Nitrocross comes to Richmond Raceway Sept. 7-8.
With cars that soar over jumps and drift around tight turns, Nitrocross offers thrills and pulse-pounding action. The budding motorsport competition began with a single event held in Utah in 2018 and developed into a full series in 2021 sanctioned by the United States Auto Club. For the first time, Nitrocross is coming to Richmond Raceway, and racing fans will be able to view the 0.75-mile D-shaped short track in a whole new light Sept. 7-8. The course takes on a new pattern, with the addition of ramps and dirt berms creating a mixture of pavement and dirt racing.
“Being able to introduce the high-flying series of Nitrocross to the people of Richmond is surely going to offer another fun weekend of action for our fans,” Richmond Raceway President Lori Collier Waran says.
Travis Pastrana
Nitrocross was created by action sports star Travis Pastrana, who has experience in all three top divisions of NASCAR. It features different race classes, including gas engine cars and high-performance electric vehicles. They will compete in a bracket-style qualifier, called battles, on Sept. 7. On race day, Sept. 8, a series of heats determine who will make the cut for the 10-car final.
The Richmond Raceway events kick off the 2024-25 season. Pastrana says Richmond was a top choice to add to the season schedule because he made his first NASCAR start there, and it’s essentially a home track to the Maryland native. He, along with fellow Nitrocross stars Amanda Sorenson and Ellis Spiezia, spoke to media during a press event in early August.
“It’s the closest track to my house, as far as a big venue and facility,” Pastrana said. “We really wanted to see if we could fit a Nitrocross track into a NASCAR track. The seating is already there, the venue’s already there, the hospitality, everything is here in Richmond. It’s the track that I know the best, from being here a lot. So, it was obviously the first one on my radar to try to see if we can get Nitrocross going.”
Waran says spectators can expect to see the best of the motorsport at the retrofitted Richmond Raceway. “Fans will notably be able to see an amazing crossover gap jump right in front of the frontstretch grandstands that will surely induce some incredible sights and reactions throughout the event,” she says. “Additionally, the tabletop jump and dirt berms will run through our infield, which will be a new sight for our fans to behold.”
Pastrana’s resume includes motocross championships, rally titles, freestyle medals and landmark moments such as executing the first in-competition double backflip on a motorcycle and jumping a dirt bike into the Grand Canyon.
Richmond Raceway will be retrofitted with dirt berms and jumps to create the Nitrocross experience.
“For me, I always grew up racing dirt bikes,” Pastrana said. “Flying vehicles through the air next to each other, bumping into each other — rally, off-road car racing is so much fun, but you have to do it alone, going down the dirt road. So, this is basically taking rally from the woods, and my background in motocross, and putting on a show, seeing if we can get everything together in front of the crowd to really inspire the next generation to want to get out there and watch some racing.”
And it’s not just racing, it’s also a party. Live music, food, fan zones and performances by the Nitro Circus stunt team accompany the action on the track.
“We’re thrilled to be the designated season-opener for Nitrocross and kick off an exciting slate of races on their 2024-25 schedule,” Waran says. “Not only will Richmond Raceway be representing the commonwealth on the schedule, but it will also act as the first and only event in the eastern United States since 2022. As such, we take an immense amount of pride in partnering with Nitrocross to be such an important event on their tour.”
Nitrocross comes to Richmond Raceway Sept. 7-8. Tickets start at $45.
