Off-road racing and culture made its triumphant return to Fremont Street East in downtown Las Vegas on Thursday with the annual Mint 400 Off-Road Festival. Dozens of the world’s foremost racing, automotive, and off-road brands brought their traveling exhibits to the city for a full day of promotions for race fans and tourists, while hundreds of trucks, cars, motorcycles, UTVs, and more that will be competing in this weekend’s event paraded through the festival as part of the tech and contingency procedure.
“Every year, the Mint 400 Off-Road Festival serves as proof positive that the sport of off-road racing is as strong as it’s ever been,” said Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli. “Seeing new fans stumble upon the sport for the first time is an incredibly gratifying part of why we put the Off-Road Festival together. But it’s also a terrific opportunity to bring all of the biggest names in the sport together in one place, in the center of a major urban environment. By bringing the sport to the people, we hope to bring more people to the sport as we get set for two days of racing in Primm on Friday and Saturday.”
A signature event as part of the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 every year, the Mint 400 Off-Road Festival welcomes every competitor and event partner each year to an all-day takeover of Fremont Street. With tens of thousands of competitors, sponsors, and fans passing through every year, it’s one of the largest celebrations of the sport of off-road racing anywhere in the world. It’s also one of many opportunities on race week for fans to get up close and personal with million-dollar race vehicles, as this year’s nearly 400 entries each paraded through the tech and contingency line that runs straight through the festival.
The Mint 400 has held the title of the toughest, most spectacular off-road race in North America since 1968 when it was first run. Initially, the race was a public relations event promoting the Mint Hotel’s annual deer hunt. but what started out as a hotel promotion soon grew into a legitimate desert race. Since its 2008 revival, “The Great American Off-Road Race” has only gotten bigger and more prestigious, and deeper fields every year only make it tougher to win.
The 2021 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 continues on Friday in Primm, with the Limited race kicking off two full days of competition. More information on the event for racers and spectators is available at TheMint400.com, or follow the event on Facebook and Instagram.
