Last year, The Checkered Flag called the 2022 Mint 400 a “test of reliability” as every leader was knocked out by mechanical trouble until Kyle Jergensen held on for the win. Fast forward to 2023, and the carnage continued with Jergensen as one of the victims.
Saturday’s Mint 400 Unlimited race saw multiple frontrunners eliminated by mechanical trouble, which Rob MacCachren suggested was a byproduct of pushing the vehicle too hard in the first two laps. MacCachren was among those knocked out during said stretch with a transmission failure.
Every driver in the top five overall in qualifying—Justin Lofton, Jergensen, Dale Dondel, Ryan Arciero, and Tim Herbst—failed to finish, with Dondel being taken out almost immediately due to a hard landing off the very first jump. Said jump had also presented problems during the Limited race on Friday that resulted in officials urging competitors to bypass it when they start the next lap. Arciero, who was leading the 2022 Mint when truck problems struck, exited with a broken U-joint in his transmission.
Amid the chaos, Eric Hardin inherited the lead after Kevin Thompson‘s truck broke down on lap three and, despite fears of his transmission coming apart in the last twenty miles, held on to beat Christian Sourapas with a time of 6:46:37, over twelve minutes and forty-two seconds ahead. Sourapas was filling in for his father Steve, who had a medical situation prior to the weekend, and walked away with a runner-up despite having last raced a fully-fledged Trophy Truck in 2020 (he mainly competed in Spec truck models)
“I couldn’t be more humbled to able to honour my dad yesterday with a podium finish,” said Sourapas on Sunday. “I know he wanted to race so bad, so doing well for him meant the world to me.
“I couldn’t have done it without the amazing people who’ve supported me even during the hard, no fun times. It’s truly those individuals who give me the confidence and belief that I can still run with the best of the best and belong up front. I’m forever greatful.”
Adam Householder finished behind the two to win Class 1 after leading the overall on lap one. Dustin Grabowski was the highest finisher in the Unlimited Truck SPEC class.
Long after the leaders had departed the area, the Class 10 of Josh Burns stole the show as the last car on track once the start line closed in the evening. He was marred by multiple flat tyres throughout the fourth and final lap before a constant-velocity joint in his car broke with just five miles remaining, prompting a lengthy repair process until the death blow was dealt via a damaged transmission. While Burns would have been classified as a retirement regardless of whether he finished as it was well after the finish was closed, his Herculean effort drew praise from fans and those who stayed behind in the late hours, including a motivated PCI Race Radios communications team and workers who kept the Gonzo Pit (located fifty-seven miles into the ninety-four-mile course) open beyond its closing time for him.
While Burns came up short, YouTube personality and former NASCAR driver CJ Faison overcame a third-lap flip and broken belt to be the last competitor to reach the finish. Roy Tomkins, the final truck classified in the order, ran in the top three until a rear main seal leak struck.
“So much for my début in a spec TT, finished dead last,” Tomkins quipped.
Akira Miura, three-time winner of the Dakar Rally’s T2 category and class runner-up in the 2023 race, retired after three laps when mechanical failure struck his Trophy Truck Spec.
Earlier in the day, Dalton Shirey won the Motorcycle race for the third time in four years with Dave Kamo as team-mate. The two also claimed the 2022 edition.
“The course was super fun, and that made it easy on the body, so I’m feeling great and not too tired,” commented Shirey. “The bike is in one piece, nothing too crazy. I had one little mistake in the infield, but other than that, it was a good day.”
Unlimited class winners
| Class | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Time |
| Class 1 | 32 | 172 | Cole Barbieri | 9:45:55.845 |
| Class 10 | 20 | 1003 | Nick May | 8:21:33.073 |
| Class 6800 | 46 | 6817 | Troy Stone | 8:19:03.192* |
| Class 7 | 22 | 709 | Ethan Ebert | 8:24:32.208 |
| Class 8 | 68 | 800 | Wyatt Wyllie | 1:58:16.673* |
| Ultra4 4400 Unlimited | 60 | 4482 | Cole Johnson | 5:11:32.616* |
| Unlimited Truck | 1 | 79 | Eric Hardin | 6:46:37.651 |
| Unlimited Truck Legends | 15 | L65 | Thomas Fichter | 7:55:33.844 |
| Unlimited Truck SPEC | 5 | 272 | Dustin Grabowski | 7:13:43.395 |
Moto class winners
| Class | Overall Finish | Number | Rider | Time |
| 0–200cc Pro | 79 | P383 | Piper Wells | DNF* |
| 0–200cc Sportsman | 72 | S360 | Nicholas Krizman | 7:24:15.068* |
| 201–300cc Pro | 4 | P227 | Tate Dyer | 8:39:40.862 |
| 201–300cc Sportsman | 9 | S267 | Jordan Sobey | 7:35:31.718* |
| 1975–1982 Sportsman | 60 | V110 | Taylor Baker | 3:42:03.480* |
| 1983–1995 Sportsman | 58 | V269 | Victor Borg | 2:35:10.097 |
| Adventure Bike Sportsman | 54 | A112 | Jordan Huibregtse | 3:17:23.623* |
| Hooligan Sportsman | 56 | H22 | Mark Atkins | 3:25:26.413* |
| Ladies Pro | 36 | W1 | Krista Conway | 7:40:598.184* |
| Open Iron Sportsman | 6 | I1 | Reed Christensen | 7:28:11.605* |
| Open Pro | 1 | P1 | Dalton Shirey | 7:34:04.346 |
| Open Sportsman | 5 | S16 | Coleman Westbay | 9:06:43.206 |
| Over 30 Sportsman | 7 | 300 | James Justin Shultz | 7:29:56.395* |
| Over 40 Sportsman | 8 | 401 | Stephen Berger | 7:34:08.711* |
| Over 50 Sportsman | 12 | 525 | Marcus McManus | 7:56:00.980* |
| Over 60 Sportsman | 30 | 656 | Cortney Whipple | 9:07:20.633* |
| Scrambler Sportsman | 55 | SC001 | Mikey Hill | 23:20:51.482* |
Short course/Junior class winners
| Class | Number | Driver |
| Class 11 Short Course | 1157 | Blake Wilkey |
| Youth 170 | O158 | Declan Shields |
| Youth 250 | Y237 | Jacob Williamson |
| Youth 570 | Y531 | Evan Atkins |
| Youth 1000 | Y1088 | George Llamosas |