ESPN NHRA

CONCORD, N.C. -- Fresh off his victory at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson was thinking about the next NHRA event.

The one everyone has talked about all season. The one at a facility like no other, the sparkling new zMax Dragway at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"To be honest, a lot of us are looking at this race as our real U.S. Nationals," Johnson said.

Bruton Smith's luxurious $60 million facility, which he and others have dubbed "The Bellagio of drag strips," makes its debut this weekend in the NHRA Carolina Nationals.

The Bellagio nickname might be a stretch, but compared with many facilities that play host to NHRA events, this place is a Lamborghini versus a Kia.

Veteran Funny Car driver Jerry Tolliver, a man who has been around long enough to remember guard rails and rickety wooden grandstands, gave what might be the best comparison.

"It's like going from a sandlot to the Super Bowl," he said

This track is state-of-the-art for professional racing. The five-story red, white and blue, west-side grandstands are topped with glassed-in luxury suites. So is the three-story scoring tower behind the starting line.

But the most noticeable part of the facility is the four-lane track, a first in the NHRA. The problem is they haven't figured out how to use all of the lanes yet.

Smith's dream was to have four cars race at the same time. That would be dangerous to ever be a realistic option, but another idea was to run a matchup on one side if the other side of the track needed cleaning from an oil-down or other debris.

NHRA teams were against it because they gather detailed data from each lane and earn a lane choice based on previous runs. Moving to a green racing surface wasn't an option.

But it is impressive to look at a racing surface that's wide enough to land a 767 jet.

"I've been to a lot of drag races," said NHRA president Tom Compton. "But I've never been as excited to come to an event as I was about this one. This is the future of the NHRA."

The future was in doubt last year when Smith went head-to-head with city and county officials about building the facility. A few Concord officials didn't want it and originally voted against issuing the permits to Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. to build the drag strip.

Clearly, these folks didn't know who they were dealing with. Smith threatened to take his game elsewhere, including a plan to close down Lowe's Motor Speedway. It seemed preposterous, but city officials wisely backed down rather than challenge him.

The debate rages on. Smith says he agreed to an incentives deal from the county that would pay SMI $80 million over four years. County and city officials say it's $80 million over 40 years. Why would an 81-year-old racing mogul agree to a 40-year payment?

Political issues delayed the start of construction, but the facility was completed in less than seven months. It wasn't cheap. An average of 300 workers were on site for more than 12 hours a day. The project required 636,000 man hours to complete.

"I don't think anyone ever spent $60 million to bring our show to town," said Mike Lewis, senior vice president of Don Schumacher Racing.

All 30,000 plush seats are sold for Saturday, and only a few seats remain for Sunday's finals. Speedways officials expect standing-room only for Sunday's opening round of the NHRA's six-race playoff.

"I've done this for 17 years," said 45-year-old Top Fuel racer Cory McClenathan. "But I might do it another 10 years if more facilities are like this one. We are going to make a lot of [Sprint] Cup fans into NHRA fans."

That idea is a major goal here. This suburban Charlotte area is the heart of NASCAR country. Most of its teams are based here. The NASCAR industry fuels the local economy. No market has a larger NASCAR fan base than Charlotte.

"There's going to be a ton of NASCAR fans here this weekend who've never been to a drag race," said five-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher. "We have a chance to show them the fastest cars at the greatest facility in the sport."

Smith has other impressive drag racing facilities in Las Vegas, Sonoma, Calif., and Bristol, Tenn. Many people involved in the sport would love to see Smith buy the NHRA, something he has hinted about doing for years.

But even Smith might be tapped out for the moment. In the past year, he bought New Hampshire Motor Speedway for $340 million and Kentucky Speedway for $80 million, along with building zMax Dragway.

"Bruton raises the bar every time he builds something," Tolliver said. "I look at this place and think, 'This is what our fans deserve.'"

Don Schumacher knows all about doing things in a big way. He owns the largest operation in the NHRA with eight teams -- two Top Fuels dragsters, four Funny Cars and two Pro Spock Motorcycles. But Schumacher said he's no match for Smith.

"Bruton is my idol," Don said. "I wish I could do what he does. What Bruton has created here is unbelievable. It has taken drag racing facilities to a whole new level.

"But I'm not surprised. It's the way Bruton does everything."

Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. He can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.