Luke McMillin races to victory in Mint 400 off-road race

At the end, it was a familiar name that came home first in the Mint 400. And this year, Luke McMillin had to go the extra mile — 28 in fact — to continue the family tradition.

With the course lengthened to four laps and 428 miles, McMillin was able to overhaul the early pacesetters and post his first victory in the prestigious off-road race starting and finishing in Primm. The win came 32 years after his father, Mark, finished first in 1988.

“I can’t believe it,” said Luke McMillin, who had help from co-driver Jason Duncan. “We worked so hard. This truck, we built in 2014, and I can’t believe we just won the Mint 400. That’s badass.”

McMillin and Duncan’s winning time was 6:49:32. It was the fourth overall victory in the Mint for the McMillin family. Andy McMillin, Luke’s cousin, won in 2009 and 2014.

Harley Letner grabbed the early lead and appeared headed for the victory before a head gasket problem knocked him out. That set the stage for a three-way battle between the unlimited trucks of Ryan Arciero, McMillin and Las Vegan Bryce Menzies.

The trio began the last lap bunched within four seconds. When Arciero suffered a flat tire, McMillin inherited the lead and held off Menzies for the win. The margin of victory was 8 minutes, 16 seconds.

Las Vegas veterans Tim Herbst and Rob MacCachren, the 2017 Mint winner, finished fourth and eighth, respectively. Former NASCAR competitor Justin Lofton, who was bidding for an unprecedented fourth overall Mint triumph, settled for 15th.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.