2020 BFGoodrich Mint 400
The Great American Off-Road Race 2020
The BFGoodrich Mint 400 was one for the record books! Competitors had to conquer 428 miles of brutal Mojave Desert terrain outside of Las Vegas. The race consisted of four laps of the 107-mile course, with rapidly deteriorating conditions throughout the day.
Mint 400 Off-Road Festival on Freemont Street
Luke McMillin, in the #83 Unlimited Truck, took the Overall Win in a time of 6 hours, 49 minutes, and 52 seconds. Two-time winner Bryce Menzies, with his AWD Unlimited Truck, got Second Place. Ryan Arciero took Third. The race was close super close, as less than ten minutes separated the top three trucks.
Sarah Price makes her Unlimited Class debut.
McMillin’s winning truck was built all the way back in 2014, and his win shows that a proven and properly set up vehicle can win over the latest technology. This year’s race was so brutal that it really came down to the durability of the truck, mechanical sympathy by the drivers and good tires.
McMillin’s truck was running 40-inc BFG Baja KR3 race tires. This marked the eighth consecutive overall win for BFG at the Mint 400. This is the second year as the title sponsor of the event for the company, with a signed deal already in place to sponsor the next 4 years.
The trucks are lined up at the start and safety gets set.
“BFGoodrich has a proud legacy at the Mint 400. This was our eighth consecutive overall win, and put the spotlight on Luke McMillin, a young driver who we’re proud to have on our team,” said BFGoodrich motorsports manager Peter Calhoun.
There were fast head-to-head starts in front of a big crowd.
The McMillin off-road racing dynasty is still going strong! Luke’s father Mark McMillin took the Overall Mint 400 win all the way back in 1988. Luke’s cousin Andy McMillin also took top honors in both 2009 and 2014.
Primm, Nevada, is the home of the Mint 400.
Blown head gaskets, flat tires and other mechanical issues caused by the absolutely torturous course made the race a major test of durability and resolve. The lead changed hands a number of times throughout the race, but it wasn’t until about mid-way through the last lap that McMillin was able to take the lead.
Besides the start most of the course is wide open desert terrain
Besides the big boys in the unlimited trucks there was also a huge field of racers that spanned age, gender and vehicle type. The youngest racer we heard about was 7 years old, in a UTV. About 65 women competed in the race, as well, which is impressive in such a male-dominated sport. Vehicles ranged from dirt bikes, to UTV, to buggies, to crazy AWD unlimited trophy trucks, and everything in between.
Trucks took a beating on this year’s tough course.
If you ever get the chance to see this race firsthand, don’t hesitate to seize the opportunity. It kicks off with a massive off-road expo along Freemont Street in old Vegas with demos, pit-crew challenges, and so much more. The event then heads out into the desert near Primm where the start line is a hive active with vendors, flat track motorcycle racing, a short coarse start/finish line for the big race and so so much more.
The race starts midday and stretches well into the night.
