The Mint 400 Contingency Brings High-Octane Fun to Fremont Street in Las Vegas

Mar 6, 2017

The downtown crowd at the Las Vegas, Nevada Mint 400 Contingency street view

The iconic Vegas downtown was a fitting venue for an iconic race gathering (Photo: Tim Kessel)

The biggest party in desert racing filled the famed Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, in early March. The K&N-sponsored Mint 400 held its massive contingency in the legendary downtown area of Sin City. Several blocks of Fremont Street East were blocked off so race fans, vendors, and racers could mingle and share their passion for desert racing.

The link between the Mint 400 and Fremont Street goes back over four decades. At its inception, “The Great American Desert Race” was sponsored by the Mint Hotel which was a fixture on Fremont until its closing in the late 1980s. Fremont Street is truly the historic epicenter of American desert racing. The quirky, fun ambiance of downtown Vegas is a perfect match for the vibrancy of the Mint 400 Contingency.

No other major race offers fans such an intimate relationship with racers and their race hardware as the Mint 400. During the contingency, high-tech and exotic off-road cars, trucks, buggies, and UTVs are rolled through the streets where fans can inspect, photograph, and even touch the race machines that will tackle the rugged Mojave Desert a day later. The top desert racers are also accessible for autographs and casual interaction with race fans.

K&N race truck at the Las Vegas, Nevada Mint 400 Contingency

K&N's cool vintage race truck was a fan favorite (Photo:Tim Kessel)

This year’s contingency featured over 350 desert race vehicles, as well as pit crews, racers, and thousands of fans. Dozens of high-end venders lined Fremont Street displaying their latest performance gadgetry. With barbecue smoke wafting through the streets, event tee shirts being shot into the crowd with air guns, and fire-breathing desert racers revving, the scene was a high-octane frenzy.

Of course, K&N was a major part of the Mint 400 Contingency festivities. The K&N semi and display vehicles were a fan favorite on the contingency path. The large K&N village offered fans a chance to see the newest intake and filtration technology and view some really cool machines.

The K&N vintage off-road truck was a magnetic attraction for gearheads, with its classic faded and rusted look and thoroughly modern suspension and engine-work. The K&N Polaris SxS, featuring the brand-new K&N 63-1133 Polaris intake, was popular with UTV race fans. K&N also had some very cool stand-alone engine and intake displays.

The downtown crowd at the Las Vegas, Nevada Mint 400 Contingency high view

Fremont Street was bustling with Mint 400 Contigency fun (Photo: Mint 400)

The contingency day also served other vital race services for the Mint 400. Throughout the day, as fans walked the street, event personnel, racers, and reporters got down to business. There were press conferences and mandatory racer meetings. Helicopter pilots and ground photographers were briefed on safety protocols for the event to keep everything safe and efficient on race day.

The ultra-fan-friendly Mint 400 Contingency was a roaring success (literally). Take a look below for a photo log of the festivities at the 2017 Mint 400 Contingency.