Nitrocross has confirmed that its 2023-24 season finale will take place under the lights in Las Vegas on March 1-2 at a new, purpose-built facility.
The doubleheader event will be held at a venue built on Koval Lane, near Formula 1’s new paddock building, and will be on a track designed by series pioneer and 2021 champion Travis Pastrana. While the mixed-surface track layout is yet to be revealed, the presence of a 130-foot gap jump has been confirmed, along with Nitrocross’ customary “big jumps, banked corners, and steep berms.”
“With Nitrocross, we are developing an all-new motorsport, one that drives innovation, elevates performance and is wall-to-wall entertainment from start to finish,” said Nitrocross general manager Chip Pankow. “We’re here to show fans the incredible performance from our 1,000+ hp electric cars on a track that is unlike anything they’ve seen before.
“Las Vegas is all about having a great time and is the perfect venue for our 2023-24 season finale.”
Rallycross-like motorsport has a long history in Las Vegas, with it hosting the now-defunct Global Rallycross series’ season finale from 2012 to 2015. Las Vegas Motor Speedway also hosted a round of the 2012 season. Tanner Foust and the late Ken Block share two wins apiece in the city, Block getting his first-ever rallycross victory there in 2013, while Joni Wiman secured his only top-level U.S. round victory there in 2015, a year after securing the season title in a four-way showdown at the same venue.
For Nitrocross, though, it will be a long-awaited first visit, although the wider business has strong ties to the city. Last year, Nitrocross’ parent company, Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, was acquired by an investment group led by Las Vegas-based Fiume Capital, while in 2018 Pastrana recreated three of Evel Knievel’s most famous jumps in front of more than 25,000 people, as well as a live TV audience in what was the most-watched cable special of that year.