Nitrocross Race Preview: MidAmerica
Travis Pastrana’s vision of rallycross continues to evolve with the times—to the point where “rallycross” is no longer in the branding of the series he started. And there’s no better place to show off the new vision of Nitrocross than at an event called Visions Off-Road, hosted at Oklahoma’s MidAmerica Outdoors as part of a larger event that also includes everything from Ultra4 racing to Nitro Circus shows.
New investment from Dana White and the Fertitta brothers, all of whom are best known for their work on UFC in the sports world, has facilitated many of the changes. The track at MidAmerica is the first that’s been purpose-built for Nitrocross, after efforts on Pastrana’s part to build a signature venue in his home state of Maryland were rebuffed. The streaming venue has also changed, with NBC’s Peacock platform out and free streams on Rumble in.
The schedule features some of the most continuity in American rallycross history, with Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Glen Helen Raceway, and Calgary’s Stampede Park all returning from last season and Utah Motorsports Campus also back after a one-year hiatus. But it’s the opening venue at MidAmerica that is meant to set a new standard: from the massive drop into the track from the starting line to its many wide and sweeping dirt turns and elevation changes, it exists on a scale that even makes Utah’s three-route gap jump from Nitro World Games past look modest.
The signature Group E class remains strong with an 11-car entry list, mostly featuring drivers who have returned from the 2022-23 season. Vermont SportsCar retains Pastrana and Conner Martell, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/JC keeps Fraser McConnell on alongside the two-car, championship-winning RX Cartel effort it runs for Robin Larsson and Andreas Bakkerud, Xite Energy Racing pairs Oliver Bennett and Kris Meeke, and Olsbergs MSE’s brother pairing of Kevin and Oliver Eriksson also keeps the third car for Benito Guerra that it debuted in last year’s finale at Glen Helen. The big addition to the grid is Conor Daly, who will pair McConnell at DRR/JC after he lost his IndyCar ride at Ed Carpenter Racing; Daly and Pastrana have a long-standing, competitive friendship that has seen them go head-to-head in everything from iRacing to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Further down the line, the NRX NEXT, SXS, and Baja Bug classes will fill out the days with their own racing. NEXT welcomes Lia Block, daughter of Ken Block, as its newest addition to the grid. For Block, who raced SXS in the series last year, it’s just one more event in a busy month of June: she comes to Oklahoma after excelling at the Southern Ohio Forest Rally, and she’ll then head to the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb to take her dad’s Hoonipigasus up the mountain for a demonstration run after the racing itself is complete.
The remaining grids feature a unique fleet of all-stars, with defending champion Ben Maier set to take on names like Leticia Bufoni, Terry Madden, Jim York, and Gray Leadbetter in the SXS action and Blake Wilkey once again headlining the Baja Bug racers. Expect these divisions to have rotating casts of characters throughout the year.
Nitrocross action from MidAmerica Outdoors and Visions Off-Road will take place all day Friday and Saturday. The series will then take two months off before returning to action in Utah for a doubleheader on August 18-19.