2020 Mint 400 Unlimited Extended Digital Show

the mojave desert a 50 000 mile chunk of hostile arid terrain with 10 000 foot mountains and temperatures that range from 15 to 134 degrees seismically active and prone to earthquakes it receives on average less than two inches of rain per year making it one of the harshest climates on the planet nestled within her fiery foothills lies las vegas sin city the entertainment capital of the world a city that gave birth to the rat pack the modern mega resort and one of the most celebrated races in history 52 years ago the las vegas mint hotel held the inaugural mint 400 rally which not only gave rise to modern off-road endurance racing it went on to draw top race car drivers celebrities and international press from all over the world for over five decades men and women from every walk of life and every background have met on this desolate and punishing battlefield in one of the longest running and most prestigious motorsports races on the planet this year mint 400 owners josh and matt martelly have attracted over 500 race teams in a record 83 classes to compete on a newly designed tony vanilla racecourse a 100 mile nightmare of thick silt crushing stone jagged cactus and massive ruts most will attempt four treacherous laps making up 400 punishing miles but less than half of them will finish the mid-400 pulls no punches it is the reigning heavyweight of off-road racing to win here your race must be flawless this is the great american off-road race this is the bf goodrich tires mitt 400 in april of 1968 at a time when nascar was barely out of its teenage years the mint hotel executives green lit the first ever del webb mint 400 rally and what started as a fundraiser for the las vegas gun club quickly became an annual off-road festival with promotional help from racing legends mel larson and barnelli jones the mint began attracting top drivers and celebrities from around the world legends like al unser rick mears roger ward and off-road champions mickey thompson ivan stewart jack flannery walker evans and rod hall power boat champion bill muncie film and television stars james garner steve mcqueen larry wilcox chuck norris and ted nugent all raced the mint in the 70s and 80s they helped create a mystique around the event that still exists today at the height of its popularity the mint featured multiple days of festivities complete with a miss mint beauty pageant and a parade down fremont street the racers were treated like royalty it was an unofficial city holiday and race fans came from all over the country to watch the outrageous vehicles compete for huge cash purses in 1971 gonzo author hunter s thompson covered the mint for sports illustrated writing it's the richest off-road race for motorcycles and dune buggies in the history of organized sport a fantastic spectacle in honor of some fat back rocero named del webb who owns the luxurious mint hotel in the heart of downtown las vegas hunter's fear and loathing in las vegas articles were eventually published in rolling stone magazine before being made into a best-selling novel which propelled the mint to even greater popularity but in 1988 the mint hotel was sold and within a few years the race disappeared it lay dormant like a sleeping giant for 20 years in 2008 the once famous competition was unearthed and like an old race car it was slowly brought back to life in 2010 the martelli brothers owners of the motorsports powerhouse production group mad media produced a one-hour television special on the race it was so well received that they returned in 2011 with their second mint 400 program then in 2012 they purchased the famous event and have spent the last eight years working side by side with a growing legion of racers volunteers and off-road luminaries to make the mint the crown jewel of the sport what started as a one-day fundraiser back in the golden age of las vegas has now grown into a week-long festival with multiple events throughout the city and the surrounding areas over 500 race teams in 80 plus classes compete on a 100 mile course for two days in front of crowds that topped 25 all while being streamed live via the internet to nearly a million viewers tens of thousands of off-road enthusiasts descend upon las vegas each march to party race and spectate making the mint 400 the great american off-road race [Music] qualifying for start position in any race is a key ingredient to landing on the podium at the mint 400 it's nearly impossible to come from behind and win while racing through the rough and unforgiving nevada desert though each racer is timed individually there are dozens of factors that affect the race such as dust lap traffic and the ability to pass that all come into play on race day it's far better to go hard at qualifying and start with a fighting chance than to hope for a miracle from the back of the pack 2020 mid-400 this is qualifying we're on the the back side of apex we've got nellis or it's right down here we've got las vegas my hometown born and raised here matter of fact when i first started racing buggies in the early 80s this is the same same desert right here that uh that i started i grew my teeth on so i'm super excited to be here it's kind of an event in itself you know honestly it's with the amount of entries and stuff you don't need to go out there and light the world on fire and qualify first but it's also fun to go out there and drive as hard as you can to see how you stack up against the other guys so uh you know try to find a balance there between you know pushing it but also uh keeping the truck together and having a good spot for race day this year the mint welcomed a new class to the eighth annual method race wheels time trials the baja trucks second only in size and speed to their unlimited big brothers this was their first year competing at the storied race race director tony vanillo lined the racers up and prepared them for their five mile time sprint [Music] and just like that jay reichert and cody parkhouse ripped off the start and down course in their class one buggies behind them was the lone qualifier in the 6100 class mitch armstrong cody edged out jay and looked fast while mitch looked strong but played it a bit safe on his run minutes later it was time for the baja trucks in the new baja truck class there were 16 qualifiers this year many of whom were 20 and 30 year veterans in the sport brad lovell stood out early on during his run he raced out front with a time of 4 38. he was followed closely by raphael navarro and then it was young pierce herbst racing for terrible herps motorsports scott kyger put down a very respectable time in his coastal racing truck but justin blauer rocketed out front and hedged out level minutes later then in the back of the pack number 254 joe brain with tosh motorsports shocked the field when he came ripping through at light speed he put down an incredible time of 432 ended up six seconds ahead of justin blauer in second and took the pole the baja trucks put on a hell of a show this year next up it was the fire-breathing dragons in the unlimited class and some familiar names came through hot tim herbst and the number 19 truck looked strong as did steve olegus in the number 27 team ford truck a few minutes later young christian serapis came screaming through in his number 88 mason all-wheel drive truck he looked poised and determined but was a few seconds off the lead time then it was ryan arciero in the number 32 c-span levi's truck ryan was on fire he tore down the race course and landed with a 417 propelling him to near the front of the pack but his lead was short-lived bryce menzies a two-time mid-400 champion came rocketing through next bryce was also in a brand new all-wheel drive mason truck and was clearly putting all four tires to work he wheeled his way into first place with a time of 408. one by one the racers each took their turns ripping across the destructive course three-time mint 400 champ justin lofton put down a 416 and moved into second behind bryce but minutes later he was bested by luke mcmillan luke was on a mission to start out front then out of the dust emerged harley lechner in the number 70 concrete motorsports truck of kevin thompson led their drove like a man possessed at one point driving into the dirt and ripping the hood open he flogged the truck hard and ended up crossing the finish a mere six tenths of a second ahead of bryce to move into first the rest of the unlimited trucks each took their turn fighting for starting positions honorable mentions include sarah price who is driving the chattanooga whiskey truck number 100 dale dondell who slid into fifth place with his fantastic run and number 127 kyle jurgensen who was a late entry and ended up second fastest on the day rob mccarron meanwhile another living off-road legend and mint 400 champion was forced to run a second time because of a damaged truck on course for his first run he put down a 418 which was good enough for eight not quite the speed he had hoped for but still a very dangerous spot for his competition here's a look at all the results for the 2020 mint 400 method race wheels time trials [Music] most professional off-road racers get their start as young kids the san diego-based off-road race family of steve sarapas and his sons brett and christian have a long and illustrious connection to the sport steve is a four-time multi-class mid-400 champion and he paved the way for his sons to race initially in the trophy light class then 6100 trucks and now in a top unlimited all-wheel drive mason truck excellence in school and athletics combined with a strong family work ethic has led to success in the family beer business and as a race team it was always really cool to get to grow up born into the sport watch my dad get to see all my idols drive and dreaming one day that i would get to compete against some of them and one day get in a race car myself i remember going to the 2004 lofla desert challenge always excited to get get out of school spend a six hour drive with my mom driving a lot flip to go watch my dad race his class one car and trophy truck at the laughlin challenge i've grown up going to glamis and the sand dunes my entire life i'd have my little 80 suzuki and my brother and i would always be racing each other and just always dreaming one day you know instead of going 15 20 miles an hour through the whoops here i'll be eventually going 120 in a trophy truck just growing up always dreaming that one day and then at the age of 10 getting in my own trophy card and race car and getting to compete against people and my brothers it was just the thrill of a lifetime i'm sitting in class in elementary school whenever i wasn't paying attention in class i was thinking of a trophy truck i'd be riding a quad at six seven eight years old little lt-80 in glamis be daydreaming that i'm driving a trophy truck so whenever i did different avenues like playing sports and doing extracurriculars after school my heart was always in racing i was very fortunate to go to college and run track at super prestigious programs like for the oregon ducks and usc trojans but racing was where my head was at at least a good 90 of the time so i'm super fortunate that i'm able to do it after college and to be able to team up with a guy like my brother is just a combination for success [Music] [Applause] [Music] so my first ever mint 400 was in class 6100 with with my brother we were fortunate enough to win the 2015 mint 400 and 6100 class by over 20 minutes which is unheard of in a lot of these races so we're really fortunate to have a team to get us to that level and then next year was fortunate enough to hop in my first trophy truck and that was my second ever race in a trophy truck i think i had less than 500 miles in a trophy truck and we finished fourth that year which i would have never expected to get fourth place in my second ever race with the best competition in the toughest terrain in the united states so it was almost like a dream come true so i was fortunate enough to win the mint twice both times in 1600 but i haven't won it overall in a trophy truck yet and the mint is just a whole different animal when it comes to competition race is like the ball one thousand you're going to get 30 trophy trucks and guys are going to team up with each other but at the minute everybody that somebody is going to show up with the best they have and throw every wrench every single strategy to try and win that race because 60 trophy trucks are showing up and 20 of them have a shot at winning so to be able to win a race like the minute not not only speaks huge volumes to the program but speaks huge volumes to how talented of a driver you actually are because in trophy truck when i can say that 20 different drivers can win that race i'm not kidding for pretty much brett and i's entire life no opportunities were just given to us we had to earn them whether it was getting at least a 3.0 gpa in school or excelling at sports or graduating college there was always a goal that was always set aside from racing and now my brother and i work full-time jobs for the family business and to be completely honest i love it it's the opportunity to follow my dad's footsteps and learn the business from the ground up doing some of the lowest paying jobs and climbing up the ladder it's humbling and not only just to sit around and focus on driving but to be able to put racing aside and focus on what actually pays for our racing just is awesome my brother is ultimately my biggest competitor no matter what you do in life i think you always want to be better than your brothers so it was it was a weird relationship at first always getting a race against my brother in short course racing and even in trophy light we always had our own cars but when it got to a point where we were moving up to classes pretty fast and it started getting more expensive and the races were getting longer it it made made more sense for us to team up and split the races and i think we make a hell of a team our two driving abilities combined i think has enormous potential to be something really special we had a lot of experience and success in 6100 when we won a championship together and i don't see any reason why we can't mirror that success in the trophy truck class well i have a 20 got 27-year relationship with bf goodrich tires and the reason i have it is because they have always in my opinion made the best tire out there that gave me the best chance to win winning the met overall with my brother would just be just flat out awesome brett and i had our first ever win together and classics to 100 at the 2015 mint and just feeling how special that was for us i still think about that almost every single day at how special that was and to be able to win it overall with my brother sharing driving duties and my dad being the team manager i honestly can't even put it into words right now because i'm starting to picture it in my head but to be able to to win the match just would prove to everybody and validate that the swarapa brothers are serious and that we can contend at every race we show up to the nevada desert and especially where we race out there is you're not going to find anything tougher than that winning the men 400 would honestly mean the world to me getting to check my brother and his name off the list with guys like rob mccarron andy mcmillan bryce menzies robbie gordon my dad even just to name just a few people you're putting your name with those guys as well and just to even be in the same conversation as them would be extremely humbling the serapis brothers lined up among a sea of talented racers all preparing for the main event the mid-400 unlimited showdown multiple classes of trucks and fire-breeding buggies were staged in front of a sold-out crowd of thousands on hand would brett and christian put their new all-wheel drive mason truck on top of the box it was all about to go down as the most anticipated off-road race of the year was ready to take off saturday march 7th 11 a.m 25 unlimited trucks 20 baja trucks 20 class 10 cars and a handful of 617 and ultra 4 trucks all lined up for the second annual gridwalk at the official mint 400 prim valley start finish line fans family and friends were all able to wish their favorite drivers good luck get their autographs and take photos while teams did a last-minute equipment check i'm here at the start line of the 2020 mate 400. got 400 brutal miles today my twin brother brett serapis is going to drive the second half of the race so my job is just to be the delivery driver get him a car that's 100 ready to go so we can go absolutely send it and run down those front runners especially with four laps the track is going to deteriorate and the last lap is going to be you know who finishes people might be winning on the last lap but the track will be so brutal it could break their equipment so it kind of it's kind of a mind game out there how hard you push when do you push is someone else gonna push early is minzy's gonna push early you know he you know we're starting side by side he could get us off the start it is what it is it's a long race and we're not going to sweat it if he does here's here i say we're only doing 428 miles i think um i'm expecting about seven hours so that's not a problem you bought one thousand we do 10 12 hours and uh you know i know this desert i was born and raised here in las vegas i know the desert really well so i feel very comfortable with it but we won in 2017 last year we were close to justin we were about a minute behind him about 40 miles to go we went for it i ended up clipping a big rock coming down the wash and ended up third so um you know we definitely want to win there's a lot of good people here some in front some and back so i call it a chess game we're gonna we're gonna set it up and we're gonna start playing and maybe the best man win rhiannon camo performed the national anthem as the unlv air force rotc color guard presented the stars and stripes then minutes later the team strapped back in and rolled up to the start line harley lechner sat at the front of the pack in his number 70 concrete motorsports unlimited truck he had earned the coveted pole position for being the fastest qualifier nearly 25 000 off-road race fans were on hand all excited to see the race action the lights went green and harley was off he quickly ripped through the infield section making quick work of the jumps and turns and began to head out towards the desert the 2020 bf goodrich tires mint 400 unlimited race was underway up next it was two-time mint 400 champ bryce menzies against 25 year old kyle jergensen from oak hills california bryce put his all-wheel drive mason truck to work and moved out front coming out of turn one one minute later it was luke mcmillan in white on the inside against dale dondell in black on the outside dale rocketed out of the start gate and pulled ahead of luke but there were 399 miles to go anything could happen then it was three-time mint 400 champ justin lofton door-to-door with brian arciero in the 32 levi's truck the champ jumped out front quickly and pulled away from ryan by turn four when justin is having a good day he is nearly unbeatable in row five it was robert johnston with south side racing up against rob mccarron rob put his decades of short course domination to work and breezed out front as the crowds cheered but the boys from chattanooga whiskey were still in the hunt two by two the fire-breathing unlimited trucks each took their turn firing off the start line in the past 10 years most of the overall and unlimited truck class winners have started up front or maintained a lead early on but anything was possible with the mint a come-from-behind victory on corrected time was always in the cards the handful of class 1 racers on hand this year launched off the start next and the park house car looked strong then in the baja truck class joe brain and justin blauer went side by side through the infield justin made it around joe and pushed out front but there were 24 more seasoned baja truck racers behind them both all of whom came roaring down the course next two by two chase warren led the class 10 cars off the start next to 6100 racer mitch armstrong there were nearly 20 class 10 cars behind chase all competing this year for 35 000 in cash and prizes in the alumacraft class 10 shootout number 1044 jordan vernor and number 1069 brett jeffers launched off the start minutes later and through the infield section on their way out into the desert blade hildebrand was clearly going after the class 10 win as well he was driving like a man possessed from the top of the green flag jeff proctor led the class 7 trucks off the start minutes later dust settled momentarily as the racers made their way into the harsh nevada desert over 100 of the toughest and most battle-hardened off-road warriors left the start line this year but less than half of them finished the race the mint 400 racecourse was already battered and beaten from friday's racing and it was about to get a lot worse up ahead in the lead harley leitner was running strong out front he was at race mile 16 flying across the lake bed dubbed warp zone leitner was driving the kevin thompson-owned unlimited truck built by herbst smith with a joe gibbs motor he was pushing well over a hundred miles an hour and had managed to put a three mile gap between himself and second place bryce menzies bryce meanwhile was leading a chase pack made up of kyle jurgensen dale dondell luke mcmillan justin lofton ryan arciero and rob mccarron all in his rear view mirror suddenly as he passed race mile 18 he was forced to pull over he sustained a rear left flat as his co-driver leapt from the truck and dove into the tire change they were passed by the four trucks right behind them one by one it was a disappointing twist for team menzies so early in the race up ahead harley leitner hit chokers at race mile 21 he was now five miles ahead of 127 kyle jurgensen now sat in second kyle came blasting through a few minutes later followed by dondell mcmillan and lofton menzies was back up and running again and already making up lost time and ryan arciaro and the 32 levi's truck came through on a rail he was being chased down by rob mack who won the mint overall in 2017. 15 minutes later race leader harley leitner drove through pit a he was still ahead of kyle jurgensen but his motor was running hot the team decided to remove the hood quickly to see if they could increase airflow to the engine and he was back on course in seconds 214 justin blauer meanwhile was leading the baja trucks through chokers he was neck and neck with joe brain they were a few minutes ahead of adam lund and brad loveland third and fourth behind them terry householder was making up time fast along with travis wiggins back up front lechner ripped through the fox proving grounds at race mile 33 this area of the chorus is known for being one of the most destructive and punishing in the sport harleen made it look easy jurgensen was still in second but dondell was right on his tail now and luke mcmillan was beginning to turn on as well minutes later justin blauer and joe brain came through they were still first and second in class both physically and on corrected time 6134 mike neff meanwhile was making his way up front early on he was leading the 6100 class but was aggressively charging after the baja trucks at race mile 10 he let number 272 joshua steele know he was passing with a little love tap in class 10 chase warren was already running fast out front by the time he hit chokers he was almost three minutes in front of conor mcmullen followed closely by joseph jepson brent fox and number 1082 preston brigman up ahead mid-400 champ justin lofton sustained a flat near race mile 43 and was forced to pull over he was passed by four trucks on course and dropped back to ninth back in the baja truck class joe brain tapped blowers bumper and then made the pass meanwhile the class 10 group was being led by chase warren into the fox proving grounds the lighter chassis of the class 10 cars made for a faster and less treacherous ride through this section most would skip across the top of the deep ruts and g outs chase was just ahead of the father and son team of kevin and connor mcmullen out of phoenix arizona but behind them 51 year old utah native brett fox was charging hard in his alumacraft car 1082 preston brighman meanwhile had moved from seventh hit to third already and looked strong he sat ahead of 1084 joseph jepson joe jepson and blade hildebrand were still dicing it up in their single seat class tens it takes a certain kind of crazy to race the mint in the first place but to do it solo without a co-driver it's just nuts these two were making it look too easy chase warren meanwhile looked strong and fast as he ripped through the proving grounds and by spectator area one the group went wild as warren flogged it at top speed he was miles ahead over 4 000 spectators were on hand in the sold out remote spectator areas this year cheering on their favorite teams in the shooting range near race mile 47 chad cummings was sitting in third place in class 1 trying to catch jay reichert but he had the 5th place baja truck of householder motorsports screaming down his backside the class 10 chase pack of mcmullen fox and brigman continued to try to reel in warren towards the end of lap one but they were now hitting slower lap traffic warren had a huge advantage at the moment if they were gonna catch him they were gonna need to make a move soon because warren was in danger of running away with it suddenly in the second place battle number 1075 brent fox was forced to pull over and deal with some mechanical gremlins he was passed by many of the class 10 cars and fell back to ninth place not what the seasoned racer wanted to contend with but he got back up and running the mid-400 was born in the heart of sin city in 1968 it came alive at a time when the las vegas strip was just beginning to build its now infamous mega resorts but at that time downtown fremont street and the mint hotel reigned supreme [Music] the mid-400 race quickly grew into a fantastic adrenalized spectacle and became an annual centerpiece of the city the storied event was an unofficial city holiday and the racers were greeted like royalty the mid-400 owners the martelli brothers pay homage to the rich history of the mint each year by planning a series of events leading up to the two-day race their commitment to preserving one of the longest running events in the city's history has earned them the rare distinction of receiving an official proclamation naming the first week of march mint 400 race week 2020 kicked off with the fourth annual mint 400 desert cleanup presented by republic services this year an astounding 500 volunteers showed up and republic nearly doubled the amount of trash collection equipment with coordination and support from the southern nevada blm office the group removed an incredible 13 tons of garbage and 12 tons of metal suitable for recycling bringing the group's lifetime total to nearly 200 000 pounds of trash in the past four years later in the week the mint 400 came roaring into town 150 race vehicles and motorcycles took over the las vegas strip for the 8th annual republic services mint 400 vehicle parade over 30 million dollars worth of off-road machinery growled past the huge las vegas crowds from mandalay bay all the way down to fremont street which was renamed mint 400 boulevard for the week later that evening was the third annual dinner of champions an elegant dining experience that honors off-road's greatest legends this year mint 400 champions rob mccarron justin lofton and bruce myers inventor of the myers manx dune buggy were all on hand guests were invited to rub elbows while partaking in a multi-course dining experience delivered by dan cromer and michelin star chef drew deckman at the le mans cantina the next day the spectacular two-day mint 400 off-road festival saw nearly 300 exhibitors and vendors pack the streets of fremont east for one of the biggest and baddest off-road showcases on the planet all of the nearly 200 motorcycle racers and a slew of utv and limited cars pushed through the massive lineup as 25 000 race fans filled the streets all vying for autographs while shopping for off-road products meanwhile out in the nearby las vegas desert a lucky group of off-road enthusiasts were at the third annual bf goodrich tires mint 400 legends rally presented by vision wheel every year b.f goodrich invites a host of vips and media to participate in a utv tour that features some of off-road's greatest legends this curated thrill ride lets them see the original mint 400 race course from 1968. this year the group got to rip around in utvs with vision gv8 invader wheels wrapped in bfg mud terrain takm3s later that evening a giant crowd gathered for the 9th annual amsoil pit crew challenge unlimited trucks and the smaller but equally ferocious baja truck teams went toe to toe for bragging rights and thousands of dollars in cash and prizes from amsoil method race wheels bf goodrich tires and pro eagle jacks including a stunning custom painted pit crew challenge trophy jack for each class winner each team had to change two massive bf goodrich tires and return to their pit box as quickly as possible with no loose lug nuts brad lovell and the boys from level racing took out austin-based never slow motorsports in round one then the reigning baja truck pit crew challenge champions householder motorsports went after pete's camp racing took the win and moved on to the finals householder and level racing squared off for the second time in two years and once again householder motorsports hedged out the competition and took their third title in a row in the unlimited class utah's ready gunner racing took out team ford in round one meanwhile three-time mid-400 champion justin lofton and lofton racing went to war with team c-span racing and bumped them out of the bracket after each team gave it their best then it was two home-grown las vegas families menzies motorsports versus herps motorsports menzies looked strong on tire number one and seemed to have an edge but the herps boys came raging back and took the win it was short-lived however as team c-span came back for their semi-final round and ended up besting the herps team and making their way into the finals against ready gunner the horn sounded for the final battle and c-span and ready gunner went back and forth each seeming to take the lead as the clock ticked down the crowd went wild as ready gunner took the win and became the undisputed amsoil pit crew challenge champions special thanks go to amsoil for their support of the ninth annual pit crew challenge to chuck foreman from pro eagle jacks and to troy johnson and his team from fab school for helping organize and officiate the event after the pit crew challenge the headlining act palm desert rockers the eagles of death metal strolled onto the stage and delivered over 90 minutes of soul-infused down-home biblical rock and roll front man jesse hughes and his band of musical misfits tore the roof off the mint 400 festival grounds while thousands on hand rocked out jesse was so excited about the energy of the crowd that he declared he was officially entering the race as the place went nuts day two of the mid-400 off-road festival saw an even bigger turnout as the rest of the 500 racers pushed through crowded fremont street in all some 50 000 people packed the downtown area over two days making the event one of the largest festivals in las vegas it was yet another record-setting year for the great american off-road race it's the end of lap one at the 52nd annual great american off-road race and the premier truck class known as the unlimited trucks are in the main pit for fuel tires and in some cases spare parts harley leitner started the race and led the entire first lap with clean air he had a massive lead on the other teams as he came into the main pit dale dondell meanwhile passed kyle jurgensen in the pits and took on fuel the two had been battling for second place for most of lap one dale hoped to get back out of his pit to stay ahead of kyle but jurgensen was in and out in seconds and slid into second place again to make matters worse luke mcmillan bryce menzies ryan arciaro and rob mack all drove past dondell while his crew struggled to button him up it was a tough turn of events for dale who had run hard and third all morning justin lofton was having a rough day so far as well he pitted 14th after a difficult start and some flat tires early on in lap one it would be very challenging for the champ to come from behind at this point meanwhile the baja trucks hit the pits and householder and williams came rolling in williams pit crew had to do some creative repairs on his front bumper he sat in fourth physically raphael navarro came into his pit next and stopped for fuel and tires he was still physically in eighth place and only a few minutes behind the baja truck class leader joe brain he had spent much of lap one chasing another young prodigy in the making pierce herbst who was showing signs of greatness early on lechner led the race out on lap two through the custom tony vanilla designed racecourse there were tens of thousands of off-road race fans on hand this year minutes later kyle jurgensen came through in his brentful unlimited truck the view from the mint 400 vip section is unlike any in the sport luke mcmillan came through next and third he picked up a spot in the pit and looked strong on his way around the infield then it was bryce menzies and ryan arciero rob mack and don dell now rounded out the chase pack in sixth and seventh up ahead letner was pushing 90 miles an hour into chokers having three feet of suspension travel helped keep him on the rubber coming into the sharp turn seconds later jurgensen took an outside line while macmillan drifted wide but tucked it back in bryce menzies meanwhile had re-emerged in fourth place and was putting his all-wheel drive truck to work this area of nevada was his backyard and bryce knew the pace he needed to win again cody parkhouse came sliding through next in first place in class one it was another dominating performance by park house motorsports so far this year several minutes later leitner pulled into pit a at race mile 32 he took on fuel and tires in a matter of seconds and was back out ripping his way through the fox proving grounds a second time jurgensen macmillan and menzies came through one after another minutes later each plowing through the boulder-laced field of destruction ten miles down course there was suddenly a disappointing setback for kyle jurgensen he was forced to pull over at race mile 48 luke mcmillan got past him but seconds later bryce had to pull over two both lost precious time making repairs within 15 minutes ryan arciero caught and passed jurgensen and was now right on menzies bumper as he got going again up ahead leitner ripped across rockets at 140 miles per hour he still looks strong and poised but was continuing to have overheating issues luke mcmillan was now in second place physically eight miles behind harley he needed to make up some time on the leader and force him to make a mistake it was time to drop the hammer bryce came by next and third and looked lightning fast but ryan arciero was on his tail now hoping for some clean air or a mistake by the young driver jurgensen was back in the game but his truck was looking bruised and battered he was right behind our sierra raphael navarro made his way through the fox proving grounds next he was now eighth on course behind the baja truck leader joe brain several minutes later there was a shakeup in class 10. number 1020 connor mcmullen got around chase warren at race mile 30 and moved out into the lead he came through the fox proving grounds minutes later in a dominating position but there was still a lot of racing left the father and son team of brian and cody parkhouse have been racing for decades and have amassed an impressive list of championship wins brian is one of few racers to win the mint three times in his career twice with his son cody by his side the family started parkhouse motorsports for fun before cody was born and what was once a hobby has now turned into a full-fledged professional race program like many families in the sport the parkhouse gang have worked their way up the ranks over the past few decades into one of the premier classes at the mint class 1 their fire-breathing class 1 buggy is a force to be reckoned with each time it sets foot on the dirt off-road racing is a dangerous sport and cody suffered a devastating injury while racing in mexico in 2016. luckily the young racer survived the ordeal and made a remarkable recovery cody crossed the finish line first at the mint in 2019 marking yet another milestone in his successful career i got started in off-road racing by being born into it essentially my dad started a couple years before i was born i grew up doing it i loved it i was hooked before i really even raced but once i raced i was fully hooked when my brother started racing at 1600 cody was getting to that age and that was kind of a plan to get him into 1600 and have them start getting some seat time and i wanted to move them up to one car with me i moved into the one car with my dad in 2010 so this will be the 11th year racing in one car family is huge in off-road racing there's not a lot of people who get to race with their dad with either their parents really but i'm one of them there's a few of us out there and i think we all cherish it very highly because it's something we get to do with our family and it means a lot it's a lot of fun [Music] cody parkhaus was involved in one of the most horrific accidents in all of off-road racing he went head-on with another driver on the highway in baja the other driver died and cody nearly died he spent days in the hospital and ended up with brain injuries we didn't know if he was gonna make it or not so the accident at the thousand in 2016 it obviously it affects me a lot but i think it affects everybody around me more even though i was the one actually going through it i'm also the one who had the brain injury who doesn't remember almost three months of my life it's just kind of like a bad dream i was actually back at horsepower ranch when we were staying because i'd gotten out on the pacific side and they came and got me up we got going it was just a tragic event and nobody liked seeing any of their loved ones needed to be airlifted out you know i did a lot of soul searching cody wanted to keep racing i wanted to keep racing and we kept at it [Music] but what's remarkable is not only did cody return to off-road racing but he's back at the top level there's always a plan and then everything happens and a lot of times it's like throwing a grenade in the trash can good luck finding any of the parts again if you have a flat early you know four or five cars get by you it's really difficult to come back from that the bfgs have been really rugged and and hold up to the abuse that we put them through i mean the flat that we had i smashed about a refrigerator that was a rock and i'm like holy cow and had to run on it for like 30 miles to the next pit so it was uh not good but we still did it if we won in 2020 again that would it'd be amazing i mean that'd be a back-to-back win it'd be our third win in class one i when we go out we want to win we want to win every race we go to and winning back to back would be awesome i mean the mendez turned into a very prestigious event and it's always good to be able to back it up [Music] it's the end of lap two at the great american off-road race and luke mcmillan who had moved into second place was suddenly forced to pull over while luke and his co-driver struggled to make the repair two-time mint 400 champion bryce menzies passed the stranded truck it would take several more minutes for luke to return to the race and he dropped back to fifth minutes later bryce came into the main pit with a rear flat the puncture had slowed him down considerably after passing macmillan luke drove past him seconds later and after a very brief pit stop he moved ahead of bryce back into fourth place kyle jurgensen came through battered but still in fifth place physically number 88 christian serapis meanwhile had emerged in sixth place in his white claw unlimited truck at the end of lap two rob mack and tim herbst rounded out the chase pack as the field set out for the second half of the race harley lechner once again led the pack through the starting gate and out on lap three he was now followed by ryan arciero in the number 32 levi's truck luke mcmillan was in third after passing bryce menzies in the pit and sat in fourth overall and kyle jurgensen was still in the hunt in fifth place [Music] leitner hit the warp zone for the third time and once again looked unstoppable he was clocking well over 150 miles an hour and was 13 miles ahead of the next truck on course he and his team owner kevin thompson were making a major statement to the world arciero remained on his six however ryan comes from a family of off-road legends and is a consistent finisher and threat one by one harley ryan luke and bryce smashed their way through chokers one last time during the daylight it would be dark on their final lap and things would become a lot more complicated up ahead in class seven randy merritt was in the proving grounds still on his second lap he was having a hell of a race he had put 15 miles of clean air between himself and the next truck in his class jeff proctor back at race mile 17 christian serapis was forced to pull over coming off warp zone his co-driver dove out of the truck and raced around it inspecting the vehicle seconds later he was passed by rob mack who moved up to sixth place rob was definitely a come-from-the-back threat and since he qualified eighth and was now in sixth that meant he had at least a minute of buffer on corrected time things were shaken up on lap three tim herbst meanwhile emerged from the dust having passed serapis as well he was now in seventh and also a danger to the lead pack on corrected time up ahead at pit a harley leitner swapped driving duties with his teammate and team owner kevin thompson kevin came firing through the proving grounds but he had slowed his pace some their motor was now hurting badly from overheating arcierro was a few miles off his bumper and running him down but exercising patience ryan knew that one flat tire could put him in the lead or take him out luke mcmillan came through next and third but bryce was right on his tail bryce was in a newer all-wheel drive truck with a bit more power than luke's but that didn't necessarily mean luke was outmatched meanwhile in class 10 connor mcmullen and chase warren were still dicing it up they reached pit b where mcmullen was forced to stop and warren took the opportunity to make the pass it was another major shakeup in the alumacraft class 10 shootout back up in the shooting range bryce sustained another flat and was forced to pull over again he was passed by kyle jurgensen and he lost about two minutes dropping back into fifth bryce's co-driver orrin anderson was getting one heck of a workout swapping 130 pound spare tires up front kevin thompson was still in the lead but our sierra was catching up fast to make matters worse his overheating issue which had plagued the concrete motorsports team all day was about to go critical thompson and lechner had driven the motor so hard it was literally beginning to melt down knocking like an old diesel and losing power fast there was simply nothing left in the old girl and so reluctantly kevin radioed the team and pulled off the course it was a bittersweet moment for the team which dominated time trials won the 1450 class on friday and led all 263 miles of the race thus far in their shadow a hungry ryan arciero pounced at the chance to take the lead and he rocketed out front he did not stop in pit b and continued charging ahead luke mcmillan meanwhile stopped in pit b for several minutes but was able to get going again and stay in front of kyle jurgensen who was now in third a few minutes ahead of menzies back in the baja truck class terry and adam householder had taken a commanding lead at the end of lap two they moved out in front and led all of lap three thus far they were now four miles ahead of justin blauer in second while travis williams and brad lovell held down third and fourth this was the debut of the baja truck class at the mid this year and there were 23 teams competing the trucks are similar in design to the 6100 class but with less restrictions on tire size and motor power in class 10 chase warren was still in the lead he had opened up a few minutes on connor mcmullen up at pit b bryce stopped took on fuel and fresh spare tires and was back out still ahead of rob mack arciero led the race for the next 30 miles uncontested he remained several miles ahead of luke mcmillan kyle jergensen and bryce menzies bryce meanwhile was trying to reel in jurgensen before getting to prim at the end of lab 3. it would be much easier to make a stab at the wind on lap four with only two trucks ahead of him but for nearly 20 miles kyle held bryce off and he retained his position heading into the main pit back in class seven jeff proctor was racing his honda ridgeline like a pro he was still in second behind randy merritt in the front ryan arciero came flying towards the official mint 400 prim valley start finish line luke kyle and bryce remained behind him he pulled into his pit and the crew mounted his light bar in a matter of seconds he was given gas and a fresh set of rear tires behind him luke mcmillan closed the gap and then pulled into his own pit for much of the same bryce menzies meanwhile opted not to pit the two-time mid-400 champ now sat in third place the navarro family has been racing off-road competitively for three generations and rafael navarro iv has been steadily climbing the ranks of professional racers since winning a class 10 championship in 2016. the family owns and operates pete's camp in beautiful san felipe mexico which offers a gorgeous front door view of the sea of cortez pete's camp has become an outpost for racers and friends from the off-road community and it's under the banner of pete's camp racing that the family ventured north to compete at the mint 400 in the baja truck class as my dad's off-road racing family kind of grew i started going to the different races going to the mint when i was a kid going to laughlin you know all the different races around uh in the states and down in baja with different family friends and stuff like that and ever since then it's just kind of been increasingly just more fun more stuff more more experiences that i've experienced and it's been an awesome ride you know you're always on the go you're always getting ready for the next race so what do you do you know what's natural you bring your kid you know and being a boy you know you know what what better fit is there right you know his your hero's become his heroes and uh you know that's how uh you know we we've bonded and we've grown and we share a love and a passion for the same thing [Music] being a third generation racer is it means a lot to me i'm really proud of that fact because i mean racing is something that we do that we love and what's awesome is that you know every race we go to i know my grandpa and dad are going to be there no matter what that's kind of one of the coolest things being a third generation racer we all eat sleep and breathe it i mean that's all we want to do and to have their support it means the world all in all i mean the family cores and values were all maintained that was my deal with my dad hey man get good grades get a degree you get to go racing as much as you want we're going to support you college was a mandatory thing get an education super important and my love for racing that really pushed this drive for me to go get an engineering degree i mean i loved it this stuff was was at its core what i wanted to do problem solving at the end of the day i got the degree and now i get to use it in my day-to-day working on the race truck and designing new parks [Music] my family's history with off-road started with me as far as um getting myself into a seat with racing i said okay dad help me at least do it once you've asked me to go on to to professional studies and i've graduated from ucla i'm going to be going to law school would you at least help me get into one race he lived up to it and he said yes i will i remember the first race that he entered and his first race was just he was just riding along and the driver the owner of the car couldn't continue because a lot of dust got inside it was a lot of salt and he asked my son here you want to drive yeah so it jumps into the border loco and then describe the races me and papa we were flying and they put another car driver with him and he said he went around oh he made it through and he finished and they finished in first place in the sport you got to have the best and there's no there's no way of getting around it and we choose to partner with bfg and that's all who i've ever raced on is bfg because i believe in their product i believe in what their brand is i i respect them i mean there's a reason i've stuck with them for however long i've been racing oh man the mint's tough dude it's tough it's all about attrition taking care of your equipment you got to be smart you got to really be smart a lot of people just want to push the truck to the limit for a slap you can't do it 15 to 20 finishing rate i mean that tells you how tough that race is and it's gonna put everybody's prep to the test everybody's machines to the test and put them to the test a win at the 2020 mid-400 would it would mean so much to me the truck's there time to put it in kill mode and really kick some ass and you know go win the thing it's been a long time coming [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's the final lap of the most challenging off-road race in america and the race course is strewn with broken and battered vehicles everywhere of the more than 100 racers who left the start line nearly 30 percent of them have already succumbed to mechanical failure the course has eroded into a jagged minefield of unearthed boulders and blinding chalky dust and the racers have been driving for five hours non-stop at breakneck speeds and if that wasn't enough it was about to get very very dark ryan arciero and the 32 levi's unlimited truck consumed the lead on lap 3 after kevin thompson and harley lechner melted their motor right behind him sat luke mcmillan who'd been patiently running in the top five all day he looked poised and fresh as he ripped through the infield one last time but behind him sat two-time mid-400 champion and las vegas native bryce menzies could ryan and luke hold the champ off for a hundred more miles then there was the wild card of the race kyle jurgensen a relative newcomer to the class who was having one hell of a coming out party at the mint this year he was running fourth and still applying pressure forward minutes later the leaders hit chokers for the final time our sierro made navigating 36-inch ruts look easy as did luke who seemed to float across them next but bryce was on a mission to reel the leaders in and this was a good spot to do it he turned the corner and appeared to be a mere hundred yards off luke's bumper suddenly there was a shake up in the lead pack after qualifying second and running in the top five all day kyle jurgensen sustained a mechanical failure and was forced to pull over it was a very tough break for the team after demonstrating such a dominant performance meanwhile our sierra was hitting some lap traffic near race mile 29 luke and bryce were both on his tail and seconds apart it was now a three-man three-team race to the finish at the most prestigious desert off-road race in america luke passed rafael navarro who was still on lap three and running strong each of the lead racers were running near 100 as the light began to fade and the thick dust hung in the air ryan drove through an eerily empty pit a with the chase pack in sight then he gassed it headlong into the fox proving grounds seconds later luke mcmillan came through he was exercising patients normally seen in much older racers staying just outside ryan's dust bryce meanwhile was driving on pure instinct this was his backyard and he knew just about every turn and bump by heart minutes later they raced into the quarry and spectator area 2 a short course style section of the track with lots of quick turns and elevation changes luckily for all of them it wasn't pitch dark yet and the crowd went nuts as they passed through one final time they worked their way past the quarry and up towards the shooting range there were still a handful of racers from other classes on the course minutes later ryan came firing across rockets at breakneck speed near race mile 63. luke was right behind him and came by seconds later followed by bryce menzies who was now pushing up very close to luke's bumper all three racers came driving through pit b but none of them stopped there was no time for fuel or tires stopping now would mean giving up an overall and class victory our sierra launched out of pit b and down course still in front meanwhile back in the fox proving grounds the parkhouse team came through and were dominating class 1 running out front as well number 38 eric houstead and number 19 tim herbst were still charging along 13 miles behind the leaders in fourth and fifth place in unlimited then up ahead there was another major shake-up in the lead back ryan arciero who'd been running out front for over 100 miles and had clean air and his eyes on the finish line suddenly lost his left rear tire and was forced to pull over within a matter of seconds luke mcmillan came screaming past the stranded team and moved into first place and a minute later bryce menzies did the same a painful nine minutes after arcierro got back in the course and was moving again he was still seven miles ahead of eric houstead and had third place locked up but his hopes for a mint 400 victory were now gone up ahead luke mcmillan remained focused and poised but with two-time mid-400 champion bryce menzies breathing down his neck bryce was about two miles behind him with lap traffic in between luke knew bryce was capable of catching him the last 11 miles seemed to drag on forever but luke finally hit the home stretch he came flying across the finish line with a time of six hours 49 minutes 52 seconds over eight minutes ahead of second place bryce menzies 27 year old luke mcmillan of macmillan racing from el cajon california driving for four-wheel parts bf goodrich tires fox shocks and method race wheels celebrated with his co-driver jason duncan and the entire macmillan race team as they were presented with a ten thousand dollar check from fox shocks and a 25 000 check from bf goodrich tires in addition to the 15 000 overall mid 400 purse this was luke's first mint 400 victory and was a fitting tribute to his father mark who won the race himself back in 1988. it was an incredible performance from the young man who started in the third row and beat out an extremely talented and diverse field of competition oh man i don't even know where to start you know my dad won this race over 30 years ago our family's been desert racing for over 50 years and uh we've got we've got one big win on this truck but this truck's been a gremlin of mine for six or so years that we've owned it i never gave up on it my team never gave up gave up on it and uh there was definitely a lot of long nights and days where we thought about it but there's no way so just just get this 83 truck up there you know what this truck means to me and i pour my heart and soul into it so just just to get put this truck on the top of the box and have my family here means everything we pushed it hard all day the fourth lap i mean as expected was just gnarly just square edge and just tough you know there's just times where we're screaming second gear i guess let's pull in third just to take it easy on the drivetrain or whatnot but we were chasing guys all the way all day long going back and forth uh right now got out in front of us and uh finally pulled over with about 40 miles to go and from there it was try to put my head down and focus on every each and every turn to not get distracted and not let my mind wander and uh you know all we had to do was not get a flat tire and bf goodrich tires is uh absolutely dominant you know i mean there's no question about it i'm so proud of that proud of our team put the bf goodrich team along with the method race wheels four-wheel parts and piston pete's beer on top number one baby bryce menzies would have to settle for second place this year it was a very respectable performance for the las vegas native after pushing hard all day and ryan arciero took third after leading for much of lap three and four it was a bittersweet podium finish for the seasoned racer but a fantastic showcase nonetheless he finished a mere 90 seconds behind second place after 400 miles of hell [Music] tim herbst steve oligus and rob mccarron each came rolling through the finish over the next few minutes then the team of park house motorsports came flying across first in class one they would end up 90 minutes ahead of second place jay reichert it was the third mint 400 victory for brian and cody parkhouse and a dominating win this year in the baja truck class another father and son team terry and adam householder came across the finish line first they beat out second place justin blauer by six and a half minutes and travis chase who took third the householders third consecutive amsoil pit crew challenge win and their dominating performance in the baja truck class was proof their team was a force to be reckoned with in the alumacraft class 10 shootout 34 year old preston brigman from highland utah took home first place he finished several minutes ahead of brent fox and connor mcmullen who took third the three men would split 35 000 in cash all thanks to alumacraft pro-am competitive metals cbr performance products and redline performance mike neff would end up finishing first in the 6100 class and randy merritt took home the win in class 7. here's a look at the top finishers from every class for the 2020 bf goodrich tires mint 400 unlimited race while the unlimited class winners and their teams began to celebrate and recover there were many teams still on course struggling to complete their races it would be several hours before many of these drivers would see the finish line but they refused to give up number 54 robert johnston raced for over 10 and a half hours but still managed to find the checkers as did heath shoop in the 232 baja truck a testament to the perseverance and stamina of his team just finishing the mint is an incredible accomplishment and this year was by far one of the most difficult on record of the 500 plus race teams that left the start line only 47 finished the grueling marathon also out on the course late that night keeping a watchful eye on the race teams was a legion of volunteer course workers and the safety professionals of motorsports safety solutions special thanks to all who volunteered their time marshaling and operating the race this year the great american off-road race will return to las vegas march 3rd through 7th in 2021 visit themint400.com or facebook.com the mint 400 for complete details [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] you

Channel: The Mint 400

Views: 36,727

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Id: j-pUJtneT04

Length: 75min 34sec (4534 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 26 2020