CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Tenn. — County and business leaders gathered off Westel Road in Cumberland County on Wednesday for a groundbreaking ceremony, kicking off the construction of a new motorsports park in the area.
According to a press release, the Flatrock Motorsports Park and Entertainment Destination will be located on a 773-acre tract of land in Cumberland County. It is expected to include a 3.5-mile circuit club track, a 2.4-mile Grand Prix track and a combined 6 miles of endurance tracks.
"I've told people this is my legacy project, and for me, it's about paying it forward. It's about paying it back to the future generations," said Rusty Wittle, a founding partner of the park.
The park said Tennessee's natural landscape, with its natural rolling elevations, helps make the tracks a challenge for racing enthusiasts. Flatrock also said they hope to be a premier motorsports park for all of the U.S.
They also said there will be a CIK-Kart track, an amphitheater for live performances, a hotel, a restaurant, a brewery and a winery. The park is expected to open in spring 2023, according to a press release.
"I think about the family aspect, of everything there is to come here and enjoy," said Jeremy Hale, one of the founding partners of the park. "There's the amphitheater, the carting track with my boys, attending a big motorsports event, or just camping and hanging out."
The park was originally planned to be built in Oak Ridge but moved after officials learned they would need to pay an extra $7 million for an Environmental Impact Statement.