Rush Off-Road’s anniversary bash is returning to Boyd County with expectations of bringing thousands of people to enjoy the fun.
Eighty registered racers across multiple classes are signed up for the race, E.B. Lowman III, owner of Rush Off-Road, said. The three-day event is expected to draw in people within a 300-mile radius of Boyd County.
“This is our biggest event of the year,” Lowman said. “It’s always exciting. These vehicles that race in this series are absolutely incredible, they are high horsepower, all custom-built. They look like they would ride up the side of the mountain,” he said.
Tickets are $99 ($113.93 after tax) and listed on Eventbrite. The cost includes parking, riding the trails and watching the event, but not participating in the race.
“It includes the event, the riding, parking; it’s kind of an all-inclusive deal. We just have one ticket and it covers everything,” Lowman said.
“If somebody wanted to race in the event they would have to go through the National Rock Racing Series,” he added.
The event began in April 2013. Since the inception, the event has transformed into a big event that occurs every year, he said. In the past years, 3,500 to 4,000 people have turned out.
“We typically bring in a race series. This year it’s the National Rock Racing Series. It’s a celebration of our opening — our birthday, so to speak,” Lowman said.
Andrew Steele, Boyd County’s tourism director, said over the years Rush Off-Road has gained traction and snowballed, bringing in thousands of dollars in revenue to the county.
“It brings a sea of people from all over to Boyd County,” Lowman said. “All of our hotels are booked up for this upcoming weekend. Our liquor stores and our restaurants are going to be slammed.
“It brings a massive amount of revenue to our area,” he said.
If people from out of state are spotted with a side-by-side at a gas station or in town, Steele said to welcome them with open arms.
“Introduce yourself, be friendly. Just give people a reason to come back and visit,” he said.
“People are spending their money to visit us and investing their money in our community, which keeps our restaurants and businesses going. Be patient and friendly,” Steele added.
He expressed the importance for people to remain patient with traffic and extracurricular activities in Boyd County for the upcoming weekend considering the estimated influx of people set to appear.
“When we go from a small community and add 10s of thousands of people to our area, traffic can be a little bad. It can be harder to get a table for dinner,” Steele said.
Boyd County Sheriff Jamie Reihs said the department is extra-staffed and ready to go. A police presence will be on site, ensuring a smooth flow of traffic and safety for all attending.
“We will continue to do our best,” he said.
Noise after hours has been reported in the past from neighboring houses to the park, Reihs said. This year he hopes to have the issue under control.
“I get it. … It can be loud, so we are trying to mitigate those the best we can,” he said.
“The race itself is loud, but everything is pretty much contained. That’s what you get when you go to a motor sports event,” Lowman added. “… You can get all the excitement at a motor sports event right here including all the things that are sensory related. The sights, the sound, the smiles, the adrenaline, those are all part of it,” he said.
Schedule of events
Today, 8 a.m.: Set-up, trail-riding
Friday, noon: UTV stock class 1; UTV unlimited cup 1; VIN class 1; UTV stock class 2; UTV unlimited cup 2; VIN class 2.
Saturday, 9:30 a.m.: UTV Bounty Course 1; Rock Bouncer Course 1; UTV Youth Course 1.
Saturday, 1 p.m.: Rail Buggy Class, UTV Bounty Course 2; Rock Bouncer Course 2; UTV youth course 2.
