Charlotte Motor Speedway, which last week was named one of four finalists for the X Games, plans to host the event at zMax Dragway, the facility’s 30,000-seat drag strip. CMS President & COO Marcus Smith said that placing the event at the dragway would allow spectators to have a better vantage point for competitions. Everything from street skate, to big air and motocross would be featured inside. Smith said, “The way we’ve gotten scale drawings of everything that’s part of the Games and the way our designers have laid it out makes it possible to host everything right there between the grandstands, and with the dirt track right next door, that would make the perfect location for a rally course.” The speedway is bidding against Chicago, Detroit and Austin for the event. Smith said CMS would sell tickets for the X Games if it won the right to host the event. He added, “Having the X Games in a venue like zMax Dragway puts the entire Games on a platform so much higher than they’ve ever been on before, in a much more fan-friendly way that can’t be matched by anything else. When you factor in all the folks that want to see the X Games, in a temporary set-up you can’t make an accommodation for fans to be that close with that many facilities. We’ve got restrooms and parking and camping. It will take that kind of facility to really bring the best fan experience to the X Games.”
