HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Racers in the annual Terrible's Town 250 off road race drive through the desert during a past event. Advertisement

The Terrible's Town 250 off-road race has been moved to Primm, ending a nine-year run in Pahrump.

"The Herbst family decided they want to bring it to Primm," said Casey Folks, race director for Best In The Desert. "They just paid $400 million for Primm. They have 1,000 rooms over there."

That contrasts with the situation in Pahrump, where racers filled all the rooms within 50 miles of town, he said.

"I never ever got a call from the chamber of commerce," said Folks. "Nobody has ever said, 'Is there anything we can do for you?' "

Herbst Gaming presented plans to the Nye County Commission to rezone their property in the summer of 2006 that included a possible hotel, but there hasn't been any talk of a ground breaking yet.

Folks said the event probably was responsible for filling 450 hotel rooms not only in Pahrump, but all the way to Beatty and Las Vegas.

"That was one of our biggest problems, a guy staying at the Silverton has to drive 50 miles there and 50 miles back," Folks said.

Best In The Desert will still hold the Vegas to Reno race in August, which will start at Johnnie, providing an economic benefit to the Pahrump area, he said.

A rival organization, Southern California Off-Road Enthusiasts (SCORE), already hosts the Primm 300. Folks said Best In The Desert will still call its race in Primm the Terrible's Town 250.

Folks said analysts studied the Henderson Terrible's 400, a three day event, and estimated it generated $16.8 million for the community.

While there haven't been any economic impact studies on the race in Pahrump, Folks said, "There were a lot of people who came. I don't need to tell you the financial impact."

The Terrible's Town 250 began in Johnnie and used to turned around in Springdale, about 12 miles north of Beatty, until the designation of Chinese Road as an historical road, Folks said. That caused some adjustments to the route.

Best in the Desert also eliminated motorcycles and quads this last race, which formed too much of a safety hazard, since the trucks caught up with them, and a new race was created in Parker, Ariz., for the motorcycles and quads, Folks said.

The event was a $200,000 production by Best In The Desert. The Herbst family put up $40,000 in prize money, which was matched by Best In The Desert, he added.

The annual fees for the permit with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management quadrupled to $30,000 this year, said Folks.

In addition, race organizers pay 19 percent of that just to process the application with the BLM.

"You're talking about a half-million dollar production on a race of that magnitude. "I don't think you'll find another organization willing to spend the money to bring it in."

In fact, Folks said his contract with the Herbsts states they won't sponsor another event in Pahrump to replace the Terrible's Town 250.

"I took them from an event with no history to one of the most talked-about off-road events," Folks said.

Best In The Desert has had a good working relationship with Nye County and the BLM, he said.

Complaints have persisted after the race about roads torn up by the drivers. It was no exception after the latest Vegas to Reno race Aug. 24.

Jan Cameron, chairwoman of the Amargosa Valley town board, said vehicles crossed Highway 373 without traffic control, the off-road vehicles churned up dust causing complications for people with breathing problems and support crews towing trailers weren't looking where they were going.

"I would respect in the future any off-road races be brought to the communities for their approval," Cameron said.

Nye County Commissioner Roberta "Midge" Carver, a member of the Regional Transportation Commission, said the contract stated drivers wouldn't pre-run the course, but they did.

Carver vowed at the Sept. 4 county commission meeting: "If this mess isn't cleaned up in the north end and repairing those roads, I will not vote again to let that man have those races through this county and I know the Esmeralda County Commissioners feel the same way."

"We hate to see it go. On the other hand it's a business decision on their part and we need to look for something to replace it," said Kari Frilot, Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer.

"The town of Pahrump has always tried to work with Terrible's for the 250," said Paula Glidden, chairwoman of the Pahrump tourism advisory board. "We're just hoping Terrible's will continue to improve its services in Pahrump and make it a better place for everybody."

Regional Transportation Commission Chairman Cameron McRae said there were some people who could never be satisfied with the roads, the dust and the crowds that surrounded the annual event. But he said Nye County Commissioners, not the RTC, had the final say on approving the race.

"Commissioners felt it was beneficial in their perception and have supported it, based on its benefits," McRae said.