Drag Racers to Race in Mint 400

What do drag racing and desert racing have in common? The world is about to find out, as three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown and Top Alcohol champ Steve Torrence get behind the wheel of the Polaris RZR Star Car to race in the Mint 400.

“Each 130-mile loop is probably further than Antron or Steve have drag raced in all of their combined years!” joked Star Car principle Jim Beaver. The Polaris RZR Star Car brings in high profile star drivers from action sports and racing to join Jim Beaver, along with Polaris RZR, in racing a fully desert race prepped factory supported 2018 Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo. Brown and Torrence are a perfect fit for the Polaris RZR Star Car, both having started their racing careers on motocross tracks.

After successfully racing Pro Stock Motorcycles for years, Antron Brown has brought home three championships in his decade of racing in NHRA’s premier Top Fuel class. “It only took me about three seconds to accept Jim’s offer to race in the Mint 400,” Antron quipped. The Don Schumacher Racing driver is well accustomed to making 1,000-foot drag strip passes at over 325 mph in under three seconds. Charming and articulate in addition to being blistering fast, Antron’s resume also included hosting BBC’s Top Gear America with Tom Ford and William Fichtner. Antron’s humility and never quit attitude make him easy to root for, whether he is on the drag strip or in the desert.

Steve Torrence has been running his own NHRA Top Fuel team since 2012, and he has celebrated in the winners’ circle 12 times over the last two seasons. Recently, Steve set a career best, running 333 mph for an elapsed time of 3.655 seconds in qualifying on his way to taking home the Wally at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Torrence’s victory placed him at the top of the points standings in the second event of the premier Mello Yello series. A bright and promising future in racing had to be put on hold in 2000, after Steve was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After months in the hospital, receiving both chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Steve was able to overcome the disease. Not letting a day go to waste since, Steve’s work ethic is unmatched, putting in long hours at his family-owned pipeline construction and maintenance business Capco Contractors during the week to fund his top tier drag race program on the weekends.

The Mint 400 desert race is the biggest off-road race in the United States with 400 vehicles participating in front of over 50,000 race fans. The event runs Wednesday, March 7th through Sunday, March 11th in Las Vegas and includes the popular Miss Mint contest, Pit Crew Challenge, Polaris RZR S Turbo Launch Party, and a fleet of race vehicles driving down the Las Vegas strip prior to the race. Competition in the UTV classes are deep, with over 100 UTVs competing in the four fastest growing classes in desert racing.