Brett Sourapas’ return to the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Unlimited Race will see him take the green flag first on Saturday. Thanks to a time of 6:06.643 in Friday’s qualifying session, the driver of the #88 Unlimited Truck 4WD has earned the right to start the 2026 edition of the Great American Off-Road Race without opposition.
Two-time defending Unlimited Race winner Adam Householder kicked things off for the 2WD trucks and laid down a 6:14.520 that would withstand challenges from regular top qualifiers like Nic Whetstone and Ryan Arciero, but Justin “Bean” Smith, qualifying for Tracy Graf, would put a 4WD truck on the top spot with a 6:08.881. That advantage would hold until the final few entries in the first group, when Sourapas would best him by just under two seconds.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson’s return to the desert got off to a wild start on Friday, as he rolled the truck on the final corner before the finish line. However, he wasn’t the only one whose qualifying run didn’t go as planned; Parker 400 winner Robby Gordon wasn’t able to post a time after one of the engines in his dual-engine 4WD truck needed work, while former Unlimited Race winner Eric Hardin walked away from a spectacular rollover that cut his run short.
For Unlimited Truck SPEC, which qualified on its own after the other Unlimited classes wrapped, Kyle Jergensen’s 6:28.225 set an immediate benchmark that would hold for the entire session. Conner McMullen, last year’s SPEC class winner and top qualifier, came closest, as the only driver to post a time within five seconds of Jergensen.
Joining the Unlimited Race entries in qualifying were the Open Pro Motorcycle racers who will head up tomorrow’s Motorcycle Race. Defending race winner Dalton Shirey topped the field with a 5:53.764, followed closely by Shane Logan and 2024 Motorcycle Race winner Preston Campbell.
Qualifying results for the 2026 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Unlimited and Motorcycle Races were as follows:
Unlimited Race Group 1
- 88 Brett Sourapas, Unlimited Truck 4WD, 6:06.643
- 58 Tracy Graf, Unlimited Truck 4WD, 6:08.881
- 24 Adam Householder, Unlimited Truck 2WD, 6:14.520
- 18 Nic Whetstone, Unlimited Truck 2WD, 6:15.488
- 100 Dale Dondel, Unlimited Truck 2WD, 6:23.651
- 32 Ryan Arciero, Unlimited Truck 2WD, 6:23.705
- 3 Michael Scafuto, Unlimited Truck 4WD, 6:28.836
- U125 Vaughn Gittin Jr., Class 1 Unlimited, 6:30.016
- 78 Tracy Poole, Unlimited Truck 2WD, 6:31.899
- 27T Steve Olliges, Unlimited Truck 2WD, 6:36.069
Unlimited Race Group 2 (Unlimited Truck SPEC)
- 222 Kyle Jergensen, 6:28.225
- 240 Conner McMullen, 6:32.860
- 272 Dustin Grabowski, 6:36.822
- 279 Cole Hardin, 6:40.571
- 251 Dane Miller, 6:42.668
Open Pro Motorcycle
- N46 Dalton Shirey, 5:53.764
- N1 Shane Logan, 5:56.920
- N3 Preston Campbell, 5:58.700
- N2 Ciaran Naran, 6:05.530
- N7 Danny Cooper, 6:11.237
Focus now turns to Saturday’s race day. The Motorcycle Race kicks off at 7AM, a pair of Youth Races will go green at 8AM, and the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Unlimited Race will begin at 10:45AM. Live streaming will kick off at 10:15AM PT/1:15PM ET, with online coverage at themint400.com/live, RACER+, Speed Sport 1, SPEED on FOX, and on national TV via the RACER Network. The full race schedule can be found at https://themint400.com/schedule/.
The Mint 400 has carried the reputation as the toughest, most spectacular off-road race in North America since 1968, when it first roared to life in the Nevada desert. What began as a clever public relations stunt to promote the Mint Hotel’s annual deer hunt quickly evolved into something far bigger. A legitimate desert race forged in dust, horsepower, and bravado. By the 1970s, the Mint wasn’t just a race. It was a cultural moment. Immortalized by Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it became a symbol of American excess, grit, and wide-open desert freedom.
After decades of dormancy, the event was revived in 2008 by brothers Matthew and Joshua Martelli, who rebuilt it from the ground up with a singular mission. To restore its mythic status while elevating the professionalism, safety, and prestige of modern desert racing. Since that revival, “The Great American Off-Road Race” has only grown larger, deeper, and more competitive. The fields get stronger every year. The stakes get higher. And winning The Mint 400 remains one of the hardest achievements in off-road racing.
This year’s Mint 400 will take place from March 4th – 8th in Las Vegas. More information on the event for racers and spectators is available at TheMint400.com, or follow the event on Facebook and Instagram.
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 Mint 400
The Mint 400 is the oldest and most prestigious off-road race in America, and is held each March in the treacherous foothills of Sin City. The multi-day event features a massive vehicle parade down the world famous Las Vegas Strip, a two day festival on historic Fremont Street, and two days of grueling off-road racing on a desolate and punishing 400-mile racecourse. Nearly 65,000 off-road and recreational enthusiasts come to watch 500 race teams in 50+ classes from 25 different states and 15 different countries go door to door, while the Livestream coverage is beamed to over 800,000 viewers worldwide. No other off road race allows fans the thrilling experience of watching the top off-road race teams from around the world battle for fame and glory, in a festival setting – complete with a luxury VIP section. The Mint 400 is “The Great American Off-Road Race”!
