Sourapas tops qualifying for Mint 400 Unlimited Race

Brett Sourapas’ return to the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Unlimited Race will see him take the green flag first on Saturday. Thanks to a time of 6m06.643s in Friday’s qualifying session, the driver of the No. 88 Unlimited Truck 4WD has earned the right to start the 2026 edition of the Great American Off-Road Race without opposition.

Two-time defending Unlimited Race winner Adam Householder kicked things off for the 2WD trucks and laid down a 6m14.520s that would withstand challenges from regular top qualifiers like Nic Whetstone and Ryan Arciero, but Justin “Bean” Smith, qualifying for Tracy Graf, would put a 4WD truck on the top spot with a 6m08.881.s That advantage would hold until the final few entries in the first group, when Sourapas would best him by just under two seconds.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson’s return to the desert got off to a wild start on Friday, as he rolled the truck on the final corner before the finish line. However, he wasn’t the only one whose qualifying run didn’t go as planned; Parker 400 winner Robby Gordon wasn’t able to post a time after one of the engines in his dual-engine 4WD truck needed work, while former Unlimited Race winner Eric Hardin walked away from a spectacular rollover that cut his run short.

For Unlimited Truck SPEC, which qualified on its own after the other Unlimited classes wrapped, Kyle Jergensen’s 6m28.225s set an immediate benchmark that would hold for the entire session. Conner McMullen, last year’s SPEC class winner and top qualifier, came closest, as the only driver to post a time within five seconds of Jergensen.

Joining the Unlimited Race entries in qualifying were the Open Pro Motorcycle racers who will head up tomorrow’s Motorcycle Race. Defending race winner Dalton Shirey topped the field with a 5m53.764s, followed closely by Shane Logan and 2024 Motorcycle Race winner Preston Campbell.

Focus now turns to Saturday’s race day. The motorcycle race kicks off at 7am, a pair of youth races will go green at 8am, and the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 Unlimited Race will begin at 10:45am local time.

Watch the Mint 400 live on RACER Network or stream on the RACER+ App. Live coverage starts at 10:15am PT/1:15pm ET.