Hundreds of Race Teams and Thousands of Race Fans Descend Upon
Las Vegas, NV for The 2013 General Tire Mint 400 presented by Polaris
Over 250 off-road race teams, and tens of thousands of off-road enthusiasts are about to converge on Sin City…Las Vegas, NV for “The Great American Off-Road Race”! Drivers and crews representing 14 different countries, and spanning every continent – will complete in 21 different classes of vehicles during The 2013 General Tire Mint 400 presented by Polaris. The world famous Mint 400 will kick off Wednesday March 20th with the first ever “4wheel Parts Off-Road Vehicle Parade”, at 3:15pm near Circus Circus Hotel and Casion, and will feature more than eighty custom built off-road trucks and buggies parading down Las Vegas Boulevard. Festivities will continue Thursday afternoon and all day Friday on Fremont Street East, and culminate with the most challenging and brutal off-road race in America on Saturday, March 23rd. The Mint 400 festivities and race spectating are completely free and open to the public.
The massive field of competitors includes 256 entries, including 41 “Trick Trucks”, 29 “Class 1500” cars, and 30 “Class 1000” cars. Off-road racing champions Rob MacCachren, BJ Baldwin, Bryce Menzies, Jesse Jones, Cameron Steele, Curt LeDuc, Steve Sourapas, as well as top off-road competitors Adam Householder, Steve Olliges, John Swift, Shawn & Ray Croll, Jason Voss, Mikey Childress, Jerry Whelchel, Kyle Conlon, TJ Flores, Steve Strobel, Mark & Gary Weyhrich highlight the massive group of Mint 400 racers. Actor and racer Patrick Dempsey will also join the field, placing his name among the long list of famous actor/drivers who have been attracted to the challenge of the Mint 400, including Paul Newman and James Garner.
“This is going to be an epic battle!” said Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli. “We have 256 teams including 76 Unlimited Vehicles…any of which have a shot at winning this race overall. Off-road desert racing is the UFC of the racing world – and The Mint is one hell of a cage match. You prepare, and you go in with a game plan…but as the race progresses everything changes and anything can happen. When the green start flag drops, it’s all out war…with plenty of drama. I believe off-road racing is the most exciting motorsport on the planet!”
The brutal 400-mile Mint 400 course features rocky washes, suffocating silt beds, high-speed graded roads, rock gardens, and the giant rolling jumps. Racers start side by side and drag race each other for position, creating intense high-speed off-road racing action right from the start. The Casey Folks designed course features four massive spectating areas so fans can witness first-hand the thrilling action of off-road racing.
The Mint 400 will be covered LIVE on the largest off-road racing website in the world - Race-Dezert.com
“RDC” will be feature unprecedented coverage of the Mint 400 including up-to-the-minute photos, stories, videos and live streaming video. Additionally – because of generous support from title sponsor General Tire and supporting sponsor Polaris, this year’s television coverage of The Mint 400 will be expanded to a special two-hour show on the SPEED channel – to be broadcast early June to 78 million homes. Local and National radio shows will also be covering the event, including national radio show SpeedFreaks.
Schedule of events:
For PDF download, click here.
Wednesday March 20th – Las Vegas Blvd from 3:15pm - 4:45pm
The 2013 Mint 400 will kick off with the first ever “4Wheel Parts Off-Road Vehicle Parade” on Las Vegas Blvd Wednesday March 20th. The parade will be followed by the official 2013 Mint 400 Kick Off Party beginning at 6pm at Hussong’s Cantina, inside Mandalay Bay Place.
Thursday March 21st – Fremont St. East and 6th Street from 4:30pm -10:00pm
The “Rugged Radios Drivers Meet and Greet”, the “KMC Pit Crew Challenge”, and the “General Tire Miss Mint 400 Contest, presented by Metro Honda”, will all take place on Fremont and 6th Street, from 4:30 -10:00pm. Followed by the “KMC Pit Crew Party” at Commonwealth, and the “General Tire VIP Party” at Gold Diggers inside the Golden Nugget.
Friday March 22nd – Fremont St. East from 9:00am -7:00pm
Contingency and Technical inspection will take place all day, on Friday March 22nd on Fremont St. East.
Every Mint 400 vehicle will slowly parade down Fremont Street, allowing fans to take pictures and get autographs. There will be hundreds of off-road vendors and tons of giveaways.
Saturday March 23rd – Jean, Nevada from 5:00am -10:00pm
The 2013 Mint 400 is broken into two races: The “Limited Vehicle” race which begins at 6am, and the “Unlimited Vehicle” race which begins at 1pm. From the 15 Freeway, exit Jean / Goodsprings Road and go East. Then go North on South Las Vegas Blvd and follow signs for the four spectator areas. Admission to the race is free.
For the latest information on The Mint 400 visit: Management by:
www.themint400.com The Mint 400 Inc.
facebook.com/themint400 Matt Martelli / Joshua Martelli
youtube.com/themint400 (760) 721-3600
twitter.com/TheMint400Race
matt@themint400.com
instagram.com/TheMint400
josh@themint400.com
MEDIA LIAISON: LAS VEGAS MEDIA CONTACT:
Kilian Hamlin
517-643-1179 Norm Johnson
kilian@madmedia.com racenorm@cox.net
About the Mint 400:
The General Tire Mint 400 is the oldest, roughest, most spectacular off-road race in North America! It was started in 1967, and is steeped in American lore, as thousands of racers and celebrities from around the world have attempted to tame the brutal Nevada desert. With over 250 race teams, 21 classes of vehicles, and more than 20 thousand spectators…The Mint 400 is one of the biggest off-road races on the planet! Owned by The Martelli Brothers, The Mint 400 is part of the Best in The Desert Off-Road Championship.
