Heger, Bellefontaine top Mint 400 Limited Race qualifying

Brock Heger will start his chase for a second straight win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Race at the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 from the top starting spot. The 2025 race winner, multi-time Dakar champion, and one of the most dominant forces in North American desert racing laid down a blistering time of 6m19.627s in Thursday qualifying in Primm, completing the course more than 10 seconds faster than anyone else in the session.

Limited Race qualifying was broken up into two groups, with more than 25 Class 10 racers taking the course on first. The top time kept falling as the session went on, with Todd Jackson’s 7m13.881s holding at first before Mat Bellefontaine dropped a 7m10.484s. Strong challenges from Brody Aikins and Eliott Watson would each come close, eventually splitting the top three times by a razor-thin 1.025 seconds. Jackson and defending Class 10 winner Carib Potts would complete the top five.

From there, well over 60 UTV Pro racers hit the course, and the top 10 qualifiers when it all shook out read like a who’s who of the sport. Coming in second was Kyle Chaney, the multi-time King of the Hammers and short course champion who will be running his first Mint 400, while Corbin Leaverton will look to replicate his class win in UTV Pro NA last year from third on the UTV Pro grid. Other names in the top 10 included past Limited Race winners Mitch Guthrie, Ronnie Anderson, and Dustin Jones.

Top qualifiers, UTV Pro class

1. T96 Brock Heger, 6m19.627s

2. T191 Kyle Chaney, 6m30.162s

3. T25 Corbin Leaverton, 6m30.357s

4. T22 Cody Miller, 6m31.245s

5. T51 Mitch Guthrie, 6m32.484s

6. T52 Ronnie Anderson, 6m33.127s

7. T90 Hunter Miller, 6m33.553s

8. T21 Cayden MacCachren, 6m34.286s

9. T44 Phil Blurton, 6m34.891s

10. T978 Dustin Jones, 6m36.492s

Top qualifiers, Class 10

1. 1025 Mat Bellefontaine, 7m10.484s

2. 1077 Brody Aikins, 7m10.613s

3. 1030 Eliott Watson, 7m11.509s

4. 1021 Todd Jackson, 7m13.881s

5. 1061 Carib Potts, 7m20.712s

6. 1071 Brady Whitlock, 7m21.456s

7. 1014 Zack McLaren, 7m21.851s

8. 1015 Michael Wells, 7m24.368s

9. 1017 Cade Martin, 7m29.033s

10. 1006 Hector Garcia, 7m29.464s

Catch qualifying for the Mint 400 on RACER+ and RACER NETWORK on Friday, March 6. Coverage begins at 10:30am ET.