Charlotte Motor Speedway, which last month 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, should it win the right to host the event.
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Renderings shows the layout for X Games events inside the 30,000-seat zMax Dragway.
Photo by: CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
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Charlotte is bidding against sites in Chicago, Detroit and Austin, Texas. ESPN is expected to announced the winning bid in June or July for the X Games, which are scheduled to be held in the same city from 2014 to 2016.
CMS President Marcus Smith said that placing the event at the dragway would allow spectators to have a better vantage point for the X Games’ different competitions. Everything from street skate to big air to motocross would be featured inside the venue.
“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,” Smith said. “And with the dirt track right next door, that would make the perfect location for a rally course.”
Smith said the racetrack would sell tickets for the X Games if it won the right to host the event. The summer X Games have been held in Los Angeles since 2003.
“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,” he added. “When you factor in all the folks that want to see the X Games, in a temporary setup 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 to bring the best fan experience to the X Games.”
