For its 30th anniversary in 2026, the Vegas to Reno has become the “Reno to Vegas”. On Wednesday, Best In The Desert announced the 2026 V2R will be run backwards by starting in Reno and finishing in Las Vegas.

Similar to how the Mint 400 hosts the Off-Road Festival on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, the 2026 V2R will hold technical inspection underneath the Reno Arch—which proclaims it as “The Biggest Little City in the World”—on Virginia Street. From there, the race will start in the northern Nevada city before traveling south and finishing just outside Primm a short distance from Las Vegas.

“For the 30th anniversary, we wanted to do something truly unforgettable,” BITD head honcho Bryan Folks explained. “For 30 years, this race has pushed the limits of off-road competition, and running Vegas to Reno the other way is the perfect way to honor his spirit of innovation and open up an entirely new strategic challenge.

“New terrain flow, new pace, new notes, the whole thing feels fresh. Reno is going to come alive with race energy, and crossing that finish line in Las Vegas is going to be something teams never forget. Between the Reno Off-Road Festival, expanded qualifying, and the new Legends Rally fun run, this will be a year racers talk about for decades.”

Set for August 23–26, the Vegas to Reno is the penultimate round of the inaugural American Off-Road Racing Championship. Before the V2R, BITD and UNLTD will host the Vegas to Reno Legends Rally on July 16–19 as a fun run to help competitors familiarize themselves with the reverse course.

Shane Logan is the defending overall winner.

Featured image credit: Art Eugenio / Red Bull Content Pool