The project is the mastermind of wealthy local politician and former cabinet minister Newin Chidchob, who also owns the football club with its lavish new stadium a short distance from the track. The aim was to build the rural city (whose name in the Khmer language means 'City of Happiness') into a sporting destination in a bid to boost its profile and attract tourism to the north east of Thailand.
Construction on the 2 billion baht (around £38 million) circuit began in March 2013 and progressed very quickly. Hermann Tilke was employed to design the masterplan, with the brief that as much of the track as possible should be viewable from the main 50,000 seat grandstand. With a 1,200 acre site available, this still allowed for the inclusion of two long straight sections (one of which is 1km in length), as well as a more compact complex in front of the grandstand.