K&N Race Team Driver Greg Adler Wins The Mint 400 - The Great American Off-Road Race

Apr 27, 2017

Photo of the Ultra4 Car, #4444, Team 4 Wheel Parts out on course Lap 1 the Mint 400

With Rob MacCachren behind the wheel on the 1st Lap, the team gained a 20 minute lead over the pack

K&N race team driver and 4 Wheel Parts President and CEO, Greg Adler, and Co-Driver Rob MacCachren Dominate in The Great American Desert Race, The Mint 400, in Ultra4 4400 Class and bring home the win.

The Mint 400’s list of winner’s reads like a veritable who’s who in racing, both off and on road, dirt and track. From the legendary Parnelli Jones to Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, this race features all the pomp and circumstance off-road racers and enthusiasts can handle!

Photo of the Ultra4 Car #4444 speeding past the spectators as they head into their third lap

The Team of Greg Adler and Rob MacCachren extending their lead in Lap 2 of the Mint 400

From its inception in 1967, Norm Johnson organized the first ever “Mint 400 Off-Road Rally” to promote and publicize The Mint Hotel. Norm sent two matching dune buggies across six hundred miles of scorching desert, from The Mint Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada - to the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, California. Media coverage caught the attention of race teams and off-road enthusiasts everywhere and the Mint 400 off-road race became famous, seemingly overnight.

But in 1988, this legendary race came into question following the sale of Del Webb's Mint Hotel and Casino. However as a testament to the race itself, the prestige and importance of the event created by veteran race director K.J. Howe and the Mint management team, along with the financial benefit this promotion brought to the City of Las Vegas, the annual Mint 400 Off Road Race continued to be run until 1989 under the new ownership.

Overhead photo of Fremont Street in Old Vegas with the Mint's Field of Racer's & their m

Heading through Old Town Vegas on Fremont Street, the parade of off-road machinery is awesome

Sadly, the Mint 400 sat quiet for nearly twenty years – but in 2008 was resurrected by longtime sponsor General Tire with help from the Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts group. Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts, SNORE, then sold the franchise to film and television producers Matt and Joshua Martelli – marking the next significant chapter in the Mint's evolution. The race resumed on March 29, 2008.

In 2012, The Martelli Brothers partnered with off-road industry veteran Casey Folks, owner of the largest off-road desert racing organization in the world, the Best In The Desert Racing Association. The Mint was added to the Best in the Desert championship schedule, and a new one hundred mile race loop was carved out for the epic 400-mile contest. The number of entries swelled to an astounding three hundred and twenty three race teams, making the Mint 400 one of the largest off-road races in the world.

Photo of Team 4 Wheel Parts, Greg Adler and Rob Mac Cachren shredding the desert course.

K&N-sponsored Greg Adler maintaining the lead to ultimately dominate his class

4 Wheel Parts President and CEO, Greg Adler, finished first in his class, the Ultra4 4400 Class, for the win in Best in the Desert’s 2017 Polaris RZR Mint 400 Presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The Mint 400 off-road race takes place annually in the unforgiving desert terrain just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. K&N-sponsored Greg Adler once again teamed up with off-road racing icon, Rob MacCachren. The two conquered the Hammers just weeks earlier and made the quick decision to try their hand at the Mint 400. Neither are new to this iconic race, and the duo attacked the three 116-mile loops in a blistering time that saw them completing the 348-mile race nearly an hour ahead of their nearest competitor. The victory came just three weeks after they battled to the finish line in the King of the Hammers event in Johnson Valley, California.

“I can’t say enough about our team,” said Adler. “We made the decision to run the Mint 400 after Hammers and Brian Kirby and Justin Bodewitz busted their tails preparing to get us ready to race. Racing over 500 miles of some of the most grueling terrain imaginable in the last three weeks, this car has taken a ton of abuse. The guys gave us a great car and we had zero issues the entire day.”

Photo of teammates, Greg Adler and Rob Mac Cachren

Adler and MacCachren make an incredible team for The Great American Race, The Mint 400

Taking the start, MacCachren set a pace that saw the Ultra4 car #4444, quickly establish a 20-minute lead on the field before turning the car over to Adler for the second and third laps. As the course deteriorated and became littered with vehicles that had failed in the desert trails, Adler increased the lead with each subsequent lap bringing the Team 4 Wheel Parts Ultra4 to the checkered flag with an incredible class win.

“We had a lot of fun racing today,” Adler said. “We hopped in the car with a nice lead and set off to find our pace, keep moving forward, and not make any mistakes. As the race went on, the course got rougher, but as we were counting down the miles to the finish, it started to sink in that we were headed to our first Mint 400 win. Some of my first races in the early '90s were at the Mint 400, so to come back here and bring home a win is extremely special. This really is a bucket list moment for me.”

Photo of Greg Adler being interviewed after crossing the finish line, on the podium!

After dominating the 4400 Class, Team 4 Wheel Parts & Greg Adler bring home the win

For Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts, the triumph put the exclamation point on a week of Mint 400 festivities that exemplified the renaissance of the iconic event as it has returned to its former glory. The week kicked off with the 4 Wheel Parts vehicle procession that saw the Ultra4 car #4444, leading the field of competitors down the famed Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday and continued through Friday with a festive contingency party.

“The Martelli Brothers have brought The Mint 400 back from the ashes to become the biggest desert race in the nation,” said Adler. “They have restored the Mint 400 to glory with its pageantry and a nod toward tradition. Honoring the history of the sport and paying homage to the legends that laid the foundation, not only for this event, but for off-road racing, make it a truly distinctive experience. We’re proud to be a part of this historic race and look forward to attending for years to come.”

A hearty congratulations goes out to Greg Adler and Rob MacCachren for their outstanding efforts culminating in a class win for the two and Team 4 Wheel Parts. They epitomize the spirit of off road racing and K&N Engineering.

K&N PRODUCT SEARCH

WHERE TO BUY K&N