Burton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, may have his eye on an ambitious new project. According to reports swirling around the web, Smith (whose company owns and operates tracks like Infineon Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, among others) aims to create an accurate reproduction of the famous Nürburgring just outside of Las Vegas. While speaking during an interview on Sirius XM Sports, the executive mentioned he had already been in talks with the Governor of Nevada, the Nevada Bureau of Land Management and “some Germans” about the project. It’s estimated Smith will require some 8,000 acres to bring the track to reality. It’s a good thing Las Vegas is surrounded by an expanse of largely vacant desert.

The rumored plans call for the track to be constructed around 10 miles from the strip. Unfortunately, the facility probably wouldn’t play host to sanctioned races like the real McCoy. Instead, the reproduction would simply be for private individuals to have some fun and manufacturers to test their wares. Throwing an element of brutal desert heat onto an already challenging road course could certainly make for a useful development tool. Keep your ears pinned for more information.