FOX drivers Rob MacCachren and Luke McMillin arrived at the 2021 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 outside Las Vegas, Nevada to compete in separate trucks in the Unlimited Race after winning the SCORE International Baja 1000 as teammates a few weeks ago. With a turn of events almost scripted for Hollywood, 2017 winner MacCachren’s Number 11 Ford took the checkered flag from reigning champion McMillin after contact between the two vehicles only a few miles away from the finish line sent McMillin’s Number 1 Ford tumbling.
MacCachren finished in 6:56:21.511, with McMillin crossing the line third at 7:04:17.072. Despite contact, there were no hard feelings between the men.
“It was an unbelievable race,” MacCachren said on the podium. “We were just chasing Luke around, and it was materializing into a last lap battle, and the wind slowed down and the dust started hanging really low, which was weird. Sometimes you see the fog and it’s high, but on the dry lake, we couldn’t see the ground. We had a 90-degree left, a 90-degree right, and then my son said ‘that’s Luke, right there.’ We turned the lights off on him and followed him through the speed zone and over the bridge.
“We got in the dirt and some chicanes before the last couple of miles, and I don’t know what happened, but we got into the back of him in the dust and tipped him over. I was pretty bummed about it—we stopped and wanted to help him get back over. He’s the last person I’d want that to happen to. They’re an incredible family and an incredible team.”
How the race unfolded
McMillin launched alone at the start/finish line in Primm as the top qualifier, with MacCachren following alongside Harley Letner soon after. A mechanical failure on the first lap led to a DNF for Letner, pitting McMillin and MacCachren for race glory the rest of the day. The battle on corrected time between the Baja teammates raged, as MacCachren minimized the gap to McMillin.
After nearly seven hours of racing the winds of victory changed. After contact between the two racers as MacCachren caught up a few miles away from the finish line, McMillin suffered a spectacular wreck that saw his truck roll several times. MacCachren stopped on course, where McMillin confirmed that he was alright and encouraged MacCachren to continue.
“I said ‘Rob, if I’m not going to go win this deal, you go get it, you earned it,’” McMillin explained after joining MacCachren on the podium for the post-race celebrations. “There are absolutely no hard feelings.”
Dustin Jones wins Limited Race
Louisiana native and Pro UTV Turbo driver Dustin Jones previously won the Mint 400 on his first try in 2015 in his third-ever desert race and was looking for an elusive follow-up victory in 2021. The FOX driver piloted his factory Can-Am Maverick across four laps of the Nevada desert to take the checkered flag in the Limited Race with a total time of 8:28:17.949 ahead of Vito Ranuio, who led much of the way. Defending Mint 400 winner and fellow FOX driver Branden Sims completed the podium.
“Since when we first got into desert racing, everybody knew the Mint,” Jones said. “It was the biggest race of the year, so it was a dream for us to win it the first time. But to come back out here—and it was a struggle, and a hard race—it almost makes you tear up to come out and win the Mint 400 again.
“I didn’t come here to finish second, I didn’t come here to finish top 10, I came here to win. I was going to crash the car or win,” Jones added.
A talented field of past Mint 400 winners, including recent event champions like Jones, Sims, and Mitch Guthrie Jr., headlined the marquee UTV entries, but the Limited Race was much more than a side-by-side showcase for professional drivers. Hundreds of racers lined up across dozens of sportsman car, truck, and UTV classes for up to four laps of this year’s 97-mile course.
“I didn’t come here to finish second, I didn’t come here to finish top 10, I came here to win. I was going to crash the car or win.”
dustin jones
Ranging from modern machinery to Baja Bugs and other vintage vehicles—even selected military vehicles as part of the Mint 400 Military Challenge—the Limited Race always features one of the most diverse lineups of any off-road race in the world.
But as nightfall hit in the second half of the race, all eyes turned to the front of the Pro UTV field. Many big names were in contention for the podium through much of the race, with Sims, Guthrie, 2021 UTV World Champion and recent Baja 1000 class winner Phil Blurton and Mike Cafro among those running strong. Ranuio and Jones established themselves as the two drivers to beat, with Ranuio still out front and Jones flirting with the lead on corrected time to bring home victory.
FOX UTV highlights
FOX won all the Pro UTV classes and claimed 9 of 12 podium positions:
- UTV Pro Turbo (podium sweep)
- 1st Place – Dustin Jones
- 2nd place – Branden Sims (Live Valve)
- 3rd place – Christian Sourapas
- 7 out of top 10 confirmed on FOX
- UTV Pro NA
- 1st place – Kaden Wells
- 3rd place – Corbin Wells
- UTV Pro Unlimited
- 1st place – Michael Isom (iQS)
- 2nd place – Michael McFayden
- UTV Rally
- 1st place – Jack Olliges (back-to-back Mint 400 UTV Rally winner)
- 3rd place – Rodrigo Arriagada
Casey Currie wins Class 1
After a close qualifying battle in the Unlimited Class 1 on Friday morning, Casey Currie took pole and didn’t look back. He started the race in the lead on Saturday and never gave it up, crossing the finish line in 8:18:01.855, more than an hour ahead of second place in a race that saw only five finishers out of the original 10.
“Freaking unbelievable day; Class 1!” Currie said. “Pushed hard in the dust all day and had no issues. Didn’t change a single tire. The FOX shocks were dialed in. I’m so blessed to have an amazing group of people around me. We love racing and we love putting all our Currie Enterprises products to the test.”
FOX overall highlights
FOX drivers took a total of 13 podiums (six in Unlimited, 7 in Limited) and won nine out of 32 Classes.
About The Mint 400
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 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 near Primm. 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 wheel to wheel, while the Livestream coverage is beamed to over 800,000 viewers worldwide.
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