WENDOVER – For a position known for its past, Jim Petersen is excited about what Wendover’s future could be.
“It would be a big deal. It’s huge,” he said.
Petersen runs the historic Wendover Airfield, where the team of the Enola Gay, which would drop the first atomic bomb on Japan, trained during World War II.
However, the investment to maintain the site has been a challenge.
“There are a number of buildings on the base that, admittedly some of them need some work,” said Petersen.
Funding on the way
However, a lot more money could be coming soon.
“It is something that the county is willing to do, and it is something that the state is on board with, too,” said Petersen.
Wendover, Utah, is one of six cities that are home to the new home of the national air racing championship. It’s necessarily the Super Bowl of sports.
“Of the six sites that have proposed something, Wendover has the most productive amenities to build a racetrack,” Petersen said.
It’s a race track in the sky.
The short course is approximately 3 miles long, while the long course is approximately 8 miles.
“We have a lot of room out here,” said Tanner Moore, manager of the Wendover Airport.
He and Petersen were part of a welcoming committee last week to welcome event organizers who are choosing a new venue for the race.
Reno Moving Event
Air Races has been in Reno since 1964 but had to move after the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority canceled its contract due to rising insurance prices following some injuries and advances near the airport.
“They’re pleased with the length of our airport and our airspace,” Moore said. “Reno is just getting too developed and possibly there won’t be a lot of expansion here, so I think it’s basically the amenities that fear a Wendover location. “
Having enough hotel rooms is one of the considerations when opting for Wendover.
The National Air Racing Championship is an annual week-long event that attracts about 100,000 people and millions of dollars.
“It means we would be really busy. But we could do this,” said Petersen while looking at a map of preliminary plans. “We would set aside a spot for a lot of cars to park there.”
Funding will go through a path.
This additional money will not only help with the restoration, but it will also raise awareness at a site that is part of American history.
“Wendover is the only site of the six that is, in fact, so traditionally significant,” Petersen said.
The other five cities are Thermal, California; Buckeye, Arizona; Roswell, New Mexico; Pueblo, Colorado and Casper, Wyoming.
The committee making the resolution will have a reaction in the coming months.
Racing would resume in 2025.