King Shocks’ Randy Slawson Wins Record Fourth King of the Hammers Race of Kings
In the toughest Race of Kings ever staged at King of the Hammers, King Shocks driver Randy Slawson earned his record-setting fourth victory in one of off-road’s most grueling races. Slawson and the #4448 Bomber Fabrication team were one of just two teams to complete the race in the 14-hour time limit, getting to the finish line in 13:01:51.434 after three laps on the most challenging course in event history.
Slawson, who entered this year’s event in a three-way tie for the most wins in Race of Kings history, made a dramatic charge to victory despite running outside of the top 10 early. Cunning strategy from the only driver to run all 20 races in KOH history, combined with the durability of King Shocks, allowed him to capitalize where others could not; Slawson was able to survive multiple new trails placed on the final lap that racers weren’t allowed to pre-run.
The successes weren’t limited to the Race of Kings, though. King racers dominated the Every Man Challenge, completing a full sweep of the 4800 class podium with Dylan Summers, Amber Slawson, and Derek Summers. Dylan Summers took over the lead on the second lap and avoided the trouble that befell his competitors through the remainder of the race to become the youngest winner in Every Man Challenge history.
In the Desert Challenge, Ray Griffith earned top honors in the T2 class and second overall with a consistent five-lap drive in the most unique desert race in the sport. Griffith’s finishing time of 4:13:38.794 was good enough to score the victory by just over a minute. In addition, Donny Donovan posted a runner-up finish in the Class 11 Showdown, scoring a podium finish against a field of more than 20 vehicles on KOH’s short course.
“Congratulations to Randy Slawson for scoring his record-breaking fourth Race of Kings victory at King of the Hammers!” said King Shocks president Brett King. “For King Shocks, the Race of Kings truly lives up to its name each year, and there’s no more fitting racer to set the new benchmark for overall wins than a driver who has been here from the very beginning. We’d also like to congratulate Dylan Summers on leading a King sweep of the Every Man Challenge podium, as well as the many other King-equipped racers who were not only able to conquer such challenging trails, but also take home trophies in their respective classes. We can’t wait to get back in 2027 and defend the overall top honors!”
Racing, prerunning or just having fun, whatever your application; King Shocks has the shock for you with the performance, reliability, precise tuning and adjustability you need. King Shocks, The Leader in Off-Road Technology!
Photo credit: Larry Chen Photo