After a nail-biting finish, off-road stars Robby and Max Gordon are the overall winners of the 2026 Parker 400 Unlimited Race. The father-son team completed three laps of the challenging Parker course in 5:37:49, topping not only the Unlimited Truck 4WD class, but also the full field of more than 40 entries. The win was the first overall victory for the twin-engine, Geiser Brothers-built truck.
“We came off the start line fourth today and we knew we had a four-minute gap to Tracy (Graf),” Max Gordon said at the finish. “It was basically follow the leader most of the first lap. We were right in (Jack) Olliges’ dust, then we could see Rubik, then I could see Tracy. Kole (Cramer) did a great job in the right seat. What took us to the front today was I think staying consistent and keeping on moving. We didn’t get out one time, and that was maybe the key to winning this thing.”
“My job was getting the truck to the finish line,” added Robby Gordon. “I knew what I had to do because I knew where Graf was. We had our stopwatch on, and we knew we were within a minute and a half. Right at the end, we pushed pretty hard, and we got within 10 seconds of them before we got dusted out, but we knew the most important thing was not getting a flat tire, and we didn’t get any. We worked on the car in the pits, but we didn’t get out of the car, and that was the key to the whole thing.”
The race started with fellow 4WD class racer Justin “Bean” Smith first on course, thanks to the fastest overall qualifying time in Lake Havasu City on Thursday. But despite starting further down the grid, the Gordons would make quick work of their competition, carving through the field to get past Smith and driver of record Tracy Graf early on the time sheets and setting up one of the battles that would define the day.
2WD teams led by Jack Olliges and Nic Whetstone would settle into second and third overall at the end of the first lap, but it was SPEC class leader Kyle Jergensen whose charge through the field proved most captivating. Racers and fans alike were on edge all day waiting for his lap times to come in as the former Mint 400 winner clawed his way through traffic. By the end of lap two, he was on the overall podium; at race’s end, it looked like he might have a shot at the overall win before penalties were applied.
In the end, Jergensen would still claim the SPEC class win ahead of Cole Hardin and RJ Stidham, while Olliges survived a high-attrition 2WD battle to come in ahead of Shane Lewis as podium contenders Whetstone and Dave Mason Jr. failed to finish the third lap. More than half of Saturday’s starters completed all three laps of the race, and all three truck class winners did so in under six hours.
Results from the 2026 Parker 400 Unlimited Race were as follows:
Unlimited Truck 4WD
- 5 Robby/Max Gordon, 3 laps, 5:38:49.115
- 58 Tracy Graf/Justin Smith, 3 laps, 5:40:31.237
Unlimited Truck 2WD
- 27T Jack Olliges, 3 laps, 5:52:49.533
- 74L Shane Lewis, 3 laps, 6:03:05.225
- 8 Todd Wyllie, 3 laps, 6:13:36.505
Unlimited Truck SPEC
- 222 Kyle Jergensen, 3 laps, 5:42:10.091
- 279 Cole Hardin, 3 laps, 5:44:12.757
- 280 RJ Stidham, 3 laps, 5:51:42.260
- 272 Dustin Grabowski, 3 laps, 5:54:32.242
- 273 Jordan Brenthel, 3 laps, 6:08:38.114
Live timing, tracking, and results can be found all weekend at TheParker400.com.
Details regarding racer registration, sponsorship packages, exhibitor vending, spectator tickets, camping, and parking passes for the American Off-Road Racing Championship are live on americanoffroadracingchampionship.com.
About the American Off-Road Racing Championship:
The American Off-Road Racing Championship (AORC) is the premier desert off-road racing league in North America, created through the unification of Best in the Desert (BITD) and Unlimited Off-Road Racing (UNLTD). Best in the Desert, founded in 1984 by legendary racer Casey Folks, is the longest-running and most respected off-road racing series in the U.S., with a legacy that includes iconic events like Vegas to Reno, the Silver State 300, the Parker 425, and the Laughlin Desert Classic. Unlimited Off-Road Racing, established by the Martelli Brothers in 2023, produces world-class events such as The Mint 400, The California 300, and The Parker 400. UNLTD is recognized for its focus on innovation, storytelling, and large-scale racer participation, with events known for high car counts, challenging courses, pre-running, and family-friendly fan experiences near major markets.
Together under the AORC banner, BITD and UNLTD preserve the heritage of desert racing while building its future—offering racers, sponsors, and fans a unified championship built on clarity, consistency, and world-class competition.
