A major international motorsport series is coming to Kentucky in 2027

The days of outrunning Prohibition agents may be over, but a new kind of backwoods racing is coming to Kentucky and Tennessee.

The World Rally Championship, a major international motorsport series, is set to race in the U.S. from Aug. 26-29, 2027, with stages through Tennessee and Kentucky. Competition stages will run from the Appalachian Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau, crisscrossing more than 15 counties across the two states, according to a press release from Rally US.

Knoxville, Tennessee, will serve as host city for the rally, with the rally’s headquarters, team bases and fan activations held at the World’s Fair Park and the Knoxville Convention Center. A ceremonial start for the event will be held on Lower Broadway in Nashville, and hometown celebrations will take place alongside the stages in Eastern Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky.

The U.S. rally will be the first time the WRC has raced in the country since 1988.

“When the FIA and WRC Promoter put America back on the calendar, we set out to deliver far more than a race: an event experience, from Broadway to the Appalachian Mountains, that rivals any festival in the world and puts our state on a global stage like no other," Matt Crews, president and CEO of Rally US, said in a press release from Rally US.

While competition stages have not been released, fans can sign up at wrcrallyus.com for priority ticket access, hospitality or to register to volunteer.

WRC is the second-largest motorsport series in the world, averaging 90 million viewers per race – that’s nearly four times larger than the Kentucky Derby’s highest viewership record, 14 times a year. Events are held across the globe, in countries including Finland, Japan, Paraguay, Kenya and Estonia.

Unlike other series, rally races are done in timed stages, often on uneven terrain. Drivers fly through narrow roads, banked by trees, creek beds and ravines, hitting speeds of upwards of 100 mph on a stage.

Background: An international race could offer a lifeline for Eastern KY | Exclusive

A return to the U.S. has long been a goal of many within the WRC and the FIA, the international governing body of motorsports, and Kentucky has long been seen as primed for growth in motorsport tourism.

“Expanding the FIA WRC into North America not only enhances the championship’s global reach, but connects rallying with a knowledgeable, passionate, and expanding fanbase in a market where participation and engagement continue to accelerate and grow,” FIA president Mohammad Ben Sulayem said in a press release.

The event will also likely bring millions in tourism to Tennessee and Kentucky throughout the weekend. According to a presentation to the Kentucky General Assembly, an event that takes place within the state could bring a projected $58 million in both international and regional tourism, including thousands of temporary event jobs needed to host an event of that size.

Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com or on X at @keely_doll.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: A major international motorsport series is coming to Kentucky in 2027

Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.