Thompson said that he was seen "by nothing but cactus and jackrabbits." He reasoned that he needed to bring the excitement of desert racing to a wider audience.

The body and series were established by Thompson in 1979. The first event was held in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The body also sanctioned motorcycle races called Supercross. The stadium series survived Thompson's 1988 murder. The body went bankrupt in 1996. The concept of stadium off-road racing was revived with the creation of the