LAS VEGAS — One of the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400’s most impactful events returned to downtown Las Vegas on Thursday, as the Mint 400 Off-Road Festival once again took over Fremont Street East.
As in years past, an estimated tens of thousands of people passed through the free-to-enter festival during the day, interacting with hundreds of premier off-road exhibitors and the 544 entries signed up to compete in this year’s Great American Off-Road Race.
The Mint 400 Off-Road Festival follows the Mint 400 Vehicle Parade each year, and it marks the final event in downtown Las Vegas before race festivities move to Primm. Every competitor in the race works their way through the entire festival route, giving fans a chance to see their favorite cars, trucks, UTVs, and bikes up close before they make it to tech and contingency.
Meanwhile, the biggest brands in the sport use the Mint 400 Off-Road Festival to showcase their latest products, and official race merchandise is also on sale throughout the day as well.
Autograph sessions remain a key draw of the Off-Road Festival, and race sponsors brought out the stars to draw fans in droves. Camburg/Magnaflow’s annual signing welcomed the legendary Ivan “Ironman” Stewart alongside modern stars like Kyle Jergensen and the Isenhouer brothers, before Stewart would head to the Toyota Racing display to join seven-time NASCAR champion and 90s off-road standout Jimmie Johnson, who makes his return to the desert this weekend.
From UTV Pro racers returning from Limited Race qualifying in Primm to additional desert legends like Rob MacCachren signing for title sponsor BFGoodrich Tires, this year’s list of appearances was one for the ages.
“The Mint 400 Off-Road Festival only gets bigger and better each year,” said Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli. “A huge thank you to not only the city of Las Vegas and Fremont Street East for helping us put this on each year, but also all the racers and exhibitors that make it such a fun event, and of course all the fans. Whether you’re an off-road enthusiast who comes out to meet your heroes or this is your first exposure to our sport, this is one of the most special parts of the Mint every year!”
With Thursday’s festivities in the books, attention turns to Primm for tomorrow’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Race, as well as multiple Youth races and Unlimited and Motorcycle Race qualifying.
