Las Vegas
Mint 400
The Mint 400 was an annual desert off road race for both
motorcycles and four wheel vehicles [buggies, cars and trucks] sponsored
by Del Webbs Mint Hotel and Casino. Del Webb was owner of the famous
Mint Hotel in downtown
Las Vegas before the strip was king and downtown was an outdoor
mall. The Mint sponsored this event from 1970 through the sale of the
hotel and casino in the late 1980's. For the first few years of the
event Jim Beam put out special commemorative decanters. Billed as the
richest off road race the Mint 400 was a motorsports spectacular that
attracted over 500 entries every year and millions of dollars to the Las
Vegas business community. Entrants in this event were world wide and
included some of the biggest names from all venues of racing as well as
the television and motion picture industry. Pre-race activities included
the closing of a portion of Fremont Street in order to conduct and carry
out the vehicle technical inspection and race car impound. Each year the
Mint racing committee chose a contingent of lovely ladies to reign over
the events activities. Known as the Mint 400 girls this group includes
such names as Lynda Carter [Wonder Woman] and Vanna White. Hunter S.
Thompson's report on the 1971 race for Sports Illustrated was one of the
earliest and most complete instances of gonzo journalism. His suggestion
that he would ride a Vincent Black Shadow (one of the fastest production
road bikes ever made) was totally hillarious, since this bike is way too
big for offroad riding and the last one produced would be 16 years old
by that time. The Mint is also featured in the movie based on Thompson's
book, both named Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Recommend This Page To A Friend!
Home | Up | Cashman Field | UNLV Rebels Football | UNLV Runnin' Rebels Basketball | Cashman Field | Cox Pavilion | Las Vegas 51s | Las Vegas Americans | Las Vegas Gladiators | Las Vegas Grand Prix | Las Vegas Marathon | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Las Vegas Outlaws | Las Vegas Posse | Las Vegas Quicksilver | Las Vegas Tabagators | Las Vegas Thunder | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Mint 400 | National Finals Rodeo | Thomas & Mack Center
Las Vegas Entertainment, made by MultiMedia | Free content and software
This guide is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
| 
