Smith Unveils Plans For Drag Racing's 'Crown Jewel'

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Smith Unveils Plans For Drag Racing's 'Crown Jewel'

Lowe's Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith unveiled plans today for a new drag racing facility in Concord that he will build after months of controversy.

Jan 24, 2008

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Concord, N.C. — Speedway Motorsports, Inc., CEO O. Bruton Smith on Thursday unveiled plans for a new drag-racing facility, a quarter-mile strip that will join Lowe's Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile superspeedway and four-tenths-mile dirt track.

Preliminary grading work was under way, and construction on the grandstand foundation will begin in early February. The facility will open Sept. 11-14 with the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals, round 19 of the 24-race NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Concord town officials rejected the drag strip in October, and Smith responded by threatening to move his speedway out of Cabarrus County.

The strip is being called The Dragway @ Lowe's Motor Speedway for now, but Smith asked fans to help give the facility a permanent name. Fans can submit their ideas via the Speedway's Web site.

"I love to build things, and this is an exciting project because we are going to build the crown jewel of drag strips," Smith said following the unveiling.

"We are constantly looking for ways to grow our business, and the success of NHRA racing at our other tracks told us that adding a drag strip here was a tremendous opportunity," Smith added. "Plus, there is just something special about a race car with 7,000 horsepower."

The dragway will be located on 125 acres of LMS property across U.S. Highway 29 from the superspeedway.

The most prominent feature of the dragway will be a 34,000-sq-ft starting-line tower that will include 16 luxury suites and an additional 4,000 square feet of roof access for guests. The tower will also include a control area for race officials, a broadcast booth and a press box for media members.

Initial plans call for two grandstand structures, one on each side of the quarter-mile drag strip, with a seating capacity of 30,000 and room for expansion to 60,000.

The new dragway will be the fourth NHRA-sanctioned drag strip owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc.

Most Recent Comments

"Isn't the land they're talking about currently parking & camping for LMS?"

I'm not sure exactly where it is going, but when I camped there for the World of Outlaws double header I got the notion they would put it on a big hunk of open ground behind the dirt track where they dug the clay for the dirt track. There is some camping on it but a lot is just boulders and dirt.

Isn't the land they're talking about currently parking & camping for LMS?

Yeah, finally an NHRA drag track!...

"Gotta love politicians (spineless jellyfish). CodeBlueEMT" Well! I can't believe someone of your character would dare call politicians christians in the same sentence and breath too. ;)

Bruton was going to pay for this dragstrip himself. When the city leaders of Concord denied his request, Bruton was looking to perhaps move LMS to another site. The city leaders reconsidered, approved the dragstrip, and they're putting up the money. Gotta love politicians (spineless jellyfish).

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