Lance Stroll of Canada driving the (18) Aston Martin AMR23 Mercedes. They're going to close early tonight,' Markazi posted. They expected big business with a view of the track. 'This Outback Steakhouse on the Las Vegas Strip across from The Mirage and next to Harrah's is normally packed on Thursday nights, according to the hostess. In a now-viral video posted to X, formerly Twitter, late Thursday evening, Arash Markazi, senior writer at The Messenger, shared a 52-second clip of himself walking through the nearly empty restaurant. While the event is expected to generate $1.3 billion for Las Vegas, the high-end clientele it usually attracts sparked concerns about local people being priced out of tickets, and businesses suffering as a result.

The surprising turnout comes amid high expectations of increased business and tourism because of the race, a significant event in the global motorsports calendar.

The Outback Steakhouse location just steps away where the much-hyped Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix is taking place was empty during the first practice session on Thursday night.