2024 UNLTD Championship Chase: UTV Modified, UTV Stock, Youth Classes
The 2024 UNLTD Off-Road Racing season concludes on October 2-6 with the return of the California 300. As we prepare for an epic finish to this year’s campaign, we’re going to take a look each week at the top racers across the dozens of classes that make up a typical UNLTD entry list.
To kick things off, we’re going to give you a quick refresher on how the championship works before highlighting the UTV Modified and Stock classes, as well as all of our Youth divisions:
How does the championship work?
To win an UNLTD class title, the same driver or record must start or finish all three races in the same class. Each class winner receives 100 points, followed by 95 for second, 91 for third, 88 for fourth, 86 for fifth, and one less point for every position thereafter. Drivers also receive starting points (25 for the Parker 400, 35 for the Mint 400 and California 300) and finishing points (35 for the Parker 400, 45 for the Mint 400 and California 300).
Racers who score DNFs still receive points, although DNS and disqualified drivers do not; the finishing order for DNFs is determined by remote timing gate data. The fastest elapsed time across all three events serves as the tiebreaker.
UTV Modified and Stock Classes
Despite a DNF in the Mint 400, Ethan Sullivan’s runner-up finish at the Parker 400 helped him slide into a 94-point lead in UTV Modified going into Barstow. The class has seen six different podium finishers so far, with Sullivan slotting between James Summers and Jake Taylor at Parker and Todd Zuccone, Aspen Chpournos, and Shaun Romano the top three at this year’s Mint.
The battle is much closer in the Stock class. Adyson Johnston’s Mint 400 win, combined with a third place finish at Parker, have her in the points lead by one point over Katin Ladin, who finished second in both races. Max Hirn remains within striking distance at 22 points back with two top-10 finishes, while one DNF apiece for Dean Okonsky and Parker 400 winner Landon Phillips have them looking at a steeper hill to climb from fourth and fifth.
Youth Classes
After winning the Mint 400 by nearly a minute, Mason Cotter holds the Youth 1000 class advantage coming into the finale. Neil Weaver, Ryder Barnaby, and Jackson Mandle can each still claim the title with a California 300 victory, but they’re also separated by four points between them—making the fight to break out that much harder.
The top three drivers in the 250 class are separated by just seven points, with Wyatt Cotter’s pair of podiums giving him the one-point edge on Parker 400 winner Code St. Peter and seven points on Maggie Flores. The gap gets wider in Youth 170 Production, where Cash Martinez’s pair of victories have him 14 points ahead of Ryder Wilson. Finishes of first at Parker and second at the Mint have given Nixon Nagel a slightly bigger lead in Youth 170 Open, with 15 points on Jameson Mandle and 19 each on Brixton Wirt and Korbin Grinolds.
Brody Berhorst (Open) and Estella Gaddis took the two 570 class wins on offer at the Mint, while Presten Zygela earned the 200 class victory. Neither class has seen a finisher in both of its races.