03/08/2026
The Mint 400 was super fun. It doesn’t get much better than racing a 1600 amongst over 240 cars in the limited race. Tech on Fremont Street was a great time as well!
Our plan was to preserve the car and not pound it unless we had to. Starting last we gained the physical lead towards the end of lap 1. 10-15 second fuel stops each lap and a quick driver change after lap 2 helped us keep it. At the drivers change and I got out and and got in. Ezra maintained the lead, but a hard charge on the last lap by made it close and very nerve wracking for the crew at the end. Ezra fought hard for the win and got it. We were able to celebrate with champagne on the podium, but learned in tech that our restrictor plate was wrong. We were running a standard plate in other series’, but my fault for not checking more closely on the rules in this series. It wasn’t a performance advantage as our engine package is still underpowered versus the others, but the rule was clear.
This marked my 40th year since I started in off road racing. In 1986 at 15 years old, I have a first place Mint 400 trophy navigating for . Doesn’t feel like that many years doing it.
I still love racing in the 1600 class. Not the same speed as a Trophy Truck or Class 1, but it feels like it in the smaller car!
Congratulations to Kyle Zirkus and team for a well earned win! We had fun racing against you.
