There is no track more widely touted or known by enthusiasts than the Nurburgring in Germany. Even some who aren’t as in tune with the auto industry know about the ‘Ring. It is used as a badge of honor in advertisements and a standard for track times. The brutal course is a bucket list item for a lot of enthusiasts as well.
Now there is some noises about a potential copy being constructed in Las Vegas. The location makes sense given Nevada’s wide expanses of available land, and the tourism-centric “something for everyone” essence of Las Vegas.
At first though it sounds more like a stunt that a cash-rich oil country like Dubai would pull. “Hey, come to our country and experience a replication of the Nurburgring.” Regardless, we won’t complain. While it will never be a replacement for the real track, it could be the next best thing.
The project is being considered by Speedway Motorsports, a company that owns and operates tracks around the country such as the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) right here in California. Which by the way, Infineon could be renamed again, as Infineon hasn’t contracted with the racetrack to extend naming rights again. But, we digress – back to the original story. News about the project came via Speedway Motorsports Chief Executive Officer Bruton Smith.
He was being interviewed on Sirius XM Sports when he dropped the news that he has been in negotiations with authorities in Nevada, such as the Governor’s office and Bureau of Land Management. Such a project would be a huge undertaking, with the Nurburgring’s famed extreme changes in elevation. Creating a full replication would be a momentous achievement. It is more likely that certain parts of the track will be replicated rather than the whole thing, but we’ll see.
The track could experience a lot of visitors given it would be just 10 minutes from the Strip, offering another attraction or tourists coming to the area. Smith said about 8,000 acres of land would be required to build the track. Incredible. Hopefully this project materializes, as it would be a great new destination for enthusiasts on the West Coast.
