$50 million car country club, new road course planned at venerable NC raceway
The new owner of the 70-year-old Mooresville Dragway plans to transform the venerable racing venue into a $50 million “car country club” called Race City Motorpark & Social Club.
“This is the motorsports version of a golf country club,” owner Matt Erich told The Charlotte Observer Saturday.
Plans include a 4-mile championship road course, a 1/8-mile “state of the art” dragway, roughly 70 car garages, known as car condominiums, and about 70 townhomes, or “luxury villas,” Erich said.
“I’d say Mooresville is the racing capital of America, second maybe to my hometown of Indianapolis,” Erich said about why he chose the area for his project.
The motorpark website calls Mooresville “the epicenter of American motorsports — home to over 200 racing-related businesses, NASCAR teams and a community that lives and breathes performance.”
For decades, the town has billed itself as Race City USA.
Erich said he already has a waiting list of motorsports enthusiasts for the garages and homes, “coming together for the passion they share.”
The dragway, which is in Rowan County near Mooresville, debuted as a dirt track in 1956 and has been a concrete-asphalt venue since 1959, he said.
Clubhouse, fine-dining restaurant, infinity pool
The first phase of the 270-acre project would include the new racing venues, the climate-controlled garages and a stone-and-timber clubhouse with a lakeside infinity pool and a chef-driven fine dining restaurant with a terrace.
A member’s lounge in the clubhouse would include a private bar, a whiskey library and a cigar terrace.
The project also would include professional-grade driving simulators, a full gym, spa and recovery center and concierge service for auto detailing and maintenance.
Plans also include 24/7 private security and gated access control.
The project is beginning its government approval phase, Erich said.
“I’d like to be shovel-ready by October,” with the first phase of the project complete next year and the residential phase in 2027-2028, he said.
“This is about more than preserving a racetrack,” Erich said. “It’s about protecting a culture, a community and a piece of Mooresville’s identity.
“Motorsports helped shape Race City USA, and we believe the future of this property should continue that legacy,” he said.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "$50 million car country club, new road course planned at venerable NC raceway."