West Virginia Executive Summer 2017 | Page 87

sells out during the two GNCC banquets held there each December, and both awards banquets draw hundreds of riders and their families from across the country. Professional race weekends bring thou- sands of spectators and millions of dollars into West Virginia. High Point Raceway hosted its first AMA motocross national four decades ago in 1977, and the 2017 race took place over Father’s Day weekend. Drawing a crowd of more than 10,000 spec- tators and a full weekend of family-friendly events, the annual Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at High Point consists of mini- bike races, concerts and pro and amateur racing events. Located just 5 miles outside of Morgantown, the Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that the indirect economic impact on Mor- gantown during that weekend is in excess of $1.3 million per year. Racer Productions’ other professional racing series, GNCC, all started with the Blackwater 100 in Davis, WV, and now includes more than a dozen races each year in eight different states. GNCC has been America’s premier off-road racing series since 1975, and GNCC races that provide a direct economic benefit to West Virginia include the Marvin’s Mountaintop GNCC in Preston County, the Powerline Park GNCC outside Wheeling in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and the GNCC at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. The 11th Snowshoe GNCC was held June 24-25 of this year. W