Reno Air Racing Association selects three finalists for air races

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - The Reno Air Racing Association has selected three cities as finalists to host the National Championship Air Races.

Those three cities are Casper, Wyoming, Pueblo, Colorado, and Roswell, New Mexico.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the amazing, positive feedback we’ve received from the six bidding communities as a whole, as we search for the future home for the National Championship Air Races,” said Fred Telling, CEO and chairman of the board for the Reno Air Racing Association. “There were many, many elements to consider, and we’d like to extend our sincere thanks to all the entrants who put in the time and effort to submit their carefully thought-out proposals. Through a rigorous vetting process, we feel confident that one of these three locations will provide the right mix of elements our event needs to continue to race well into the future.”

The three finalists were narrowed down from a list of six cities who completed proposals to be the next host of the event. 2023 was the last year that the event would be held in Reno.

RARA board members, class pilot representatives, and others took a series of site visits to proposed locations to assess their viability as hosts. They say a number of factors, such as the ability to host large crowds, handle hundreds of aircraft, and support a large racecourse were taken into consideration. With this in mind, the three finalists were selected.

Buckeye, Arizona, Thermal, California, and Wendover, Utah were also considered, but ultimately not decided upon. “While these locations were not ultimately chosen to be the home of the next NCAR, they each have tremendous merit and value in their own right. We will be reaching out to them to continue discussions on their potential as expansion venues in the near future,” Telling explained.

A final decision on the future home of the Air Races is expected in April.