Brock Heger Scores Second Straight O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Race Win at 2026 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400
For the second year in a row, Brock Heger bested a deep field of more than 240 desert racers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Race at the 2026 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400. The UTV Pro and overall race winner didn’t just double up on his win, though—he also became the first UTV racer to complete the race in under seven hours, crossing the finish line in an unofficial 6:57:56.4.
“Overall, we had a lot of fun,” Heger said from the finish. “We just did what we needed to do and wanted to do. The pace we ran was what we wanted, and we were just going to see where we ended up at the end of it. It was a little bumpy at the beginning—we had a few little issues that we got addressed—and then me and Justin (Wilson, co-driver) put our heads down and we just charged.”
Those “little issues” at the beginning came within the race’s first mile. Heger would leave the start line first after qualifying fastest yesterday, but just moments into his run, his spare tire came loose and flew off the rear of the car. With so many variables ahead, and so many competitive UTV Pro teams, it looked like the kind of moment that could either make or break a race.
Not so. Third-place qualifier Corbin Leaverton would take the lead in the pits as Heger’s crew worked to secure a new spare on the car, but Heger would claw back the time lost and make a thrilling on-track pass.
That wouldn’t be it for the challenges up front early on. Cody Bradbury would tear his way through the field to grab the lead on corrected time through the first checkpoint on lap two, and the top 15 would be separated by just five minutes at that point. It was only then that some of the front-runners began falling off. Bradbury, Leaverton, second-place qualifier Kyle Chaney, and Branden Sims all fell out on the second lap, while Michael McFayden’s top-five pace would come to an end just after halfway.
But even as Heger settled into the lead and built up a gap with a solid, consistent pace, the fight for the remaining podium spots was far from done. Mitch Guthrie and Joe Terrana, two former Mint 400 Limited Race winners, settled into second and third late, but Terrana would suffer a heartbreaking issue just a few miles from the finish. That opened the spot up for Phil Blurton, who won the Parker 400 just two months ago to kick off the American Off-Road Racing Championship season.
The fight to the finish wasn’t reserved just for the UTV Pro racers, though. Class 10 drivers Brody Atkins and Eliott Watson started second and third in class and almost crossed the line together. In the end, Watson would take the victory by an unofficial margin of just two seconds, as the duo finished the race fifth and sixth overall. Additional four-lap class winners included Major Deitch in UTV Pro Turbo, Brad Wilson in Class 12, and Sara Price in UTV Pro Stock Modified.
“The field was stacked, everybody was so tight in qualifying,” said Watson. “We put our heads down and realized it’s a long race, there are a lot of rocks and a lot of reasons to take you out early. Edgar (Sotelo, co-driver) and I just played it patient out front. We had an issue in the pits that put us nearly 10 minutes back, but we hammered down the last little bit of the race and we made up a lot of ground. This car has probably never been driven that hard, and it probably will never want to be again!”
Top finishers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Race at the 2026 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 were as follows:
UTV Pro
- #T96 Brock Heger, 6:57:56.354
- #T51 Mitch Guthrie, 7:06:10.348
- #T44 Phil Blurton, 7:13:15.491
- #T74 Ethan Groom, 7:14:38.863
- #T21 Cayden MacCachren, 7:21:31.667
- #T77 Brayden Baker, 7:21:57.970
- #T57 Blake Wilkey, 7:24:14.890
- #T18 Shawn Saxton, 7:31:26.183
- #T929 Sierra Romo, 7:34:26.797
- #T875 Brice Allen, 7:48:14.439
Class 10
- #1030 Eliott Watson, 7:17:11.297
- #1077 Brody Aikins, 7:17:13.460
- #1017 Cade Martin, 7:22:04.341
- #1025 Mat Bellefontaine, 7:25:03.114
- #1021 Todd Jackson, 7:37:56.280
With the Limited Race in the books, attention turns to Saturday’s Motorcycle Race, which kicks off at 7AM, a pair of Youth Races starting at 8AM, and the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Unlimited Race, which goes green at 10:45AM. Live streaming will kick off at 10:15AM PT/1:15PM ET, with online coverage at themint400.com/live, RACER+, Speed Sport 1, SPEED on FOX, and on national TV via the RACER Network. The full race schedule can be found at https://themint400.com/schedule/.
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
About the 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.