Following last month’s announcement by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) that it would become part of the Camping World Drag Racing Series tour in 2024, work has accelerated on the all-new Flying H Drag Strip in Odessa, Missouri, just east of Kansas City.

The new 1/4-mile facility, owned by area businessman Scott Higgs, is taking shape on a rural piece of former farmland directly adjacent to the I-70 Motorsports Park dirt oval track. Higgs has not yet released concept renderings or construction drawings to the public, leaving many curious as to the ultimate layout and amenities of the property. But, Higgs has — very wisely, we should add — secured the services of racetrack expert Kurt Johnson to oversee the project, and recently, Johnson and another good friend to DRAGZINE, NHRA announcer Joe Castello, perused the property and provided the world its first legit tour of drag racing’s most prominent new facility.

According to Johnson, the strip itself measures some 4,000 feet in length, and will feature 720 feet of concrete that will then transition to asphalt using unique paving processes to maximize smoothness and longevity. The walls, too, were poured at high pressure, ensuring an unmatched degree of strength. Roughly 20,000 seats are expected to be installed, including angled starting-line Top Eliminator Club seats that will sit atop the return road, with a breezeway large enough to fit tractor trailers through. The tower, four floors in all, will feature an open-air viewing area on the top floor.

Driven perhaps by a combination of forethought and the constraints of space, the venue will actually send professional-class racers to the staging lanes in front of the grandstands, adding to the entertainment value for spectators. A tiered, multi-compartment professional pit area is also being designed in a unique fashion to maximize traffic flow around its perimeters. It all adds up to what is one of the most exciting stories in our sport right now.

Flying H is located in the town of Odessa (Pop. 5,585), directly off of I-70 and near the Highway 0 ramp for easy access. The facility is approximately 35 miles East of the very center of downtown Kansas City. It is likewise just three hours from St. Louis and Omaha, Nebraska, 3.5 hours from Des Moines, Iowa, and four hours from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Flying H national event is set to replace the nearby Heartland Motorsports Park on the NHRA Camping World Series tour; NHRA officials have not confirmed the venue’s official date on the 2024 schedule.