LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — NASCAR Week is on in Las Vegas as Thursday's annual Hauler Parade kicked off the festivities.
The tradition dates back two decades as a way to generate excitement for the racing action going down in the sports and entertainment capital of the world. This year's edition featured nearly 40 haulers trekking north on Las Vegas Boulevard toward the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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The Hauler Parade makes its way up the Las Vegas Strip ahead of the 2025 spring NASCAR weekend. (KLAS) ![]()
The Hauler Parade makes its way up the Las Vegas Strip ahead of the 2025 spring NASCAR weekend. (KLAS) ![]()
The Hauler Parade makes its way up the Las Vegas Strip ahead of the 2025 spring NASCAR weekend. (KLAS) ![]()
Among those in the parade was NASCAR Cup Series driver Riley Herbst, a Las Vegas native. He called the experience a childhood dream come true.
“It’s really special,” Herbst said. “As a kid, I stood on the bridges watching the haulers roll down the Strip, and now to be leading this parade — it’s surreal.”
Aside from being native to the valley, Herbst is reportedly part of the family behind the Terrible Herbst gas station chain popular in the Las Vegas valley and beyond.
The Hauler Parade marks the beginning of a 2025 spring NASCAR weekend that includes a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and an Xfinity Series race ahead of the main event, the NASCAR Cup Series race, which takes the track on Sunday.
“This weekend is a dream come true,” Herbst said. “I grew up watching the Cup Series race on Sundays, and now I’m in the field, racing at my home track in front of my friends and family.”
Herbst, who drives for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, admitted to being a bit out of his element with his sluggish speed headed up the Las Vegas Strip.
“I’m going about 10 miles per hour down the Strip,” he said with a laugh. “But at least we’re hitting every green light thanks to the police escort. We’ll save the high speeds for Sunday.”
Herbst will be moving a bit faster during the Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Before that, on Saturday, the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes to the track for The LiUNA as up-and-coming NASCAR drivers show what they’ve got in the desert. That race will be televised nationally on the CW Network.