Pahrump Nugget 250 race welcomed back in town

Last weekend, the Pahrump Nugget 250 off-road race returned to the town it loves the most.

Hosted by the Legacy Racing Association, the 250-mile event began on June 25 at the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino and ran through the open desert of Pahrump and Amargosa Valley until June 29.

Checking in participants on Tuesday, June 24, Holiday Inn Express Pahrump Assistant General Manager Chantel Carson said the event nearly sold out all of their available hotel rooms.

“We truly enjoy all of the racers that come in. All the vehicles are really cool to see, and the guests are really respectful for the most part,” Carson said. “Most guests, yes, they understand the situation. You’ll get your one or two that [say] they had no idea what was going on when they booked their room, and they’re just passing through or going to Death Valley. So every once in a while, we’ll get an upset guest, but it’s rare.”

In previous race events with high occupancy, the hotel had to charge more for rooms to make up for financial deficits.

This year, Carson said the hotel was able to offer discounted room rates for the large group of racers participating in the five-day event.

“If they contact me in regard to a group block, then I do give them a discounted rate because they’re booking a bunch of rooms for a nice amount of time,” Carson said. “So absolutely, we give them discounts for that. If they’re booking just straight on their own then we don’t have contact with them and they just book the daily rate.”

Off-road racing in Pahrump has been a long-standing part of the town’s history. With numerous off-highway vehicle trails around the valley and the recent OHV Park opening, children now have a safe spot that they can ride and there are plans for construction of an adult park.

“They bring us a lot of money through the summer, especially with it being so hot out here, we lose a lot of business for people that are going to Death Valley or the racetrack in town, in Spring Mountain,” Carson said. “So during the summer, we dip down as our slow season. So with them coming during the summer, we love that it truly helps our business.”

Presented in recent years by automotive manufacturer Polaris, the event was originally formed in 1984 by founder Casey Folks to provide affordable and exciting off-road racing events.

Following the passing of Folks, Casey’s children took over ownership of the organization. Today, the group is run by operations manager Donald Jackson and Liz Marshall, who are responsible for qualifying competitors.

Between all the cars, trucks, motorcycles, quads, and UTV’s, wins don’t come easy. In a literal race against time, drivers take off at different times while trying to complete the fastest time within their 250-mile-long journey.

Held specifically during the desert tortoises’ hibernating season so as to not disturb local wildlife and with no groomed roads, the trails provide difficulty for even the most experienced drivers.

Race results were not immediately provided.

Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.