The Mint 400 |
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Official Site: TheMint400.com
Wikipedia: The Mint 400 Page Sections History Article Index |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Automotive Industries page on 1 August 2020, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Mint 400 is an annual American desert off-road race which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was resumed in 2008 after a 20-year hiatus.
The race was for both motorcycles, until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles (buggies, cars and trucks) sponsored by Del Webb's Mint Hotel and Casino. Del Webb, a real estate developer and friend of Howard Hughes, was owner of the Mint Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. It became known as The Great American Desert Race.
Norm Johnson created "The Mint '400' Del Webb Desert Rally" in 1968 in his role as promotions director of The Mint Hotel & Casino. The first race sent 101 vehicles across roughly 400 miles (640 km) of desert, from The Mint Hotel in Las Vegas to the Sahara Tahoe at Stateline (Lake Tahoe).
The future of the Mint 400 race came into question in 1988 following the sale of Del Webb's Mint Hotel & Casino to Jack Binion, owner of the Horseshoe Club. However, as a testament to the race itself, the prestige and importance of the event created by veteran race director K.J. Howe and the Mint management team and the financial benefit this promotion brought to the City of Las Vegas, under new ownership the annual Mint 400 Off Road Race continued to be run in 1988 and 1989.
New owner Binion felt the race and its ancillary activities along Fremont Street had a negative impact on his casinos. So, the race was no longer held after the 1989 Mint 400.
The Mint was not held for nearly twenty years, then was restarted by long-time sponsor General Tire with help from the Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts group. General Tire has been the title sponsor of the race ever since. SNORE eventually sold the franchise to film and television producers Matt and Joshua Martelli – marking the next significant chapter in the Mints evolution. The race resumed on March 29, 2008. The race was preceded by inspections of the vehicles on Fremont Street in the Fremont East district.
In 2012 The Martelli Brothers partnered with off-road industry veteran Casey Folks, owner of the largest off-road desert racing organization in the world, the Best in the Desert Racing Association. The Mint was added to the Best in the Desert championship schedule, and a new 100 mi (160 km) race loop was carved out for the 400 mi (640 km) contest. The number of entries swelled to an astounding three hundred and twenty three race teams, making the Mint 400 one of the largest off-road races in the world.
The Martelli Brothers featured a brand new event this year called the Method Race Wheels Pit Crew Challenge! Sixteen pit crews from the top unlimited truck teams competed in a head-to-head battle to decide who had the best crew. Each of the three-man teams were given one jack, one impact gun, and one spare tire. The team who completed two tire changes the fastest, advanced to the next round. Over 10,000 spectators on Fremont Street, showed up to cheer on the teams. After several close and heated rounds the General Tire/THR team – which included drivers Mikey Childress, Rick Johnson, and crewmember James Walker – out pitted the field to win the inaugural Method Race Wheels Pit Crew Challenge.
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
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| 8 March 2016 | 4 Wheel Parts Revved Up for The Mint 400 Off-Road Race | 4 Wheel Parts |
| 27 February 2017 | 4 Wheel Parts Sharing in the Legacy of Iconic Mint 400 Off-Road Race | 4 Wheel Parts |
| 8 March 2017 | Greg Adler Seizes Victory in Iconic Mint 400 Off-Road Race | 4 Wheel Parts |