2026 Mint 400 Youth Races Produce Fleet of New Winners
Off-road racing is one of the world’s most accessible forms of motorsport for young drivers, and each year the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 proves the point by welcoming dozens of aspiring UTV racers for a full weekend of action. With many of this year’s top Unlimited and Limited Race competitors having gotten their start here, a win in the “mini” Mint 400 is often the first of many for the sport’s future stars.
The Youth divisions got started on Friday morning with the 570 and 1000 class races. The 570s featured a totally new field from last year, with Jack Gillaspy moving up to take the victory after competing in only the 200 class last year. The 1000 race saw an all-new podium of its own after Landon Morrow, who finished one spot off it last year, earned the win by just over 40 seconds over Cameron Leaming. Last year’s Youth 170 Open winner, Korbin Grinolds, completed the 1000 podium.
Saturday’s action kicked off with the 200 and 170 Production classes competing in the morning’s first race. Gillaspy, returning to the 200 class, made it two wins in as many races, but overall top honors went to 170 Production winner Roxen Brooks. Dylan Llamosas and Tanner Sprinkle completed a podium that was split by just 54.566 seconds, as the entire top five finished within a minute of one another.
The final race of the weekend for the Youth classes combined the 250 and 170 Open divisions. After finishing second in 170 Open in this race last year, Paxton Grinolds moved up to 250 to take the overall win by 11.337 seconds over Kyson Christensen, as the duo were the only two drivers to complete 10 laps of the course. Zeppelin Ledbetter, Knoxx Salvatore, and Wyatt Mayfield comprised the remainder of the top five overall, as well as the full 170 Open podium.
2026 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Youth Race winners were as follows:
- Youth 1000: #Y1088 Landon Morrow, 6 laps, 46:39.921
- Youth 570: #Y502 Jack Gillaspy, 3 laps, 27:51.194 Jim
- Youth 250: #Y228 Paxton Grinolds, 10 laps, 25:26.351
- Youth 200: #L279 Jack Gillaspy, 8 laps, 27:29.981
- Youth 170 Open: #YO74 Zeppelin Ledbetter, 9 laps, 25:53.388
- Youth 170 Production: #Y77 Roxen Brooks, 9 laps, 26:31.324
For full results from the 2026 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400, visit www.themint400.com/live.
The Mint 400 has carried the reputation as the toughest, most spectacular off-road race in North America since 1968, when it first roared to life in the Nevada desert. What began as a clever public relations stunt to promote the Mint Hotel’s annual deer hunt quickly evolved into something far bigger. A legitimate desert race forged in dust, horsepower, and bravado. By the 1970s, the Mint wasn’t just a race. It was a cultural moment. Immortalized by Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it became a symbol of American excess, grit, and wide-open desert freedom.
After decades of dormancy, the event was revived in 2008 by brothers Matthew and Joshua Martelli, who rebuilt it from the ground up with a singular mission. To restore its mythic status while elevating the professionalism, safety, and prestige of modern desert racing. Since that revival, “The Great American Off-Road Race” has only grown larger, deeper, and more competitive. The fields get stronger every year. The stakes get higher. And winning The Mint 400 remains one of the hardest achievements in off-road racing.
This year’s Mint 400 will take place from March 4th - 8th in Las Vegas. More information on the event for racers and spectators is available at TheMint400.com, or follow the event on Facebook and Instagram.
Details regarding racer registration, sponsorship packages, exhibitor vending, spectator tickets, camping, and parking passes for the American Off-Road Racing Championship are live on americanoffroadracingchampionship.com
About American Off-Road Racing Championship
The American Off-Road Racing Championship (AORC) is the premier desert off-road racing league in North America, created through the unification of Best in the Desert (BITD) and Unlimited Off-Road Racing (UNLTD).
Best in the Desert, founded in 1984 by legendary racer Casey Folks, is the longest-running and most respected off-road racing series in the U.S., with a legacy that includes iconic events like Vegas to Reno, the Silver State 300, the Parker 425, and the Laughlin Desert Classic.
Unlimited Off-Road Racing, established by the Martelli Brothers in 2023, produces world-class events such as The Mint 400, The California 300, and The Parker 400. UNLTD is recognized for its focus on innovation, storytelling, and large-scale racer participation, with events known for high car counts, challenging courses, pre-running, and family-friendly fan experiences near major markets.
Together under the AORC banner, BITD and UNLTD preserve the heritage of desert racing while building its future—offering racers, sponsors, and fans a unified championship built on clarity, consistency, and world-class competition.