- Tools that Made the Difference in Fort Stockton/Sanderson
- Steps for Event Success
- Big Bend Open Road Race
- Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce
- City of Sanderson
For resources on how you can fund events and generate economic development in your community, contact the Comptroller’s Local Government Assistance and Economic Development Department.
Open Road Warriors
Unique race drives dollars, visitors to West Texas.
by Clint Shields
Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the May 2008 issue of Texas Rising.
Have you ever wanted a long stretch of Texas highway all to yourself? You can find it on U.S. 285, one day a year in April at the Big Bend Open Road Race (BBORR).
The unique race matches drivers against the clock and each other between Fort Stockton and Sanderson, Texas. The race draws 150 racers to town, with an additional 300 friends and spectators. The town’s normal population is about 8,000.
“It’s a huge deal here, probably the biggest event of the year each year,” says Arna McCorkle, director of the Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce.
The economic impact is about a half-million dollars during the race week, says Kenda Furman, BBORR’s race coordinator.
The one-day event draws visitors to area hotels, says Fort Stockton Mayor Ruben Falcon.
“We’ve had a couple of years where we’ve had a hard time getting enough rooms for the racers,” he says. “But once they get here, they spend money on everything from hotels to auto parts to the shops in town.”
The BBORR celebrated its 11th running in April 2008 with 160 drivers from Texas, California, Colorado, Nevada and South Dakota. It’s the only race of its kind in Texas, and Furman says only two other states – Nevada and Nebraska – sanction similar road races.
Registration opens Jan. 1 each year, and competition to enter the race is fierce. Event organizers have increased the number of drivers from 140 in 2006 to 160 for this year’s race. Racers start one at a time for safety on the 59-mile course to Sanderson.
The BBORR came to Texas when promoters with California’s Roger Ward’s Classic Cars wanted an event in Texas, similar to races they organized in Nevada. The group handled the race in 1998-2000 before giving way in 2001 to a San Antonio promoter.
Local Government Tools that Made the Difference in Fort Stockton/Sanderson
Ten years after the first Big Bend Open Road Race (BBORR) in 1998, the event draws crowds and participants from 23 states and gives $1,000 annually to both Fort Stockton and Sanderson.
Proceeds go to fire departments, EMS units and local food pantries, says Kenda Furman, the BBORR’s race coordinator. “There are also $500 scholarships awarded to schools in both communities and now an endowment at Sul Ross State University.”
Racing by the Numbers
| Year of Big Bend Open Road Race | Number of racers/ participants |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 148 |
| 2006 | 140 |
| 2005 | 138 |
| 2004 | 124 |
| 2003 | 78 |
| 2002 | 77 |
Source: The Big Bend Open Road Race
Steps for Success
Kenda Furman, Big Bend Open Road Race coordinator, has the following advice for communities thinking of hosting a similar event:
- Contact the Texas Department of Transportation to learn the rules governing Texas racing.
- Gather local support from community leaders, landowners and the public.
- Plan at least 40 miles of one-way road, preferably with a town at each end.
- Map out an exciting course. Racers are great word-of-mouth advertising. If they have a good time, they will spread the word.
For more information, visit The Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce site or the Sanderson site. For help in drawing events to your community, visit the Comptroller’s Local Government Assistance and Economic Development Division at www.TexasAhead.org. TR