NASCAR club breaks ground at Charlotte Motor Speedway

(Left to right) Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith and Charlotte Motor Speedway President and General Manager Greg Walter hold a ceremonial groundbreaking at the future site of the Ten Tenths Clubhouse, at Charlotte Motor Speedway (HHP/Harold Hinson)

CHARLOTTE — A 100-acre complex for racing enthusiasts and automotive manufacturers is set to open up beside Charlotte Motor Speedway next year.

Hendrick Automotive Group CEO Rick Hendrick and Speedway Motorsports recently announced that the Ten Tenths Circuit and Motor Club will host its grand opening on April 4, 2025, for The Smith Heritage Invitational automotive experience.

The exclusive facility will include a lighted road course racetrack, along with a 20,000-square foot Ten Tenths Clubhouse, members’ garage, cigar lounge, bourbon bar, and putting course.

“In addition to a premier track design and driving experience, Ten Tenths will have unparalleled resources and infrastructure to support every customer and organization we touch,” Hendrick, owner of NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports, said in a media release. “Through our local network of service and collision centers, the facility will offer concierge vehicle maintenance and repair for nearly every exotic or high-performance car on the market. It’s a combination of amenities that cannot be matched in North America.”

Stationed outside Turns 1 and 2 of Charlotte Motor Speedway, construction on the Ten Tenths Circuit is nearly complete, while work on the clubhouse is still underway.

Hendrick partnered with Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith to create Ten Tenths, which is advertised by the pair as a product of a partnership that combines motorsports history, automotive heritage, and business expertise.

Speedway Motorsports is a leading marketer, promoter and sponsor of motorsports entertainment that owns and operates 11 premier facilities through its subsidiaries. The 1,000-acre Charlotte Motor Speedway — made up of Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway, and The Dirt Track at Charlotte — has been the company’s flagship speedway for over 60 years.

“Our vision for Ten Tenths is to create an experiential destination that can be enjoyed by everyone from professional race car drivers to high-performance driving enthusiasts and car collectors,” Smith said. “It’s the most expansive property development at Charlotte Motor Speedway since we built zMAX Dragway in 2008, and further enhances our desire to innovate for the future.”

The Ten Tenths Circuit track — designed by F1 veteran and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz — includes a seven-turn, 0.567-mile inner loop, a 13-turn, 1.1-mile short course, and a 19-turn, 1.7-mile full circuit that can be driven in both directions.

“The track itself in its beautiful landscape has a lot of ups and downs and enjoys a natural flow,” Wurz said. “Every corner of the circuit has a different character. Altogether, it plays a symphony of drivers’ music. It wants to be driven very fast. You can rotate the car into the corners. All of our expertise and passion has gone into this project. I’m terribly proud to be the designer along with Charlotte Motor Speedway of the new Ten Tenths Circuit.”

Modeled after Turn 11 at Sonoma Raceway, the clubhouse is designed to accommodate corporate retreats, business summits, and special events, featuring three hospitality rooms that are connected to outdoor patios for up to 1,500 people; conference rooms and a catering kitchen are also included in the facility.

Additionally, the club’s members’ garage has secure gated access, climate-controlled storage, and luxury lounge areas, while the club’s concierge vehicle service will offer maintenance and reconditioning experience provided by Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately-held operator of car dealerships in the country.

Premium vehicle support will be available locally from 21 dealerships and five collision centers, containing the ability to repair enthusiast brands such as Acura, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Porsche and Toyota.

All will be revealed at the Smith Heritage Invitational in April, which boasts some of the rarest automobiles from the world’s top collectors while paying tribute to the history and artistry of the automotive industry.

Last year’s event featured the Marmon Wasp that won the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, a 1968 Ferrari 275 GTB, a twin-turbo-powered 2021 McLaren Elva, and other vehicles owned by collectors like Scott Borchetta, Rick Hendrick, Rob Kauffman, Nick Soprano, and the famed Savoy Automobile Museum.

“The opportunity to partner with Marcus and his brothers on a passion project like this is incredibly rewarding,” Hendrick said. “I’ve had a special relationship with the Smith family for more than four decades. Not only do we share a love for automobiles and racing, we are aligned in our core values, our commitment to the local community and our overall vision for Ten Tenths. The collaboration thus far has been tremendous, and I can’t wait to see what our teams accomplish together as this exciting idea becomes reality.”