Stardust International Raceway: Motorsports Meets the Mob in Vegas, 1965-1971

Professional motorsports found their way to Las Vegas in the mid-1950s at a bankrupt horse track swarmed by gamblers–and soon became enmeshed with the government and organized crime. By 1965, the Vegas racing game moved to Stardust International Raceway, constructed with real grandstands, sanitary facilities and air-conditioned timing towers. Stardust would host the biggest racing names of the era–Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, John Surtees, Bobby Unser, Dan Gurney and Don Garlits among them.
Established by a notorious racketeer, the track stood at the confluence of shadowy elements–secret wiretaps, casino skimming, Howard Hughes, and the beginnings of Watergate. The author traces the Stardust’s colorful history through the auto racing monthlies, national newspapers and the files of the FBI.