The Mint 400 is one of the toughest tests in all of desert racing, and this year we watched the KC HiLiTES Dirt Tribe put on a clinic in the sand and rocks outside Las Vegas. From the celebration on Fremont Street to the final dark miles of the course, our sponsored teams proved once again that we dominate in the desert. In this recap we break down how the KC HiLiTES teams stacked up seven first place finishes, 16 podiums, and a UTV class win, all while running new lighting products that we tested right alongside the racers.

The Ultimate Proving Ground

We say it every year, and we mean it: the Mint 400 is the ultimate proving ground. This course has it all, huge G outs, rocks, sand, and silt. It is a tremendous place to find out just how good your product really is. If our lighting can survive that environment, then it can survive for our everyday user back home. That is the whole philosophy behind why we bring our gear out to the desert and run it hard.

We are proud of the teams that we sponsor, but what we are really looking for is a way to make our product better and a way to showcase its value. When we come out to a race like this, we are not just chasing trophies. We are watching how every mount, every pod, and every light bar holds up when the terrain is doing everything it can to shake things apart. You can read more of our coverage of the KC HiLiTES Mint 400 results and see just how consistent these performances have become.

Seven First Place Finishes and 16 Podiums

Let’s talk numbers, because they tell the story. This weekend we had seven first place finishes and we had 16 podiums out there. That is phenomenal, but honestly, that is a normal weekend for KC HiLiTES. We dominate in the desert, and we have the results to prove it year after year. The trophy truck program is very important to us, and we have 12 to 15 guys every race who have to go 100 percent, and sometimes 101 percent, to try and make that pass or give themselves an advantage. Of course, when you push that hard, sometimes you run out of talent, and that is just part of desert racing. But the beauty of having so many teams under the KC HiLiTES banner is that when one truck has a rough day, another is out front holding the line. That depth is what turns a good weekend into a dominant one.

The Banning Family Team

The Banning team holds a special place for us. The family has been running around this desert for a long time, and being from Arizona we have an extra bit of pride with those guys. We do a lot of testing with them, and we lean on them heavy for product development. This weekend they were running some new products for us, and it paid off in a big way when they took the class win by roughly 40 seconds.

Forty seconds might sound like a comfortable margin, but over the length of a Mint 400 race it comes down to consistency and reliability. Every time the Banning team pushed hard, our lighting and their preparation held together. That kind of real world feedback is exactly why we partner with teams like this. What they learn on the course directly informs what we hand to the everyday off-road driver.

Ben Jr Leads From the Front

When you have Ben Jr out there, chances are he is going to be running at the front of the pack, and he did a great job at the Mint 400. His team had a problem every lap, but they started first and stayed in first the whole way around. As he put it, it was a good day all in all, and they still came out on top of the fight. Finishing second overall, right behind the body, was a strong follow up to last year. Second place this year is not bad at all. It was a good run, and the way Ben Jr managed problems every single lap while never surrendering the lead position tells you everything about the grit involved. Racing at the front means you take the brunt of the dust, the rocks, and the pressure, and doing it clean lap after lap is a real accomplishment.

KC HiLiTES Wins the New 850 UTV Class

We are proud to be part of the UTV class, and there were so many cars at this race. We had a factory John Deere effort, and KC HiLiTES got first in the new 850 class. Watching that unfold was a highlight of the entire weekend for our whole crew.

To capture the overall win at the Mint 400 is absolutely astonishing. Steve Sopus and Andy McMillan were able to handle business and just run away from everybody. Those are the kind of days you dream about as a race car driver. As one of them described it, having a clean run with no problems, being able to run when you want to run and go slow when you want to go slow, is kind of a dream day for any race car driver.

What an epic battle those guys had, and that is what it is all about. To have both of them running our product, we could not ask for anything more. Seeing our lighting up front on the overall winning effort is exactly the kind of validation we chase every season. For more from the KC HiLiTES program, our archive of KC HiLiTES desert racing coverage has plenty of stories like this one.

The New 40 Inch Light Bar and Pods

Now for the part we love talking about most, the lighting itself. The trucks ran a brand new 40 inch light bar on the roof along with pods up front, and the drivers could not stop raving about it. In their words, the lights are awesome, they got the brand new 40 inch bar on the roof and the pods up front and it is killer.

The lights definitely helped in the last 30 miles, when it started getting kind of dark. That is the moment where all the testing pays off. There are a lot of great drivers and a lot of good trucks out there, and one of the things that surprises even us is how hard you can drive these things and they do not break. That combination of the 40 inch roof bar and the front pods gave drivers the visibility they needed to keep the throttle down when the sun dropped and the course got harder to read.

A 47 Minute Comeback

Desert racing is full of adversity, and this year gave us one of the best comeback stories we have seen in a while. Perot McRae ran in second for most of the day, and the team was able to come back from a 47 minute pit stop to claim the win in their class. Anyone who follows this sport knows that a pit stop that long is usually the end of your day, not the start of a victory charge.

To lose that much time and still come back for the class win shows the determination that runs through this whole program. It is a reminder that the Mint 400 rewards teams that never give up, and it is exactly why the equipment has to be as reliable as the drivers are stubborn.

Why Racing Makes Our Products Better

A lot of times in desert racing there is a ton of hype before a race, and it rarely materializes into the race everybody thinks it is going to be. This year’s Mint 400 was everything and more. For us, the value goes beyond the podiums. Every time a team like the Bannings runs our gear through the G outs, rocks, sand, and silt, we learn something new about durability and design. That is the core of our approach. If the product survives the abuse of a full Mint 400, it will hold up just fine for the everyday user out on the trail. This race is only going to get bigger and bigger, and the Mint is special to us. We will be part of it for years to come, and we will keep leaning on these teams to help us build the toughest lighting in the desert.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did KC HiLiTES teams perform at the Mint 400?

According to the transcript, KC HiLiTES sponsored teams earned seven first place finishes and 16 podiums over the weekend.

Which KC HiLiTES lighting was used on the race trucks?

The transcript mentions a new 40 inch light bar mounted on the roof along with light pods up front.

Did KC HiLiTES win in the UTV class at the Mint 400?

Yes, the transcript states KC HiLiTES captured first place in the new 850 UTV class, with Steve Sopus and Andy McMillan taking the overall win.

Was there a notable comeback story at this year’s Mint 400?

Yes, the transcript describes a team led by Perot McRae that ran in second most of the day and came back from a 47 minute pit stop to win their class.

How does KC HiLiTES use racing results to improve its products?

The transcript explains that KC HiLiTES leans on teams like the Banning family for testing and product development, using race conditions to prove product durability for everyday users.