Billing their project as equal parts “Disney experience, open-air shopping and theater,” officials for the proposed $35 million U.S. MotorSport Entertainment Complex in Newton recently unveiled their plans for the facility, which is slated to host its first races in 2005.

Paul R. Schlaack, chairman, president and CEO of U.S. MotorSport Entertainment, said the state-of-the-art complex is designed to have a festival atmosphere and appeal to fans, drivers and sponsors alike. He said it will include a number of amenities not commonly found at racetracks.

“We want to offer the whole package,” he said. “It should be fun for everybody.”

Paxton Waters Architecture, an Indianapolis firm that has been designing racetracks for more than 11 years, is working with NASCAR star Rusty Wallace to make the Newton complex the first in the nation to be designed by a race car driver. In addition to the track, the complex will include the Rusty Wallace Interactive Experience, a theme restaurant, a museum and the Rusty Wallace driving school.

Officials say Wallace has designed the track to have multiple grooves so drivers can pass one another anywhere on the track. The 7/8-mile asphalt-surfaced oval track, the only one of its kind in the country, will also be the nation’s first to have the latest safety wall designed into its original construction instead of being retrofitted. The wall is designed to soften the impact for drivers should they crash into the wall.

“Rusty is a big factor in the design of the track and the facility,” said Paxton Waters, CEO of Paxton Waters. “He has his own perspective, which is interesting from a design and driver perspective. It’s fun for us to work with him and understand what he’s saying.”

The facility will have a permanent seating capacity of 42,020 with the option of adding 40,000 more temporary seats. Waters said the setting, a natural bowl-shaped area near Interstate 80 and the Newton Airport, creates great sightlines for hillside seating (which can hold up to 10,000 fans), campers, fans in the stands and hospitality areas. He added that the complex will use bright colors, brilliant lighting, landscaping and textures of materials and building design to give it a feel unlike any existing motorsports venue.

“It’s going to be very modern,” he said. “It’s going to look like a spaceship landed at night.”

The complex will include a two-story building that will be used for racing events as well as parties, weddings, corporate events, meetings and other community uses. Track officials are in negotiations with a concert promoter to host three grandstand concerts per year. In addition, the bandshell located outside the track area will hold up to 10,000 people for smaller concerts and other events.

“Your typical track runs races and sits dormant most of the time,” Waters said. “This is being approached quite differently because it allows for year-round activity.”

Schlaack said the track will host six racing weekends per year from May through October. Races will be petitioned from NASCAR Elite, ARCA, NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Pro Infiniti, Indy Racing League, Silver Crown, USAC, NASCAR Busch and ASA sanctioning bodies. He said he has received commitments from racing organizations such as the American Racing Club of America and the American Speed Association, to hold events at the complex.

In May, the Newton City Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a development agreement between the city and Schlaack’s group of Des Moines businessmen who primarily will pay for the facility with private funding. The city will contribute $17.3 million for infrastructure, public improvements and an economic grant to develop the 226-acre tract.