ONTARIO -- At their state of the track address Tuesday night, Mansfield Motorsports Park officials opened with a bit of news.

Ground was broken Monday morning for the long-awaited drag strip.

"We had to go through a few hoops with the Ohio EPA, and we didn't want to move dirt before everything got approved," MMP President Chris Mize said.

In late summer, it was announced the facility would add a drag strip to accommodate the IHRA Nitro Jam World Nationals in 2007.

"We didn't want them to shut us down," Mize said of the delay from announcement to construction start, adding that the original plans had to be amended.

Right now, they're working 330 mph so they can host 330-mph Top Fuel dragsters. Using a fleet of heavy equipment, Mize said they will work 12-hour days, six days a week. He anticipates taking five to 10 weeks to lay the strip, depending on weather.

"Before the truck race (in late May) we want to get a few runs on it," Mize said. The World Nationals are scheduled for June 15 through 17.

The address was hosted by track owner Mike Dzurilla and conducted by marketing manager Charlie Krall. About three dozen business owners, city and county officials, civic leaders and media members attended the meeting at Ontario's Brown Derby Road House. Also attending was Aaron Polburn, president of Motor Sports for Live Nation, the owners of IHRA.

"By 2009, my guess is that the largest (IHRA) national event in North America will be right here in Mansfield, Ohio. That's not me standing up here barking; that's the truth," Polburn said. "We expect at that time we will have over 1,000 race teams at that event, and they'll come from about 40 states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Aruba. It's a big deal."

Polburn said attendance for the three-day event will be close to 40,000 when it reaches its potential.

Not all the talk centered on the drag strip. MMP officials spoke of the schedule which will feature at least six events on national television, not the least of which is the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Memorial Day weekend.

"This is like their Daytona," Mize said of the rare stand-alone event for the series. "When they come to Mansfield, they get treated like the (Nextel) Cup guys get treated at Daytona. That's not me; that's not Mike or Tracey Cole (hospitality sales manager) or Charlie; that's the community."

And Tuesday was an outreach to the community.

"We want to find a way to cross-promote," Krall said. "If our partners can work together, then it's a win-win-win situation for everyone."