A new 100-acre motor club and track is to open in Charlotte, North Carolina, next to the existing Charlotte Motor Speedway and Hendrick Motorsports complexes, as a new joint venture between Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR legend Rick Hendrick.
Ten Tenths Motor Club will include the Ten Tenths Circuit, a multi-purpose lighted road course featuring three configurations designed by F1 and Le Mans veteran Alexander Wurz, along with the Ten Tenths Clubhouse, a members’ garage and off-road trails for driving experiences.
With the Ten Tenths Circuit near completion and construction underway for the Ten Tenths Clubhouse and members’ garage and lounge, the complex will host its grand opening on April 4-5, 2025 – and has just officially launched the project from the new track.
We talked to Marcus Smith, the son of NASCAR pioneer Bruton Smith and CEO of Speedway Motorsports (which owns 11 circuits around the US including Charlotte), and Rick Hendrick, founder of Hendrick Motorsports, the most successful race team in NASCAR history.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway and Hendrick Motorsports are neighbours,” explained Marcus, “and [Rick and I] have been lifelong friends. A number of years ago, my dad and Rick talked about building a racetrack outside of the [Charlotte Motor Speedway] track. At the time, I said, ‘No, let’s not build it there, let’s build a roval, which we’re racing on this weekend for the NASCAR Bank of America Roval 400.
“But fast forward a few years, and I thought it sure would be nice if we had a racetrack outside of the main track, like my dad and Rick talked about. We had this fantastic 100 acre property where we have kind of combined our interests and built this track designed by Alexander Wurz where you’ll able to test and enjoy a lot of high performance cars. It’s a beautiful track with over 100 feet of elevation change, lots of great turning, cambered turns. And we’re going to unveil this new hospitality building that’s modelled a bit after our Turn 11 complex at Sonoma Raceway [which Speedway also owns].”
Rick agrees, “Marcus and his family and I have been very close friends forever. I have this huge car collection, I’m a car nut, but I never have a place to exercise these cars. So I’ve been working on Marcus and his dad to do a real road course here – it’s been a bucket list for me for a long time. And then Marcus and I started talking, and he’s got this fantastic idea to put together workshops to take care of members’ cars.
“I have the franchises here in Charlotte for Porsche, BMW and Mercedes [and many more]. If people have their cars at Ten Tenths, we can have a concierge service by technicians that are trained to work on Porsches and BMWs and everything in between, and a collision centre too. Just to see a primo track that has all the amenities of a car club, and to be able to get in a car and drive, is super exciting for me.”
F1 veteran and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz has designed the Ten Tenths Circuit to work in three configurations: 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, featuring 112 feet of elevation change between Turns 6 and 14. The 1.7-mile circuit can be driven in both directions and split into two courses: the 0.567-mile inner loop and the 1.1-mile short course. The inner loop will be water-irrigated for optimised testing, drifting and driver training, and the circuit will also feature lighting to maximise driving opportunities with three potential sessions a day: morning, afternoon and night.
“The track itself in its beautiful landscape has a lot of ups and downs and enjoys a natural flow,” says Wurz. “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.”
Alongside the track will be the 20,000-square-foot Ten Tenths Clubhouse, modelled after the Turn 11 lounge at Sonoma Raceway, also owned by Speedway Motorsports. It’s designed to host corporate retreats, business summits, special events and
entertainment, with three large individual hospitality rooms, which can be combined into one expansive hospitality space for showcase events. Hospitality rooms will also open to outdoor patios to expand capacity for up to 1500 people.
In addition to the circuit and clubhouse, Ten Tenths Motor Club will also include a members’ garage, intended to build camaraderie and community among the membership. With secure gated access, it will include climate-controlled storage, luxury lounge areas for meetings or relaxation, a cigar lounge, bourbon bar and a putting course. Members will have convenient access from garage to circuit, as well as designated event days throughout the calendar year to drive the courses.
The Ten Tenths Motor Club will host its grand opening with the Smith Heritage Invitational automotive experience on April 4-5, 2025.
For information or business inquiries about the Ten Tenths Motor Club, visit www.TenTenthsMotorClub.com.
