2022 Jimco Racing Silver State 300 Presented by Maxxis Tires in the Books; Howes Takes Motorcycles, Barbieri Wins Overall in a Buggy, and Smith Goes Wire to Wire to Win Class 6100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LAS VEGAS, NV (May 2, 2022): Another fan and racer-favorite Silver State 300 has come to a close with some notable favorites taking their perspective classes and a few surprises along the way. 

The event got started on Thursday, April 28, 2022, in Primm, Nevada with Tech, Registration, and  Contingency, Event Expo, and Time Trials. This scheduling was switched as events usually get started with Time Trials. However, because the Time Trials took place on Friday, more fans and viewers were able to attend and it gave the racers more time to prepare. The schedule change and holding the initial events in the same location were positively received by attendees. 

Time Trials got started hard and fast on Friday, April 29, 2022, with qualifying laps taking place in class groups on a beautiful course in Primm, Nevada. Two UTVs raced in the Unlimited Car Classes with one taking fourth place overall while the other finished seventh, demonstrating the power and progression of UTV competition.

The winners were as follows: 

• Group A (Classes 1000 and 7200): #1075 Preston Brigman in 1000 Limited C
• Group B (Classes 6100 and 6200): #6119 Justin “Bean” Smith in 6100 Spec
• Group C (Classes 1500 and Trick Trucks): #97 BJ Baldwin in Trick Truck

Saturday was race day with the start of the course 35 miles north of Alamo, Nevada, this year running in reverse. Windy conditions helped keep dust off the course and competitors were eager to take top spots at the famous Silver State 300 while stacking points toward the Best In The Desert Series Championship. Motorcycle and Quad Classes got an early start off the line at 6 a.m.

After a tough 300 miles from point to point, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes came up from the fourth place and won the MC Open Pro Class in 5:12:45, crossing the finish line five minutes before veteran team Jeremy Newton and Jeff Trulove.

Notably, the top three overall motorcycles posted the fastest times on the day.

Other motorcycle racers of note include David Broderick taking the Open Expert Class and finishing fourth overall; Danny Cooper finishing first place in the Over 30 Class and seventh overall; Jarrod Wheeler earning the 399 Pro Class and finishing eighth overall; and Zach Meyers winning the Ironman Pro Class and finishing ninth overall. 

Additional Motorcycle and Quad Class winners include the Volle Family who won the Family Expert Class riding their KTM; Starley Stevens who took the 399 Expert Class while finishing thirteenth overall; Kimberley Loppnow, Krista Conway, and Kenzy Smith who rode together as a team and took the Women’s Class and finished in eighteenth place overall; Paul Palmer who took the Over 50 Class and finished nineteenth overall; Tony Nolen who won the Lites Expert Class and finished twenty-fourth overall; David Reynar who took the Open Amateur Class and finished thirty-second overall; Paul Mumford who won the Ironman Amateur Class and finished thirty-third overall; and Kevin Clark who took the Over 60 Class and finished forty-fourth overall. The first-place winner for the Quad Ironman Class was Brett Greenhold who finished twenty-second overall. 

Car, Truck, and UTV Classes got started mid-morning with vehicles crossing the finish line through the night. The racing was tight with seconds between UTV finishers. Plus, this was the first time a car won overall. Here are some highlights. 

Former motocross racer Cole Barbieri took the Unlimited Car Class in 5:22:56, the fastest time for all four-wheel vehicles in the Jimco Racing Silver State 300 Presented by Maxxis Tires.

This marks the first time a car has won the overall title. Mitch Guthrie Jr. crossed the line a mere 12 seconds behind Barbieri in his Red Bull Factory Polaris RZR. Third place overall went to BJ Baldwin who took the Trick Truck Class but was plagued with minor issues throughout the race to hold him off the overall title. 

Fourth place overall went to Justin “Bean” Smith who finished in 5:33:29 to take the 6100 Spec Class with Brent Fox close behind to take second in the 6100 Class and fifth place overall.

#1075 Preston Brigman would take Class 1000 and finish sixth overall. Chad Hall won the Mid-Stock Class in 7:07:35 and Scott Biehl took top honors in the Jeepspeed Cup finishing in 7:14:07.  

In the UTV Classes, winners of note include Can-Am’s Vito Ranuio who took the Turbo Production Class in 5:46:16 followed closely by Joe Terrana. #2901 Chris Blais won the Trophy Unlimited Class in 5:51:28, the third UTV time overall, while Max Eddy took the NA Production Class in 6:05:12 in his Polaris RZR, and Mitchell Alsup was the top racer in the UTV Super Stock Class finishing in his Can-Am in 6:06:44. Young female driver Hailey Hine won the UTV Sportsman Rally Class in 6:22:10, reminding racers and fans that she is one to look out for. 

The unofficial results for the Jimco Racing Silver State 300 Presented by Maxxis Tires can be found here. 

Best In The Desert racers, staff, volunteers, and fans will now have the summer months to prepare and look forward to the epic return of the Casey Folk’s Vegas to Reno, this year featuring Method Race Wheels as the presenting sponsor. 

The famously grueling 500-mile race will take place on August 10-13, 2022 starting in Las Vegas and finishing in Reno. 

Stay tuned to Best In The Desert’s event schedule page found here.

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