Preview: The Mint 400 events kick off today in Downtown Las Vegas
With NASCAR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and March Madness looming, The Mint 400 off-road race starts the heart pumping and adrenaline flowing one week earlier than normal. More than 60,000 spectators are expected for the weekend festivities.
Today at 12:45 p.m. as grand marshal, I will ride in the Odyssey Battery Humvee to lead the parade of more than 350 bone-rattling cars from Gene Woods Racing Experience Go-Kart parking lot opposite McCarran Airport along two lanes closed off on the northbound Strip from Sunset Road to 4th Street and end on Fremont Street East.
It’s the official kickoff to The 2017 Polaris Mint 400 presented by BF Goodrich Tires and signals a five-day event with kickoff party at Atomic Liquors as of 2 p.m. Here’s a YouTube video of last year’s race.
On Thursday, there are time trials and pit crew challenge on Fremont Street at 9th. On Friday, tech and contingency events are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We’ll meet with racing media at Commonwealth at 1 p.m. Last year’s Mint 400 winner, Justin Lofton, joins me along with LeRoy Wickham, 76, who competed in the first Mint race in 1968.
On Saturday, there are two race start times at Buffalo Bills in Primm: 8 a.m. for the limited race, and at 1 p.m. I’ll drop the green flag for the unlimited race. Hogs & Heifers Saloon hosts the after-party, with an awards brunch at Golden Nugget on Sunday wrapping the week.
It is rugged in The Mojave Desert on the 120-mile loop course from the state line at Primm to the edge of Las Vegas for this ultimate racing test of man vs. machine, but when it comes to food and beverage, it’s all about premium levels. As a spectator-friendly off-road race, The Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli has set up five spectator areas to put fans safely in front of high-speed racers.
Baja superstar chef Drew Deckman has driven in from the Guadalupe wine valley region of Mexico to handle dining masterminded by Las Vegas’ Production Theory, the parent to Motley Brews and The Great Vegas Festival of Beer now in its seventh year.
The Mint 400 is known as “The Great American Off Road Race” and is the oldest and most prestigious and challenging off-road race on Earth. The annual 400-mile marathon among the world’s top off-road racers includes more than 350 teams in 24 classes of vehicles.
Established in 1967, The Mint 400 is steeped in American lore. Thousands of racers and celebrities have attempted to tame the brutal Nevada desert, but less than half of them have finished the course.
It’s certain to be a wild weekend of thrills, spills and chills with more than $10 million in racecars under Las Vegas’ neon spotlights. Come join us for the excitement and unbelievable action in the desert and Downtown!
