General Motors is opening a new technical center for motorsports, right in the heart of NASCAR country. It will be home to new engineering capabilities for NASCAR and other GM racing teams as well as have new driving simulators and other vehicle development facilities.

The Charlotte, NC, area is the capital of NASCAR, home to many of the sport's leading teams. GM will build its new technical center in Concord, just 10 miles from Charlotte Motor Speedway, in an effort to help capture from that growing talent pool.

"We're thrilled to expand GM's U.S. footprint by establishing a greater presence in Charlotte, a community that has become a racing and engineering mecca," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. "The new facility will be close to a number of key Chevrolet and Cadillac racing partners, teams and suppliers. This will allow for improved collaboration as well as access to some of the industry's best talent."

GM expects to have the new 75,000 square-foot facility in operation later this year. The automaker says that it will be home to "Driver-in-the-Loop simulators, vehicle simulation, aero development and other practices designed to advance racing and production capabilities."

"Chevrolet and Cadillac Racing are two of the winningest brands in motorsports. This new facility will build upon their legacies and hopefully lead to even more success on the track," said Campbell. "Racing helps us accelerate the development, performance and popularity of our cars and trucks across the world."

Of course, some of these developments could make their way to GM's high-performance road cars, in addition to providing a winning brand boost.