Rally US will run Aug. 26-29, 2027, from a base at World's Fair Park, with a start in Nashville and gravel stages in 15-plus Tennessee and Kentucky counties.

Knoxville will be the home base for the World Rally Championship’s first U.S. round since 1988.

Rally US, the event’s organizer, named Knoxville its host city on Tuesday. The rally runs Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 26-29, 2027. Teams will work out of World’s Fair Park and the Knoxville Convention Center, and the cars will race on gravel roads in more than 15 counties across Tennessee and Kentucky.

The organizer set out the plan in its Oct. 27 press release. The World Rally Championship published the same details on its own site.

What is coming to Knoxville

The rally’s headquarters will be in Knoxville. Rally US said its “WRC Arena” will sit at World’s Fair Park and the convention center. It will hold:

  • the team base for the crews and their cars
  • a fan festival with live music
  • driver appearances

The event does not start in Knoxville. It opens with a ceremonial start on Lower Broadway in Nashville. The competitive stages then run on public roads “from the Appalachian Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau,” the organizer said. It has not yet named the counties or the stage roads.

Rally US also plans what it called “hometown celebrations” in towns along the route in East Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky.

Rally US at a glance
Dates Thursday, Aug. 26, to Sunday, Aug. 29, 2027
Ceremonial start Lower Broadway, Nashville
Headquarters Knoxville
Team base and fan festival World’s Fair Park and Knoxville Convention Center
Stages Gravel roads in more than 15 counties in Tennessee and Kentucky
Place on the calendar Round 11 of 15
Tickets On sale Feb. 18, the organizer says

Source: Rally US and its calendar and ticket page.

How Knoxville got here

The FIA, motor sport’s governing body, and the championship’s promoter put the U.S. back on the calendar on Oct. 8, the organizer’s release said. Tuesday’s announcement filled in where the event will be based.

The organizer also tied the rally to the city’s history. “In 1982, the World’s Fair brought the world to Knoxville. In 2027, the world returns,” the release said. Rally US is run by Podium Event Partners LLC, which has offices in the Sunsphere.

The championship’s 2027 calendar on the organizer’s site places Rally US between Rally Finland, which ends Aug. 1, and Rally Scotland, which ends Oct. 3.

A gravel road crossing a small wooden bridge through thick forest, with yellow and black hazard markers on both sides.
A gravel forest road of the kind Rally US says its stages will use. The organizer has not said whether this road is on the route. Photo: Dirtfish, supplied by Rally US.

What the organizers and officials said

“Tennessee is in the hospitality and entertainment business, and nobody does it better,” said Matt Crews, president and CEO of Rally US.

“Knoxville is ready to welcome the world,” said Kim Bumpas, president of Visit Knoxville. “Rally US will put our destination and our region in front of a global audience, and we’re ready to show every team, fan and visitor what Knoxville hospitality is all about.”

Gov. Bill Lee said he was “even more excited that Tennessee will host this historic return in 2027.”

“The United States has long been a priority for the WRC,” said Éric Boullier, CEO of WRC Promoter.

The organizer said each round of the championship averages a worldwide audience of more than 90 million viewers. That is its own figure.

What it means for you

  • Tickets are not on sale yet. The organizer’s ticket page says sales open Feb. 18. It plans VIP seats at the Nashville start, spectator areas along the stages and reserved amphitheater seats at the WRC Arena. Fans can sign up at wrcrallyus.com for early access.
  • Volunteers can register now on the organizer’s volunteer page.
  • Expect a busy week downtown. The team base and fan festival will sit at World’s Fair Park in late August 2027. Rally US has not yet published road closures, parking plans or which parts of the park will be fenced off. We will add them when it does.
  • The route is still to come. If you live on a gravel road in the region, the organizer has not said which roads it will use. We will report the stage list when it is published.

For other things happening in town, see our things to do in Knoxville page and our guide to downtown.