What race had the largest field of cars and trucks?

[HDRA1]

[quote=snoreracer;655935]

As for an individual classes, I think Parker still had more 1600 entries than the Mint. At the 02 Parker 400 there was 66 starters in 1600. I heard in the mid 80's the 1600 class at Parker peaked over 80 starters.

For 2009, maybe the Mint will have more 10's, 1600's, and lites, but Parker will pull in more unlimited vehicles. This year Parker brought 66 Class 1's(1500) and 28 Trick Trucks. Not 100%, but I think the Mint this year had maybe 20 plus Class 1's and only 10 Trophy Trucks. And I think Parker in 2009 might be even bigger than in 2008.





In the early 80’s the mint 400 had the 1600 class split single seaters and two seaters . 1983 saw 534 entry’s the most ever in any off road race . That year there were 68 single seaters and 89 2 seaters put both together and you have the largest 1600 race ever. In 1983 the mint 400 started one car every 10 seconds on a 104 mile track . Jack Johnson came around on his first lap before all the cars stared

and there were no motorcycles or 3 wheelers at the race all cars/trucks

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[Fast Eddy]

[quote=HDRA1;655946]

and there were no motorcycles or 3 wheelers at the race all cars/trucks

I know the economy was pretty rough back in the late 70's and early 80's back when I was in the sport then. It seems the large fields of 4 wheel vehicles were on the rise. Did we peak or was it that the techkowledgey changed so much and out dated equipment so fast that many teams weren't competitve? I know thats what really did me in back then. I needed to build a new car to keep up and the dollars just weren't there for me back then. I had to wait till I got old and life was well lined out to spend the money again.

With the TV coverage of today and the short coarse popularity, will we see new teams develop for the desert serieses? I know the cost of 1600 racing sure seems pretty reasonable compared to class one back in the early 80's.

[BajaFand]

Didn't the 07 Baja 500 have around 530 starters including bikes, quads, cars, and trucks?

Parker is such an awesome race, even the prerun is one of the funnest events of the year. I think allot of racers prerun Parker just because it's a fun course and a social event, allot of people aren't even there because they are racing. Haha. It's also like a hometown race for allot of people who have had vacation houses in the area for years.

I can't wait for the Mint this year, it's going to be a great race. My first time to a Mint 400 race on the north side of Vegas.

[harleys dad]

I took part in the 1981 mint 400 being the 518 vehicle(last) off the starting line. It was the last time I raced a class 11 at the Mint 400. I remember sending in your entry deposit the same day you received the form in the mail for parker, the classes were gigantic in the 70s and early 80s. I cannot recall anybody not being able to race because of to hi a car count. I do remember when Score cancelled the Parker 400 exactly 5 days before the race and moved the whole thing to mexically in 1978, there were nearly 500 cars enterd with racers allready in Parker pre running. I remember the buesnesses where freaking out, one had 30.000 extra eggs, the KFC had thousands of chickens that were going to waste. I have the program for that race still, the entry list was huge, but less than 3/4 went to mexically for the race. There were several teams that did not get the messege that the race was cancelled and showed up in Parker on thursday nite-Friday Morning with their race cars in tow, after being told did a quick turn around and headed to mexically, or home. The start of that mexically race started in down town, then went along side canals leading out of town, a class 10 car(1200cc open car at the time) rolled in one of the turns and ended up in the canal and both nearly drowned. That race also had horific rain and Snow with major flash floods and blizard like conditions on the summit that kept the finishing number way way low. When me and my dad went over the summit there had to be over 100 cars broke in that area alone. People were getting frostbite. Score did put the Parker 400 race on in 1978 in October,`less than 4 weeks before the Baja 1000 that started in Mexically also. One month after moving the Parker race to Mexically, Score put on the Mexically 300 which had 375 cars according to the program. Sure had our fill of Mexically that year.