WENDOVER, Utah — A months-long attempt to bring one of the world's biggest air racing events to Utah fell short after Wendover was left off a list of finalists being considered for the future home of the National Championship Air Races.
On Friday, the Reno Air Racing Association, which hosts the event, named Casper, Wyo., Pueblo, Colo. and Roswell, N.M. as the three cities in the running to hold the races.
Because of rising insurance costs and other issues in Reno, event organizers announced last year that they were looking for a new home and accepted six bids to host, including Wendover.
Site visits were conducted with a wide variety of factors for hosting being taken into account, including an ability to handle large crowds and hundreds of aircraft.
Wendover fell short, along with Buckeye, Ariz. and Thermal, Calif.
“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," organizers said. "We will be reaching out to them to continue discussions on their potential as expansion venues in the near future.”
More than 1 million people have attended the National Championship Air Races over the past 10 years.
