Grand Prix Track Start/Finish Length 2.67 miles
Courtesy of Flatrock Motorclub
Tennessee
This Luxury Residential Community in Tennessee Is Opening Its Own Private Race Track
In the hills of eastern Tennessee, on an 800-acre plot of land, a small army of construction workers is hustling to finish a $250 million gated community. On the day of our recent visit, the place was little more than a 3.5-mile loop of pavement—albeit one that jinks across the land like a back road in the Great Smoky Mountains, with 127 feet of elevation change from beginning to end.
The vision of Knoxville developer Rusty Bittle, Flatrock Motorclub is a private racetrack and luxury residence community rising about 45 minutes west of the city. Collaborating on the project is Tilke Engineers and Architects, the German firm behind numerous Formula 1 tracks around the world, including Circuit of the Americas, home of the U.S. Grand Prix.
“When Tilke started,” Bittle recalls, “I said, ‘Listen, guys, I need a track that’s ever-challenging, one I can’t conquer, one that scares me every time I get on it.’ ”
Bittle raced karts as a younger man but hadn’t run a car in a closed-course race until four years ago. Hooked, he soon noticed that most American circuits were, as he put it, “under-serving.” One thing led to another, and now Bittle aims to have Flatrock open for member laps sometime this year. When completed, the facility will be one of just 13 permanent stateside circuits to meet FIA Grade 2 standards, its design and safety features suitable for most forms of road racing short of Formula 1. That’s largely down to cost: Grade 2 standards are expensive, Bittle notes.
The track-as-country-club model isn’t new; some European circuits have been run as members-only organizations for decades. In America, though, the format basically dates to the 2004 launch of the Autobahn Country Club in Illinois, but it really gained ground with the 2008 opening of New York’s Monticello Motor Club. A 90-minute drive from Manhattan, Monticello was one of the first U.S. motorsport operations to combine five-figure membership fees with luxury benefits.
Monticello boasted celebrity charter members including Jerry Seinfeld and NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon, and its success spawned a host of competitors. These days, Bittle says, club-track demand remains strong, helped along by the success of Netflix’s reality show Formula 1: Drive to Survive and the related boost in that race series’s popularity.
As for Flatrock, Bittle envisions a place where families can spend the weekend—and to that end those 3.5 miles, and that $250 million, are merely the first phase of his project. A separate 2.67-mile “Grand Prix” track is also planned, along with a boutique hotel, an amphitheater, a kart track, and at least two helipads. Premier membership requires $25,000 in annual dues plus a $250,000 initiation fee. A founder’s membership, with lifetime access for your immediate family, lifts those commitments to $50,000 and $500,000, respectively.
If all this sounds like big ambition for a relatively quiet corner of the world, you’re not wrong. An initial visit to the site in June 2023 revealed mostly dirt, making the end product difficult to imagine. That picture comes into better focus now, though still not completely. But at first blush, Flatrock already appears more fun and challenging than many big-league tracks in America or even Europe, including more than a few highly regarded Tilke circuits.
The market seems to have noticed. According to Tim Chandler, Flatrock’s vice president of marketing, more than 100 Flatrock memberships have been sold to date. That figure includes 23 of the 25 available founder’s packages, with customers from as far away as Alaska.
Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly, as Enzo Ferrari supposedly said—they only become beautiful when they win. Launching a track is difficult in the best of times, which makes every circuit a winner, in a sense, from the day it opens. Eastern Tennessee is pretty to begin with; Flatrock, we hope, will only add to the beauty.
Bishop Boswell is out for Tennessee basketball against Middle Tennessee State on Monday with a right shoulder injury.
He is considered day to day.
Boswell was injured in the second half of Tennessee’s 84-36 win against Western Carolina on Tuesday. He did not return and had a sling on his right arm following the game.
The No. 1 Vols (11-0) have two nonconference games remaining starting with the matchup with MTSU (9-3) on Monday (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).
Tennessee has eight scholarship players available against MTSU. Forward J.P. Estrella is out after season-ending foot surgery and guard Cam Carr left the program Monday.
Bishop Boswell has right shoulder injury
Boswell collided with a screen from WCU’s Vernon Collins midway through the second half Wednesday.
The freshman guard immediately grabbed his right shoulder and crouched down to the court when play stopped. He checked out with 12:02 to play.
Boswell did not play in Tennessee’s season-opening win against Gardner-Webb while in concussion protocol.
Tennessee’s guard rotation is senior-dominated
Tennessee relies heavily on a veteran group of guards.
The Vols start the senior trio of Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack and Chaz Lanier. Jordan Gainey is the sixth man and has been dynamic the past two games.
Carr elected to leave the program Monday. He likely will enter the transfer portal when it opens in late March. He could pursue a medical redshirt because he played in four games this season before suffering a left thumb injury.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
If there is one thing clear about the Tennessee Titans right now, it is that they badly need to make a move for a legitimate starting quarterback.
Will Levis has done nothing to show development and improvement, while Mason Rudolph is also clearly not a starting caliber NFL quarterback. Heading into the offseason, the Titans will be tasked with finding a new option.
There is a chance that Tennessee could look to get aggressive in the NFL Draft to land one of the top quarterback prospects. Cam Ward looks like an ideal fit if the Titans could get him.
However, there is also a chance that Tennessee could explore the free agency and trade market for a new quarterback.
Should they opt to go the trade route, they could target a quarterback who would not cost them an arm and a leg. Perhaps a younger backup quarterback from another team would make sense.
One potential option could be trading for Detroit Lions’ backup quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Hooker was originally selected by the Lions with the No. 68 overall pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He has played in three games in limited action this season, completing six of his nine pass attempts for 62 yards.
At 26 years old, he could be a long-term franchise quarterback option if things pan out.
Bringing in Hooker would have no downside to it. The Titans would not feel pressure to play him like they would by bringing in a veteran option. Also, Hooker would be able to compete with Levis and the best man would win the job before the 2025 campaign.
Throughout his career, Hooker has shown off immense talent. In his draft class, some thought that he had top-tier potential to be an NFL starter down the road.
In five college seasons, including his last two with the Tennessee Volunteers, Hooker completed 67 percent of his passes for 8,974 yards, 80 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions. He also picked up 2,083 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground.
Acquiring Hooker also would not be too expensive. Tennessee could likely flip a late pick in the middle rounds for him.
All of that being said, something has to change for the Titans. They can’t afford to stand pat and hope that Levis will figure things out.
Trading for a piece like Hooker could be the move that motivates Levis, or Hooker himself could end up being the team’s starter moving forward.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Tennessee defensive back Christian Harrison, the son of former NFL great Rodney Harrison, has entered the transfer portal.
Harrison announced his decision on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday. He played in the Vols’ 42-17 loss to Ohio State in a College Football Playoff first-round game on Saturday night, making two tackles and played 25 snaps.
His father, Rodney Harrison, was a two-time All-Pro, two-time Super Bowl champion and a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame as one of the top safeties of the past 30 years. The elder Harrison played under Bill Belichick, the new coach at North Carolina.
Harrison is the 10th scholarship player to enter the transfer portal in December. The portal is open through Dec. 28.
Harrison is a 6-foot-1, 191-pounder from Atlanta. He played 26 games with four starts over three seasons at Tennessee. He took a redshirt in 2023, so he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Harrison made 33 tackles, including three for loss, in his UT career. He started at nickelback early in the 2024 season after projected starter Jourdan Thomas suffered a season-ending injury in preseason practice. But by midway through this season, Boo Carter, an SEC All-Freshman performer, moved ahead of Harrison in the rotation.
Harrison was a three-star signee in UT’s 2022 class. He originally committed to Liberty and ultimately chose the Vols over Kansas State, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and others.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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