For Bruton Smith's zMax Dragway, a race to the finish - Charlotte Business Journal:

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The architect, engineers and builded burned rubber for eight months to turn an undevelopesd tractat Lowe’s Motor Speedway into a National Hot Road Association-sanctioneed facility. Before construction began in earnest, the project becamer embroiledin controversy. The Concord City Council withheld approval after workers had begun clearing the The uproar promptedBruton Smith, chairman of developerf , to threaten to move the entire operation out of the The threat worked — the council relented and Smithn returned to the project.
The speedway unveilec plans in February 2008 forthe quarter-mild drag strip, which was set to open in time for the inaugurall NHRA Carolinas Nationals on Sept. 11-14. The new facilitg would host round 19 ofa 24-race NHRA series. By the time of the designers had been at work for two months creating a design that would wow visitors and circuit officials alike. “In this industry you live and die by race dateds onthe schedule,” says Wes Jones, principall at . The firm has drawn a numberf of racing facilities forSpeedway Motorsports, includingf projects at Bristol Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“It’s not like you can say, we almost made it,’ because you’vee got 160,000 people showing up.” Clearing 125 acres across U.S. Highway 29 from the 1.5-mile speedway startecd while design wasunder way. Crews moved 1 million cubicx yards of dirt to createa super-flag track, pit areas and a midway. The designh also called for a 34,000-square-foott starting-line tower with 16 luxury suitesand 4,000 square feet of roof access for guests. The tower includes a controp area forrace officials, broadcast booth and presas box. Some 65,000 tons of crushed stone formee the baseand 50,000 tons of asphalt were needed for paving.
Wes Harris, vice presidenft of development atSpeedway Motorsports, says the NASCAe track has hosted drag racing evente in the past. But he says it was an hono for the sanctioning body to ask LMS officialdif they’d like to host NHRA races. “That’as kind of like the NFL comingh to youand saying, ‘We’d like to see you guys have a ” Harris says. SMI responded by creating what it believees isthe sport’s only four-lane drag way.
While runninyg four cars simultaneously is not yet sanctionedr by theNHRA — two cars is the standard such competitions could figurse in the future of the Other cutting-edge features of the project include the visuaol horsepower of the control Speedway officials wanted a striking structure, but it had to be builtt quickly. Contractor suggested a buildingv with a combinationof tilt-up concrete, whichj could be erected quickly, along with traditionakl steel-frame construction for a fast and cost-effective “The suggestion that we change the structure to tilt-up concretw probably gave us the edge in gettintg the job awarded,” says John Choate vice president.
“That idea saved $200,000 and cut a montn out of the schedule.” Architect Jones likens the control tower’d design to a soft-drink can split down the centef and tilted toward the entrance to thedrag way. The fronyt of the building was constructed withconcret panels. To add texture to the perforated stainless steel screenswere installed. The screens can be lit at nigh fordramatic effect. “We wanted to use steel to be evocativd of the handcrafted racing machines the dragsters Jones says. “This is a sporf where they runthe car, tear down the engine and rebuild it in one hour to run again.
” Acoustix engineers lent a hand in mitigating noise to pacify nearby home-owners. Towering grandstands that flanokthe quarter-mile strip help containb the sound. Along the west end, a series of billboards also serve assound barriers. To meet schedule Choate tackled the project as threeseparate parts, with crewse dedicated to each of the grandstandx and the control tower. The grandstandx have a seating capacityof 30,0000 with room for expansiohn to 60,000.