(PUEBLO, Colo.) — Race flags filled the baggage claim terminal at Pueblo Memorial Airport as part of the site visit between Pueblo city leaders and the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA).

There are six cities currently in the running for the bid:

Buckeye, AZ

Casper, WY

Pueblo, CO

Roswell, NM

Thermal, CA

Wendover, UT

As planes soared high above the Pueblo Memorial Airport, a lingering question was in the air if even more could fill the Southern Colorado skies.

“We’ve got a fantastic airport,” said Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar. “We have undeveloped land around here that would be perfect for a racecourse layout. We’ve got hangars that we could make available for their use. So, we’ve got the infrastructure here at the airport that we think would be a good fit for them for the foreseeable future.”

Flags fill the baggage claim area for the site visit on Monday morning.

For six decades, the National Championship Air Races called Reno, Nevada, home. However, this would change as plans were made for the area to be developed.

“Well, the decision to leave Reno was actually made for us by the airport authority out there,” Chief Operating Officer of RARA, Tony Logoteta, said. “They have some plans for the airport, and they decided that rather than wait for those plans to come to fruition because they don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, they just decided let’s do it on our terms and make sure you guys have a… final goodbye to Reno.”

The final goodbye will be marked by the championship race in 2024. By 2025, a new city will become the home for this exhilarating aviation race.

“This is the only event of its kind in the world and it’s important and it needs to be saved,” Logoteta said. “So that’s when we put out the word that we were going to be looking for a new location.”

Inside of Pueblo Memorial Airport a poster read Pueblo Air Races 2025, A New Future.

Logoteta shared the detailed process of narrowing it down to the finalist cities: “We had 38 different communities from around the nation reach out to us and express their interest. So, we put together a full official RFP, send it out to all them, and posted other places, ended up with about 12… And then we received all our bids and came down to the six that we’re at right now, which of course, Pueblo is one of them.”

During the site visits, RARA will consider the airport along with hotels, restaurants, and perks the city has to offer. Gradisar expressed why he believes Pueblo will be the perfect host city.

“I think just our surroundings and our people will make it unique. I just think that people will fall in love with our community, and they love air racing and they’re going to go where the air races are,” said Gradisar.

With the sounds of aircraft engines filling the sky, and people of all ages filling the stands, the atmosphere is one Logoteta described as incredible.

“It’s really phenomenal,” Logoteta said. “And then you see the kids looking at the sky in wonder and just so amazed by what’s going on and all the people that are there.”

A group photo taken after the site visit with Pueblo city leaders and the Reno Air Race Association.

The event generates 100 million dollars annually and attracts people from all over the world.

“It brings a ton of people in and they come from all over the world,”Logoteta said. “About 65% of those folks are from out of the area, so, it brings a huge economic impact when they come in.

Pueblo could be adding another title to the city, in becoming the next home for aviation champions.

“They’ve expressed the belief to me that the air races could be even faster in Pueblo than they have been in Reno, simply because of the terrain and the way the course can be designed,” said Gradisar.

As for when the finalist will be named, Logoteta said after visiting each finalist site, they will then make the decision.

“Once we get through all this and we have a time to sit down with our full committee and really discuss what we found on all these site visits,” Logoteta said. “Then we’ll really be able to announce what the next step is and then ultimately the final announcement of where our new home will be in 2025.”