The Mint 400 is an annual American desert off-road race held in Nevada, near Las Vegas. First run in 1968 as a promotional event for The Mint Hotel and Casino, it became known as "The Great American Off-Road Race".

The event includes multiple off-road vehicle categories, including motorcycles, UTVs, buggies, cars and trucks. After a long hiatus following the late 1980s, the race was revived in 2008 and later became part of modern desert-racing series competition.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the race attracted competitors from several branches of motorsport, as well as celebrities from film, television and entertainment. The partnership with Best in the Desert ended after the 2019 season, with the Mint 400 operated independently from 2020.

In 2023, the Martelli Brothers formed Unlimited Off-Road Racing, whose events included the Mint 400, the California 300 and the Parker 400. In 2025, Unlimited Off-Road Racing and Best in the Desert announced the formation of the American Off-Road Racing Championship.

Format and classes

The modern Mint 400 is run over a desert course of roughly and includes separate races for different vehicle categories. Current classes include unlimited trucks, limited trucks, open-wheel desert cars, UTVs, stock-production vehicles, vintage vehicles, motorcycles, youth classes and other specialty divisions.

Winners

Modern overall four-wheel winners

The following table lists overall four-wheel winners since the race was revived in 2008.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Year !! Winner

|-

| 2008 || Brian Collins and Chuck Hovey

|-

| 2009 || Andy McMillin

|-

| 2010 || Roger Norman

|-

| 2011 || B. J. Baldwin

|-

| 2012 || Robby Gordon

|-

| 2013 || Bryce Menzies

|-

| 2014 || Steve Sourapas and Andy McMillin

|-

| 2015 || Justin Lofton

|-

| 2016 || Justin Lofton

|-

| 2017 || Rob MacCachren

|-

| 2018 || Bryce Menzies

|-

| 2019 || Justin Lofton

|-

| 2020 || Luke McMillin and Jason Duncan

|-

| 2021 || Rob MacCachren and Cayden MacCachren

|-

| 2022 || Kyle Jergensen and Shawn Shanks

|-

| 2023 || Eric Hardin and Andrew Myers

|-

| 2024 || Adam Householder and Trevor Ellingham

|-

| 2025 || Adam Householder and Trevor Ellingham

|-

| 2026 || Kyle Jergensen and Shawn Shanks

|}

Motorcycle winners

Motorcycles were part of the early Mint 400 and returned in the modern era.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Year !! Winner

|-

| 1968 || J. N. Roberts and Gunnar Lindstrom

|-

| 1969 || Mike Patrick and Phil Bowers

|-

| 1970 || Mike Patrick and Phil Bowers

|-

| 1971 || J. N. Roberts and Max Switzer

|-

| 1972 || Rolf Tibblin and Bob Grossi

|-

| 1973 || Rolf Tibblin and Mitch Mayes

|-

| 1974 || No race

|-

| 1975 || Mark Mason and Jack Johnson

|-

| 1976 || Rolf Tibblin and Jack Johnson

|-

| 2022 || Dalton Shirey and David Kamo

|}

Notable entrants

The Mint 400 has attracted competitors from several areas of motorsport and entertainment. Notable entrants have included Parnelli Jones, Al Unser, Rick Mears, Rodger Ward, Mickey Thompson, Ivan Stewart, Walker Evans, Rod Hall, James Garner, Steve McQueen, Mort Sahl, Gordon Cooper and Ted Nugent.

The Mint 400 is closely associated with Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which began with Thompson's assignment to cover the 1971 race. The race also appears in the 1998 film adaptation, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

References

  • Official results