Best in the Desert Season Wraps Up with 2019 Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic

Best In The Desert Racing exists in a perpetual state of growth, more famous every year thanks to some kickass marquee events. Take the Mint 400. Resumed after a 20-year hiatus, it sees throngs of off-road enthusiasts flocking to Las Vegas since its return in 2008. Or the grueling, full day Vegas To Reno race. Stretching for over 550 miles through the unforgiving Nevada desert in mid-August, it truly tests the willpower of its racers and the brute strength of their rigs. And now, joining their iconic ranks in recent years, is the Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic, a new-school favorite in the BITD circuit that’s sure to close out the 2019 season with a bang.

Established in the fall of 2016, the Laughlin Desert Classic has come to be seen as BITD’s big finish, an exclamation point at the end of a season of white-knuckled racing furor, and this year is no different. So buckle up, because October 10 – 13, the folks in Laughlin will wrap this season up the way it started—kicking up plenty of dust, chasing adventure and challenge with extreme desert racing.

A Little Bit About Best In The Desert Racing

Best In The Desert Racing was founded in 1984 by the late racing great Casey Folks. Now revered as a member of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall Of Fame, Folks spent decades building his modest dream of an organization into the largest professional desert off road racing circuit on the entire North American continent. So respected is Folks, that to honor him, the crown jewel of the BITD season now bears his name in memoriam, “The Casey Folks Vegas To Reno”.

Folks really did breathe life into an inclusive, family-friendly phenomenon. He focused on safety, affordability, unique race experiences, and growing a community around the sport he loved. And he succeeded mightily. Today, BITD is largely made up of volunteer off-road racing enthusiasts, and plays host to a number of world-class events every single year. Whether a racer or spectator, a novice sportsman or a seasoned professional, there is a place for everyone in the BITD universe. And for more and more people each of the last few years, they find that their place is at “The Duel In The Desert”. Or as they call it, the Laughlin Desert Classic.

Your 2019 Laughlin Desert Classic Schedule

Presented by Jimco, the 2019 Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic follows a two-day race format. Held on a 16-mile racecourse in Laughlin, Nevada, just south of Las Vegas and set along the scenic banks of the Colorado River, the Duel in the Desert is now entering its fourth year of competition. And things show no sign of slowing down—literally or figuratively—any time soon.

Although the official race is open to car and truck classes only (Laughlin hosted the UTV World Championships in April), a Thursday night UTV race is sponsored by Polaris RZR and serves as the unofficial kickoff to the real action of the weekend. There’s a welcome party, too, but trust us on this one. Don’t miss the UTVs.

This event has become a fan favorite over the last few seasons. Held 100% in the dark of nighttime, the only illumination for the course comes from drivers’ on-board lighting. The race consists of two separate groups, each racing 10 laps around the 16-mile course.

Friday is a day for registration, Car and Truck class tech and contingency, and a drivers’ meeting. Car and Truck classes finally get down to the business of racing and slingin’ some desert mud around at the Laughlin Events Park on Saturday and Sunday, with the winners honored at an awards ceremony on Sunday night.

A Can’t-Miss Event

The fourth annual Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic will surely keep just about any race lover occupied for the better part of a week. But maybe you want to mix it up a bit? Try something different for a few hours? Then you should really take a look at Laughlin itself.

The Duel In The Desert has one heck of a host city, with plenty to offer tourists who are interested in all types of vacations. Nestled in the Colorado River Valley where Nevada, California, and Arizona converge, Laughlin has transformed its image from small mining town to getaway hot spot, complete with casinos, world class dining, and great shopping, from practical needs to fancy-pants high fashion shoppes.

The Best In The Desert season will be over before you know it, so the 2019 Laughlin Desert Classic is the time to soak it all in. Really be present in the moment. Don’t miss a single race. Revel in the joy of the sport you love with your friends, family, and loved ones. Because after we’re through here, it’s practically winter. Which is, now that we think of it, the best time to start getting our plans together, and our rigs repaired, to get back to next year’s Best In The Desert events, whether as a driver or a spectator. (And yes, next year’s schedule is already posted).

So enjoy the 2019 Laughlin Desert Classic, because once it’s over, it’s over.

(But thankfully, only for a couple of months.)