VEGAS TO RENO - Cars, Trucks and UTVs

2021 MAXXIS Tires “Casey Folks” Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox: The Largest, Toughest, Most Competitive V2R Ever!

The 25th Maxxis Tires “Casey Folks” Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox was certainly one for the record books. A record turnout and a course that was rated one of the toughest ever all conspired to make this years’ race one of the most memorable of all time. And it could only be described as fi tting that the event Casey Folks brought to fruition 25 years ago would be such an epic event on its 25th Anniversary. Course conditions were the fi rst topic of conversation for each competitor as they crossed the fi nish line. Recent thunderstorms, the route selected, including the notoriously grueling fi nal section, made this year’s Vegas to Reno course extremely challenging. With points towards Maxxis Triple Crown prize money at stake, Best In The Desert’s normal purse, and the title of Vegas to Reno champion, racers were throttling hard and fast to be fi rst.

Story by Scot Harden Photo by Jason Zindroski, High Rev Photography Spedial thanks to Race-Dezert.com

Ryan Arciero Trick Truck photo by Jason Zindroski, High Rev Photography

Arciero Takes Hard-Earned Arciero Takes Hard-Earned Trick Truck Class, Trick Truck Class, Weiland First UTV Weiland First UTV

Record Turnout and Close Finishes

Dustin Grabowski - 1st Class 6100 Photo by Daniel Schenkelberg

When the dust settled, it was hard-charging Ryan Arciero truly rising like a phoenix from the ashes to claim victory in the premier Trick Truck class. For those who remember, just one year ago at V2R, Ryan’s truck caught fi re and burned to the ground. This year, with a brand-new truck, Ryan tackled the 490-mile course at 7:56:49. Arciero’s win did not come easy as two-time defending champion, Bryce Menzies was hungry and leading overall until Pit 11, where a front differential issue caused him to drop out. Best In The Desert’s favorite veteran Trick Truck racer, Steve Olliges put in one of the best races of his career, coming home second in 8:10:10, edging Black Rifl e Coffee’s, BJ Baldwin, out by a mere 44 seconds who fi nished in third place, respectively. Meanwhile, Brenthel Racing’s Kyle Jergensen was never out of the hunt for the overall, fi nishing fourth in Trick Trucks. The #1 Concrete Motorsports Thompson/Letner team’s phenomenal streak of overall wins fi nally came to an end after a rear-start position resulting from a crash in Time Trials put them at a severe disadvantage. However, they still came back to fi nish seventh in class with a time of 8:32:22, an impressive feat. The 2021 Trick Truck Class was made up of a who’s who of off-road racing, an example of what the sport has become. Class 6100 was another barn-burner of a race with #6172 Dustin Grabowski taking home the win after years of coming oh-so-close, fi nally putting everything together to fi nish in 8:08:06. Grabowski’s time not only earned him the class win, but also an incredible 2nd overall for the cars and trucks behind Arciero. Brent Fox switched his regular Class 1500 ride for a 6100 entry and came home second at 8:22:14. Brenthel Racing’s own Jordan Brenthel rounded out the podium just two minutes back at 8:24:16, just a fantastic 3/10ths of a second separating him from fourth-place fi nisher #6164 Pierce Herbst defending V2R Class 6100 champ #6153 Ray Griffi th in fi fth place with a time of 8:24:45. The ever-growing Class 6200 was won by #6201 Nick Carolan in 8:22:42, followed DirtVenture 17

Nick Carolan- 1st Class 6200 Photo by Dirt Nation

by Austin Largent in 9:05:20 and Conner McMullen, who suffered technical issues but still persevered for a fi nish. For the fi rst time in a while, the Class 6100 winner set fast time against the 6200s. Turnout in Class 1500 was phenomenal, with 11 racers taking the start. The James and Jordan Dean #1575 car was fi rst across the line with a time of 8:10:32, followed by Sam Berri in 8:27:51, his 25th Vegas to Reno. He has unbelievably not missed a race since 1996. Third place went to Morgan Langley in 9:05:58. Class 1000 was fully loaded with 13 top teams and drivers. In the end, Matt Rusich, in the #1045 car, took the class win in a time of 8:48:16. Second, went to Wheeler Morgan, just barely over fi ve minutes behind Sam Berri - 2nd Class 1500 Photo by RnR Photos Matt Rusich - 1st Class 1000 Photo by Dirt Nation

James Dean - 1st Class 1500 Photo by Dirt Nation

Jeff Proctor - 1st Class 7200 Photo by Dirt Nation

at 8:53:56. John Van Hattem rounded out the podium in third place with a time of 9:13:11. Jeff Proctor had his #7209 Honda Ridgeline hitting on all cylinders and fi nished in a time of 9:06:06 to take Class 7200. The Proctor Racing Team has had a phenomenal year winning wherever they go. Other Car/Truck Class entries of note included Class 7300 won by Sean Berryman in 13:00:11, and of course, it would not be Vegas to Reno without a “Hall” in the winner’s circle with Chad Hall knocking down the Class 1200 win in his painfully stock Chevrolet in 12:58:36. In the Jeepspeed competition, Class 4700 was won by Andrew Hulse and Class 1700 by Tim Martin, respectively. Craig Christy won Vintage C/T Class 4500 in his ultra-clean Chevy truck at 15:38:41. TrophyLites was a battle between #6012, Greg Bragg, fi nishing in 11:03:00, #6077 Luke Knupp in 11:29:28, and #6013, John Ferrari, in 11:43:26. A record turnout of 135 UTVs entered the 2021 Maxxis Tires “Casey Folks” Vegas to

Tim Martin - 1st Class 1700 Photo by Dirt Nation

Greg Bragg- 1st Class 6000 TrophyLite Photo by RnR Photos

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Austin Weiland - 1st UTV Turbo Photo by Dirt Nation

Reno Presented by Fox. All four main pro classes, UTV Turbo Production, UTV Unlimited, UTV Open, and UTV Production N/A, were loaded with the best teams the sport offers. A record of 44 UTV Turbo Production entries started the race. Throughout the day, as many as eight different teams had a legitimate shot at the class win. When the dust settled, Can-Am’s Austin Weiland took the hardearned victory with a time of 8:49:43 and 29th. Overall, it was an excellent example of how far UTVs have come since they entered the scene. Dustin Jones in the T978 Can-Am was three minutes behind at 8:52:49, followed by Branden Sims in the T913 Polaris. Four-time defending V2R UTV Turbo Production Class champ Phil Blurton had a tough day suffering a serious illness and mechanical issues. At the same time, the UTV Pro Open Class was won by Can-Am’s Dan Fisher, and the UTV RS1 NA class was won by Polaris racer Jonathan McVay at 11:04:48, followed by Jimmy Rodriguez and Jared Cozzocrea. The UTV Unlimited Class was ultra-competitive with 26 entries, including 2021 Jimco Racing Silver State 300 champion Chris Blais who battled up front for most of the race with Randy Raschein, Jim Beaver, and Michael Isom. Shortly before Pit 11, the Blais team suffered mechanical issues and DNF leaving CanAm’s Randy Raschein in the lead, which he held to the fi nish, winning the class in a time of 9:50:54. He was followed by Jim Beaver in his Polaris in 9:52:40 and defending 2020 Best In The Desert UTV Unlimited Series champ Can-Am mounted Michael Isom fi nished third in 10:10:30. The UTV Production N/A class drew a 40 entry fi eld and was won by Carson Wernimont in his Kawasaki, who kept his class win streak alive, putting

in a great race and fi nishing in 9:49:54. Wernimont had to put in a great race because right on his tail was JD Marsh in his Polaris, just two minutes behind. Polaris racer, Dodge Poelman, came home a very welldeserved third, with Honda’s Elias Hanna in fourth. U927 Jack Olliges, son of Trick Truck legend Steve Olliges, showed he would be a force to be reckoned with by winning the UTV Rally class in 10:34:34. He was followed across the line by Jacob Zuccone in a time of 10:52:19 and UFC Fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone fi nished in 11:01:44. The UFC legend takes on off-road racing with the same attitude and grit that made him the most decorated fi ghter in UFC history. “Without question, the 2021 Maxxis Tires ‘Casey Folks’ Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox lived up to all the hype and delivered as one of the premier motorsports’ events in North America this past weekend,” commented Best In The Desert CMO, Bryan Folks. “From our historic Method Race Wheels Live Broadcast of V2R Time Trials, we set a tone for professionalism and excitement that only off-road racing can provide. Our Race Operations’ team has been working hard for this result, and we are very pleased that so many racers chose to join us in this great adventure. I am quite sure our father, Casey Folks, is pleased with the fi nal result. I want to thank our staff, volunteers, sponsors, and racers for believing in our mission and helping make this the biggest V2R ever.” “The last week has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding weeks in all my life,” said Best In The Desert Race Operations Director, Jeff Phillips. “We are grateful and honored that so many chose to join us and continue to believe in us. Seeing all the smiling faces at the fi nish line made all

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Randy Raschein - 1st UTV Unlimited Photo by Dirt Nation

Jack Olliges - 1st UTV Rally Photo by Dirt Nation

the long hours, blood, sweat, and tears more than worth it. And while we are quite pleased and gratifi ed by all the positive comments, we are already thinking about things we can do to make next year’s V2R even better. I want to thank my staff, our volunteers, our sponsors, and most especially, all the racers who showed up to take on one of the toughest challenges in off-road racing.” “This year’s V2R not only lived up to its reputation as the largest and longest single-day off-road race in the U.S., but it would also appear it might have been the toughest,” stated Best In The Desert CEO Daryl Folks. “I’m pretty sure my dad wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The Best In The Desert team, our staff, and volunteers put an enormous amount of effort into this race, and it was great to see a record number of racers come out to support the event my father launched some 25 years ago. I want to thank everyone involved. We have been working extremely hard these past two years to keep off-road racing alive and viable during the pandemic, and we are happy to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I am sure things will only get better from here. Thanks to everyone who participated in the race.” The impact Vegas to Reno has on the Powersports industry is measured in the millions of dollars. BITD’s social media following at this year’s event had its biggest day ever on race day by almost four times over its previous best and developed a loyal and enthusiastic following. There are thousands of stories coming out of V2R. The sport is indeed fortunate iconic races like this still exist. Casey’s vision, foresight, and spirit of adventure were alive and well in the smiles and hearts of every racer who took on the challenge. Most can’t wait till the 2022 event.