Bigger, Better, Faster: Ford Trucks at the Mint 400
The Ford F-150 is said to be stronger than all of Ford Motor Company itself. Want proof? Just look at what we found at the Mint 400.
While it may seem easy to brush off that statement about Ford’s evidence of strength because it’s open desert racing, it’s not. Outside of the 6100 Spec Trick Trucks, Trick Trucks, and 7200 Turbo Truck classes – the classes that use tube chassis with fiberglass or composite bodies – the vintage and Sportsman classes are a whole other story. Rangers, F-150s, F-100s, and a classic Bronco all represented the Blue Oval with pride at the recent Mint 400 in Nevada.
However, in town, you saw even more Fords. Far more than GMs and only closely followed by Toyota in terms of what was on display during the week of the Mint 400. Not only were the race trucks on display, but there were plenty of street trucks and PreRunners out in the vendor displays.
One that caught our eyes immediately was the Dezert Lab Engineering Bronco in the Vision Wheel booth. This truck was one of the finalists at the Battle of the Builders contest at the 2017 SEMA Show. It’s designed to be a four-wheel drive (with a twin traction beam, no less) Luxury PreRunner with a Whipple Supercharged Coyote 5.0-liter V8. Fitted with a set of BF Goodrich Baja project tires under those McNeil Racing fiberglass fenders, it was a rather imposing truck to have on display.
The favorite racer in the limited class start had to be Brad Lovell in the Amsoil 1968 Bronco. Straight out of the 60s, this classic was gunning for the win, but Lovell had to be happy with a close second place finish in the Vintage Class. Spencer Low, a legend in his own right, would get the win in his Vintage Nissan Hardbody.
We also have to say how impressed we were with the EcoBoost engines in the 7200 Class trucks. Basically, these trucks are Trick Trucks but with a V6 engine instead of a big old Ford V8. Even so, these trucks would rocket out of the corners and down the straights like many of the bigger, non-turbo trucks. It was fun to watch these guys chase each other all day along with the rest of the Unlimited Classes.
We look forward to bringing you more off-road action in the future!
Photos for Ford Truck Enthusiasts by Justin Banner
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