March 7, 2025
- Chris Leone:
Brock Heger continued one of the most dominant runs in desert racing history on Friday by taking the checkered flag in Friday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Race at the 2025 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400. Heger completed four laps of this year’s course in 7:11:30, clearing his Polaris Factory Racing teammate Cayden MacCachren by just over seven minutes and fellow Polaris RZR racer Mitch Guthrie by more than 11.
“We got out front early, which was something we were after,” Heger said after taking the win. “We wanted to just do our thing, set the pace, and see how everyone else liked it. We never really looked back—never got out of the car, our BFGs were solid all day, so I’m super happy with how the day went. The course was super fun, and it sure feels good to be here!”
The question going into race day was if the Class 10s could hang onto their lead as the UTV Pro Open class started further down the field. It became apparent by the end of the first lap that the UTVs would have the edge on pace. Heger would lead Guthrie, Chase Carr, Branden Sims, and MacCachren on time at the end of the first lap, with that group separated by just over three minutes but still clear of the battle between Eliott Watson and Cole Potts for the Class 10 lead.
A deep entry list meant that anyone who wanted to win would need to be nearly perfect, and attrition could strike anyone; multi-time winner Dustin Jones would run into issues that took him out of contention early, while a broken axle for Brayden Baker and fire for Sara Price eliminated other notable names. Even defending winner Ronnie Anderson wasn’t spared from the DNF list before the halfway point.
As the race continued, Heger and MacCachren would separate themselves from the pack, with Heger gradually increasing his lead by a couple of minutes each lap. The victory completed a historic run for the California native that has included wins in Baja, Dakar, and King of the Hammers—a set of events that might take most racers their entire career to win—since November alone.
Attrition would allow Guthrie to make a last-lap charge before falling back again in the late stages, but he’d still be far enough clear of Max Eddy Jr. to deny Polaris Factory Racing a podium sweep. Potts would pace the Class 10s at fifth overall, backing up his overall victory at the Parker 400, while Brody Aikins recovered from power steering issues in Parker to finish second in class.
Alongside the main 95-mile course, this year’s Limited Race also featured a shorter but equally challenging 73-mile loop for lower-powered classes including stock trucks, sportsman vehicles, and vintage Volkswagens. Blake Wilkey’s 7:32:38 in Class 11 would beat David Lawler’s Open Sportsman time by just four seconds among the four-lap classes, while Loren Healy and Brad Lovell swept the Stock Production classes for Ford as multiple manufacturer-backed entries took on both the Full and Mini/Mid divisions.
Results from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Race at the 2025 BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 were as follows:
- #PO996 Brock Heger, UTV Pro Open, 7:11:30.008
- #PO992 Cayden MacCachren, UTV Pro Open, 7:18:36.151
- #PO951 Mitch Guthrie, UTV Pro Open, 7:22:57.950
- #PO994 Max Eddy Jr., UTV Pro Open, 7:30:32.810
- #1061 Carib Potts, Class 10, 7:34:43.289
- #PO979 Branden Sims, UTV Pro Open, 7:36:52.792
- #PO915 Ryan Piplic, UTV Pro Open, 7:40:43.933
- #1077 Brody Aikins, Class 10, 7:46:59.653
- #1006 Hector Garcia, Class 10, 7:47:16.462
- #1030 Eliott Watson, Class 10, 7:49:56.815
Gates open for Saturday’s action at the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 at 6AM. The Motorcycle Race kicks off at 7AM, followed by Youth Races beginning at 8AM. Unlimited Race festivities begin at 9:45AM with the 7th Annual Mint 400 Unlimited Grid Walk, Opening Ceremonies at 10:15AM, and Dondel set to leave the start line at 10:45AM. Live streaming for the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Unlimited Race will kick off on Saturday at 10:30AM PT/1:30PM ET at themint400.com/live, with live simulcasting on SPEED SPORT 1.
The Mint 400 has held the title of the toughest, most spectacular off-road race in North America since 1968 when it was first run. Initially, the race was a public relations event promoting the Mint Hotel’s annual deer hunt, but what started out as a hotel promotion soon grew into a legitimate desert race. Since its 2008 revival, “The Great American Off-Road Race” has only gotten bigger and more prestigious, and deeper fields every year only make it tougher to win.
This year’s BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 will take place from March 5-9 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 UNLTD Off-Road Racing are live on Unlimitedoffroadracing.com.
