
{{Confused|Las Vegas Grand Prix}}

{{F1 race
| Name                  = Caesars Palace Grand Prix
| Flag                  = Flag of the United States.svg|10px
| Circuit               = [[Caesars Palace]]
| Circuit_image         = [[File:Circuit Caesars Palace.png|class=skin-invert|250px]]
| Laps                  = 75
| First_held            = 1981
| Last_held             = 1984
| Times_held            = 4
| Circuit_length_km     = 3.650
| Circuit_length_mi     = 2.268
| Race_length_km        = 273.750
| Race_length_mi        = 170.100
| Most_wins_driver      = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]]<br>{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Michele Alboreto]] (1)
| Most_wins_constructor = {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Williams Racing|Williams]]<br>{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]] (1)
| Current_year          = 1984
| Winner                = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Sneva]]
| Winning_team          = [[March Engineering|March]]-[[Cosworth|Ford]]
| Winning_time          = 2:08:13.55
| Second                = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
| Second_team           = [[Lola Cars|Lola]]-[[Cosworth|Ford]]
| Second_time           =
| Third                 = {{flagicon|USA}} [[John Paul Jr. (racing driver)|John Paul Jr.]]
| Third_team            = [[March Engineering|March]]-[[Cosworth|Ford]]
| Third_time            =
| Pole_driver           = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Danny Sullivan]]
| Pole_team             = [[Lola Cars|Lola]]-[[Cosworth|Ford]]
| Pole_time             = 32.952
| Fastest_lap_driver    = 
| Fastest_lap_team      = 
| Fastest_lap           = 
}}

The '''Caesars Palace Grand Prix''' was an annual car race held in [[Las Vegas]], US from 1981 to 1984. In 1981 and 1982 the race was part of the [[Formula One]] World Championship and featured a 2.268 mile (3.650 km), 14 turn Grand Prix layout; in 1983 and 1984 it became a round of the [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] [[American open-wheel car racing|Indy car]] series and featured a 5 turn 1.125 mile (1.811 km) distorted oval layout. [[Nissan Motors|Nissan]]/[[Datsun]] was a presenting sponsor of the races.<ref>{{cite news|last=Salmans |first=Sandra |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/19/business/advertising-nissan-promotion.html?sec=&spon= |title=Nissan Promotion (advertising)|work=[[The New York Times]] |date=19 August 1982 |access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref> The races were held on a temporary circuit in the [[parking lot]] of the [[Caesars Palace]] hotel.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-greatest-formula-1-title-showdowns-part-four-4999818/4999818/ |title= The greatest Formula 1 title showdowns - part four |work= [[Autosport]] |date= 11 July 2017 |access-date= 15 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/f1-plans-trip-to-las-vegas-for-grand-prix-on-the-strip-9803084.html |title= F1 plans trip to Las Vegas for grand prix on The Strip |last= Sylt |first= Christian |work= [[The Independent]] |date= 17 October 2014 |access-date= 15 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.racefans.net/2021/12/18/which-was-f1s-best-down-to-the-wire-title-fight/ |title= Which was F1's best down-to-the-wire title fight? |work= Racefans |date= 18 December 2021 |access-date= 15 September 2022 |last= Wood |first= Will}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Derek Warwick Las Vegas 1982.jpg|thumb|left|[[Derek Warwick]] (Toleman TG182 Hart) at Las Vegas in 1982.]]
There had been [[Can-Am]] races at the [[Stardust International Raceway]] in the mid to late 1960s, but that circuit was bought by developers and then demolished in 1970. The first race was originally supposed to take place as the last race of the 1980 season on November 2, 4 weeks after the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. But when [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]] went off the schedule after 1980, the Caesars' Palace Grand Prix gained importance, and more effort was put forth by Bernie Ecclestone and others to make sure this [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] race went ahead. The new race ended the year, whereas Long Beach, only {{cvt|300|mi|km|abbr=on}} away, started it. But the Las Vegas Caesars Palace circuit was not as popular among the drivers{{who|date=January 2016}} as Long Beach, primarily because of the flat, repetitive nature of the circuit, its parking-lot location, and Las Vegas itself. It has been described as one of the worst circuits Formula One has ever visited.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2007/10/04/10-worst-circuits/ |title=Ten worst... F1 tracks |work=F1 Fanatic |date=4 October 2007 |access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref>

The track was laid out in the parking lot of the [[Caesars Palace]] hotel and was set up for a temporary circuit. Wide enough for overtaking, it provided ample run-off areas filled with sand and had a surface that was as smooth as glass. Its counter-clockwise direction, however, put a tremendous strain on the drivers' necks. When [[Nelson Piquet]] clinched his first World Championship by finishing fifth in 1981, it took him 15 minutes to recover from heat exhaustion after barely making it to the finish. The 1982 race, held in intense heat—another unpleasant feature of this race—was won by Michele Alboreto in a Tyrrell, but that was the end of Formula One racing in Las Vegas, since the races had drawn only tiny crowds (the venue has been described as "an impossibly tight and unedifying circuit that failed to excite drivers or fans"<ref name=richards>{{cite news| last=Richards | first=Giles | title=Formula One gambles on Las Vegas spectacular to break US market |newspaper=The Observer| date=Nov 12, 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/nov/12/formula-one-gambles-on-las-vegas-spectacular-to-break-us-market}}</ref>) and the 1981 race made a huge loss for the hotel.

Following the withdrawal of Formula One, the event was assumed by the [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] [[American open-wheel car racing|Indy car]] series for [[1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1983]] and [[1984 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1984]]. The circuit was modified with turns 1, 6, and 10 connected in a continuous straight, producing a flat {{cvt|1.125|mi|km|abbr=on}} distorted oval. The two races were contested over 178 laps, a distance of {{cvt|200.25|mi|km|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.champcarstats.com/tracks/lasvegasstreet.htm |title=Caeser's Palace |publisher=Champcarstats.com |date=8 October 1983|access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.champcarstats.com/races/198311.htm |title=1983 Caesars Palace Grand Prix III |publisher=Champcarstats.com |date=8 October 1983 |access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.champcarstats.com/races/198416.htm |title=1984 Caesars Palace Grand Prix IV |publisher=Champcarstats.com |date=11 November 1984 |access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref> For the 1984 running, the exit of the final corner was widened, increasing lap speeds by around 7&nbsp;mph from the previous year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahnfpFQVLns |title=1983 CART Las Vegas Grand Prix intro |publisher=YouTube |date=31 May 2010 |access-date=9 January 2016}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=August 2015}} Following the 1984 race, the circuit disappeared from the calendar, with the location now covered with urban development (namely, [[the Forum Shops at Caesars]] and [[the Mirage]]).<ref>{{cite news |last=Henle |first=Michael |title=Focus: Las Vegas; On a Failed Track, a Roman-Style Mall |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/12/realestate/focus-las-vegas-on-a-failed-track-a-romanstyle-mall.html |access-date=6 October 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=12 July 1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wolford |first=Steve |title=2023 Formula 1 Las Vegas will be 'much better' than 1980s races |url=https://news3lv.com/newsletters/2023-formula-1-las-vegas-will-be-much-better-than-1980s-races |access-date=6 October 2023 |work=KSNV |date=18 April 2023}}</ref>

The first Las Vegas Formula One race since 1982 was the [[Las Vegas Grand Prix]], running on a {{Convert|3.853|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023%20Las%20Vegas%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Event%20Notes%20-%20Circuit%20Map%20V3.pdf |title=2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Event Notes – Circuit Map V3 |date=2023-11-17 |accessdate=2023-11-17 |publisher=[[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]]}}</ref> circuit through city streets including [[Las Vegas Boulevard]] (the Strip), as part of the [[2023 Formula One World Championship|2023 World Championship]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Las Vegas to host Formula 1 night race from 2023|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-las-vegas-to-host-formula-1-night-race-from-2023.69O9nKLwKraqAhR5rr8TQg.html|publisher=Formula 1|date=30 March 2022|access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref><ref name=richards/>

== Winners of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix ==

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|+FIA Formula One World Championship history
! Year
! Driver
! Constructor
! Location
! Report
|-
! [[1981 Formula One World Championship|1981]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Cosworth|Ford]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Caesars Palace|Caesars Palace, Las Vegas]]
| [[1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1982 Formula One World Championship|1982]]
| {{flagicon|ITA|1946}} [[Michele Alboreto]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Cosworth|Ford]]
| [[1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
!colspan=5|Source:<ref name=CF1CAE>{{cite web|title=Las Vegas GP|url=https://www.chicanef1.com/indiv.pl?name=Las%20Vegas%20GP&type=O|publisher=ChicaneF1|accessdate=14 September 2021}}</ref>
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|+Can-Am Series history
! Year
! Date
! Winning driver
! Car
! Team
|-
! [[1981 Can-Am season|1981]]
| October 16
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Danny Sullivan]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oldracingcars.com/canam/results/1981/caesars-palace/ |title = Caesars Palace, 16 Oct 1981 « Single-seater Can-Am « OldRacingCars.com}}</ref>
| [[Frissbee-Chevrolet]]
| Garvin Brown Racing
|-
! [[1982 Can-Am season|1982]]
| September 26
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Danny Sullivan]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oldracingcars.com/canam/results/1982/caesars-palace/ |title = Caesars Palace, 26 Sep 1982 « Single-seater Can-Am « OldRacingCars.com}}</ref>
| [[March 827-Chevrolet]]
| [[Paul Newman|Newman/Budweiser]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|+CART Indy Car history
! Year
! Date
! Winning driver
! Car
! Team
|-
! [[1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1983]]
| October 8
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
| [[Lola Cars|Lola]]-[[Cosworth]]
| [[Newman/Haas Racing]]<ref name=":0" />
|-
! [[1984 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1984]]
| November 10
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Sneva]]
| [[March Engineering|March]]-[[Cosworth]]
| [[Teddy Mayer|Mayer Motor Racing]]<ref name=":1" />
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|+Trans-Am Series history
! Year
! Date
! Winning driver
! Car
! Team
|-
! [[1983 Trans-Am Series|1983]]
| October 8
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Willy T. Ribbs]]
| [[Chevrolet Camaro]]
| DeAtley Motorsports<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trans-Am Caesars Palace 1983|url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Caesars_Palace-1983-10-08-8544.html|url-status=live|access-date=14 September 2021|publisher=Racing Sports Cars|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118022057/http://www.racingsportscars.com:80/results/Caesars_Palace-1983-10-08-8544.html |archive-date=2009-11-18 }}</ref>
|-
! [[1984 Trans-Am Series|1984]]
| November 11
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Gloy]]
| [[Mercury Capri]]
| [[Tom Gloy|Tom Gloy Racing]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trans-Am Caesars Palace 1984|url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Caesars_Palace-1984-11-11-8551.html|url-status=live|access-date=14 September 2021|publisher=Racing Sports Cars|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914162117/https://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Caesars_Palace-1984-11-11-8551.html |archive-date=2021-09-14 }}</ref>
|}

== Lap records ==
The fastest official race lap records at the Caesars Palace Grand Prix are listed as:

{| class="wikitable"
!Category!!Time!!Driver!!Vehicle!!Event
|-
! colspan=5 | Modified "Distorted Oval": 1.811&nbsp;km (1983–1984)<ref>{{cite web |title=Caesers Palace - Motor Sport Magazine |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/circuits/caesars-palace/ |website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport Magazine]] |access-date=24 May 2022}}</ref>
|-
| [[Trans-Am]] || '''0:38.000'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Trans-Am Caesars Palace 1984 |url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Caesars_Palace-1984-11-11-8551.html |date=11 November 1984 |access-date=24 May 2022}}</ref> || [[Tom Gloy]] || [[Mercury Capri]] || [[1984 Trans-Am Series|1984 Caesars Palace Trans-Am round]]
|-
! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit: 3.650&nbsp;km (1981–1982)
|-
| [[Formula One]] || '''1:19.639''' || [[Michele Alboreto]] || [[Tyrrell 011]] || [[1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix]]
|-
| [[Can-Am]] || '''1:26.025'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Can-Am Challenge Race Caesars Palace, 16 Oct 1981 |url=https://www.oldracingcars.com/canam/results/1981/caesars-palace/ |date=16 October 1981 |access-date=24 May 2022}}</ref> || [[Danny Sullivan]] || [[Frissbee GR2/GR3|Frissbee GR2]] || [[1981 Can-Am season|1981 Caesars Palace Can-Am round]]
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[List of Formula One Grands Prix]]
* [[United States Grand Prix]]
* [[Dallas Grand Prix]]
* [[Detroit Grand Prix]]
* [[United States Grand Prix West]]
* [[Grand Prix of America]] (proposed, never held)
* [[Las Vegas Grand Prix]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070208162140/http://f1rejects.com/centrale/submitted/lasvegas/index.html F1 Rejects article]

{{Formula One circuits}}
{{Formula One races}}
{{Can-Am circuits}}
{{Champ Car Races}}

[[Category:Caesars Palace Grand Prix| ]]
[[Category:Formula One races in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct motorsport venues in the United States]]
[[Category:1981 establishments in Nevada]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1981]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1984]]