CHARLOTTE, N.C. — ESPN’s X Games are leaving Austin, Texas, after June and could be coming to Charlotte, a newspaper in Austin reported Tuesday.
Channel 9 is working to confirm the games are coming to the Carolinas.
Chicago and Detroit are also in the running, but the paper reported that Charlotte is the front-runner. ESPN officially opened the bidding process for any city interested in hosting the games.
The Charlotte area put in a bid for the games in 2013. Charlotte Motor Speedway spearheaded the bid. Channel 9 learned the idea was to host many of the games at the Dragway.
“This is truly a crown jewel in the sports world,” Scott Cooper of Charlotte Motor Speedway said.
ESPN executives toured Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord during the final decision-making phase. They passed over Charlotte in favor of Austin.
“We certainly were disappointed the first time around, but we learned a lot,” Cooper said.
The Austin Statesman newspaper, owned by Channel 9’s parent company, quoted sources who said Charlotte is likely going to get the games next year.
Officials at the Speedway said they haven’t gotten a confirmation that the games are coming, but they are in talks.
According to the Austin Statesman, the event is a huge economic driver. It is estimated that the games pumped as much as $70 million into the Austin economy.
Channel 9 has not yet learned the time frame for when ESPN officials will make a decision about where the games will be hosted.