Race week started early this year, and it started on Koval Lane. At 12:01 a.m. today, Saturday, November 14, Koval Lane closed completely between Rochelle Avenue and Harmon Avenue, and it stays closed through November 23.
That is the road right behind the pit building, so yeah, the takeover is officially on. The Grand Prix itself runs Thursday, November 19 through Saturday, November 21, with the race at 8 p.m. Saturday and about 200,000 attendees expected.
The Closures That Actually Matter
On race days, the track is just city streets with a new job. Las Vegas Boulevard, Harmon Avenue, Koval Lane and Sands Avenue start closing at 1 p.m. on November 19, 20 and 21, and they are fully closed by 3 p.m.
They reopen after midnight, so mornings still work like normal Vegas. Afternoons are where trips go to die, especially any airport run, hotel switch or dinner plan that crosses the Strip corridor.
Buses feel it too. The RTC puts the Deuce and Routes 119, 202 and 203 on special race-week routing from November 17 through November 25, and seven Route 119 stops on Koval Lane stay closed around the clock through December 18.
The Monorail Is the Cheat Code
Here is the move locals already know. The Las Vegas Monorail runs nonstop from 7 a.m. Tuesday, November 17 to 3 a.m. Monday, November 23, floating right over the closed streets on the east side of the Strip.
It hits seven stations from MGM Grand to SAHARA Las Vegas, runs every 4 to 8 minutes, and can move about 3,000 passengers an hour in each direction at peak. One catch worth knowing before you land: it does not go to the airport, so handle that ride in the morning, before the 1 p.m. closures.
| Ticket | Online | At the station |
|---|---|---|
| Single ride | $5.75 | $6.25 |
| 24-hour pass | $13.95 | $15.50 |
Nevada locals get the sweetest deal of the week. Show a Nevada ID at a station customer service booth, except Boingo Station, and ride for $1 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on November 19, 20 and 21.
Your Race-Week Playbook
Keep it simple and you will be fine:
- Do anything with a car before 1 p.m. on race days. After that, walk or ride the Monorail.
- Buy Monorail tickets online before you go. The online price beats the station price on every ticket, and the lines are shorter.
- Use the four set rideshare zones if you must ride: Tuscany Suites and Casino, Park MGM, Howard Hughes Center and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. There is no event parking, so do not drive in hoping to find a spot.
- Text F1LV to 31996 for closure updates, and check RTC alerts the day you ride, because times can shift as crews clear the circuit.
Gates open at 2:30 p.m. each race day, which gives you a clean rhythm: brunch, Monorail, gates, night race. Vegas rewards people who plan around the chaos instead of fighting it, and this week, the train above the traffic is the whole plan.
