50th Anniversary of the MINT 400

The Great American Off-Road Race

Location: Primm, NV, Las Vegas, NV
Dates: Saturday, January 10, 2018
Format: Lap Race
Finish: Unofficial 35th out of 69
Elapsed Time: TBA

The Mint 400 is always one of the most fun— and the biggest race of the season. Of course as a group we always enjoy coming to any Best In The Desert race, but the Mint 400 is a special treat. The Martelli Brothers put on one of the best shows on earth, if you enjoy off-road racing. This year FUEL Off-Road UTV wheels invited us to show our car on Freemont street in their manufacturer’s booth during the pre-race festivities in downtown Las Vegas. We enjoyed meeting fans, signing autographs, and talking with all of the enthusiasts. On race day (Saturday) BITD had the race broken down into a 2 race format. Our team started early and we were up at 3 AM getting ourselves and the car ready —with staging at 5 AM and the race starting at 6 AM.

Unfortunately, we drew the 46th starting position which meant it was going to be a rough day pushing hard through all of the dust, and trying to pass our competitors in a timely manner. Starting two at a time we were able to get the jump and lead into the desert. After a mile or two we caught up to several racers, some which we were able to pass easily and others which we had to work extremely hard to get around. The Nevada desert was rough and dusty as always which made our task exceptionally hard.

We saw two of the cars in front of us crash two different times; one missing a turn and one underestimating the roughness of the whoops and putting their car on it’s lid. We stopped and made sure that they were okay as anyone else would do. They hollered back they were all good- so we kept at it.

Unfortunately, we had a mechanical failure at mile 75 which slowed the car down but we were still able to make it the main pit. We repaired the failure and Jimmy Keys jumped in the car and took off. Jimmy made great time on his lap, passing several people but, the Nevada desert sheared a tie rod end around mile 69. Luckily, it was right beside a BITD official, who offered us a crowbar —which helped us get up and running again- and we finished the 50th anniversary of the Mint 400! So much fun as always in off-road desert racing!

We do what we do with the aid of our 2018 team sponsors. We want to thank each and every one for their expertise and their tireless support… click the links to find out more.
Dragonfire Racing
Fuel Offroad UTV
Double E Racing
Polaris RZR
Cognito Motorsports
Rugged Radios
Trail Armor

A special thanks to Harlen Foley for his keen eye and photographic skill!

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