Officials at Miller Motorsports Park are anticipating a sharp jump in the number of fans attending events at the new world-class racing facility after they get a taste of NASCAR action this weekend.

On Friday and Saturday, the menu is filled with NASCAR races as MMP hosts the inaugural Big O Tires 150, one of 14 stops this year on the NASCAR Grand National West Series.

The 150-mile race on MMP’s 3.06 mile outer-road course is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, and will include 25 to 30 cars. But fans can attend racing events for free on Friday. Some will even have an opportunity to ride in the cars.

“NASCAR is the big dog in American racing, and this is our first step in developing a relationship with them. We’re extremely pleased that we are able to host this event and we hope they like it and it leads to more NASCAR races out here,” said MMP media manager John Gardner.

The jump in interest is anticipated because NASCAR is one of the top two television spectator sporting events in the United States, along with the NFL, according to Gardner.

“NASCAR has spent a lot of money to bring its events to millions of viewers, so racing fans here in Utah already know about NASCAR,” Gardner said.

The difficulty factor for the drivers this weekend should be extreme as they attempt to navigate the tortuous outer track designed by MMP Manager Alan Wilson.

“Most of the guys have only oval track experience. Here they’ll have to come to grips with navigating both left- and right-hand turns, plus repeated braking and downshifting,” Gardner said.

Saturday’s race will be the 10th stop on the Grand National West Series, which is a second-tier level of NASCAR racing. The first tier includes the NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

The Grand National Division also includes an East Series similar in prestige to the West Series.

The top seven points leaders in the West Series are from California. Points leader Mike David from Modesto, has earned $53,218 this season. Three other racers have earned prize money in the $35,000 to $40,000 range.

Fan interest in MMP continues to slowly improve.

“We had a lot of curiosity seekers during the first year. This year we’re seeing more dedicated, knowledgeable racing fans. We’re holding our own and growing. It’s only our second year,” Gardner said.

The weekend schedule at MMP includes racing from two varieties of smaller, open-wheel, Indy-type cars — the Pacific F2000 Championship and Formula TR Pro Series — plus the Ken Garff Porsche Invitational for GT cars, including production-based cars such as Porsches, BMWs and the Mustang Challenge cars built by MMP for its Miller Park Racing Association.

For a complete list events see www.millermotorsportspark.com.

Mark Watson: mwatson@tooeletranscript.com