Thousands of Enthusiasts Converge on a Barren, Dry Lakebed in the California Desert for the Ultimate Off-Road Experience

If you haven’t heard of King of the Hammers, you’ve been missing out! The massive off-road event held early each year in Johnson Valley, California, offers off-road enthusiasts everything from extreme desert and rock racing to concerts, bars, and as much rowdy fun as you’d like to partake in. This year, we made our way out to the desert for the major rock races of the event for an exclusive look at this amazing event!

“From a small group of friends betting against one another in 2007, to one of the biggest off-road events in the world featuring the toughest off-road race in the United States in 2024, King of the Hammers has become a Mecca of sorts for off-road enthusiasts world wide.”

How It Started

King of the Hammers got its start back in 2007, like many great ideas do—scrolled on a bar napkin. It was conjured by founders Jeff Knoll and Dave Cole as a challenge to see who could complete all of the hammers (off-road trails) in Johnson Valley as quickly as possible. The first race was a gathering of 12 friends merely competing for a case of beer. In 2008, the first official King of the Hammers event took place, and with it came the crowning of avid rock crawling competitor Shannon Campbell as the first king. By 2009, the event had gained enough interest that a last chance qualifier race was held to see who would get the opportunity to compete against the top 20 finishers of 2008, as well as otherwise qualified competitors through other off-road events. From there, it just kept growing, from the addition of multiple classes to shootouts, concerts and so much more!

From a small group of friends betting against one another in 2007, to one of the biggest off-road events in the world featuring the toughest off-road race in the United States in 2024, King of the Hammers has become a Mecca of sorts for off-road enthusiasts world wide. And this year, we saw more ups and downs and turn-arounds at the event than ever before. Here are some of the highlights!

“… [UTVs are] the fastest growing in the industry currently, with King of the Hammers offering opportunities for an impressive five classes to compete on one of the biggest off-road platforms.”

What King of the Hammers Has to Offer

What started out so many years ago as a one-day event has grown to be nearly a three-week festival in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Often referred to as “Burning Man for gearheads,” King of the Hammers offers just about every form of long-distance, off-road racing you could think of. From dirt bikes the first weekend for the Liquid Moly King of the Motos event, to full desert racing the second for the Toyo Tires Desert Challenge Presented by Monster, to the epic rock races that fittingly conclude the Progressive King of the Hammers Presented by Nitto and Powered by Optima Batteries, there is something for every kind of off-road enthusiast to enjoy. There are also loads of trails to explore, obstacles to tackle, a massive vendor midway to peruse, bars to hop, and concerts to see.

Can-Am UTV King of the Hammers Championship

While UTVs have long been referred to as “golf carts” among off-road enthusiasts, the compact off-road rigs have grown leaps and bounds in performance and agility over the last decade or so, earning them a top spot in the off-road racing community. In fact, this class of race cars is the fastest growing in the industry currently, with King of the Hammers offering opportunities for an impressive five classes of UTVs to compete on one of the biggest off-road platforms. This year, 114 UTV competitors started in the Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship.

Among the top drivers were Can-Am sponsored competitors Kyle Chaney, brothers Hunter and Cody Miller, Phil Blurton, Dustin Jones and Brian Deegan, Red Bull athletes Mitch Guthrie and Bryce Menzies, short-course greats like CJ and Johnny Greaves, and other notable names like Cameron Steele, Jeremy McGrath, and Robby and Max Gordon.

Starting on the pole, Kyle Chaney came out of the gate doing work—taking on the 170-mile rock and desert combination course like the pro he’s proven to be. While many tried to catch the legend and three-time King of the Hammers UTV champion, Kyle proved once again to have what it took to complete one of the toughest off-road races in the shortest elapsed time. After three hours, 57 minutes and 28.964 seconds, Kyle and his co-driver crossed the finish line to the checkered flag. Following him in for second and third overall were Mitch Guthrie with an elapsed race time of four hours, 3 minutes and 22.311 seconds, and Phil Blurton with an elapsed race time of four hours, five minutes and 57.407 seconds, which included a 5-minute penalty.

Every Man Challenge Race

The Every Man Challenge race is one for just that—every man. Started as an entry-level race class, the Every Man Challenge encompasses much more factory-like race vehicles. In fact, the 4600 Currie Enterprises Stock Class requires competitors to race stock vehicles only slightly modified based on year, make, and model, with added safety equipment. The 4500 Yukon Gear & Axle Modified Class takes that notion up to another level, allowing for less factory-like vehicle bodies, tube chassis, more suspension upgrades and bigger tires. The final class in the Every Man Challenge race is the 4800 Branik Motorsports Legends Class, which was originally created to give old 4400 Unlimited Class vehicles a class to race in once they had been retired or were no longer competitive within the ever-changing, ever-progressing Unlimited Class. This class still has regulations, however, including tire size, suspension modifications, and a solid front axle.

Though the Every Man Challenge race was originally intended for anyone to break into the off-road racing scene, it has become highly competitive and innovative, with competitors building cars specifically to be top competitors in each class. Even leading manufacturers like Ford have taken notice, building Stock Class Broncos for competitors like Loren Healy, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Brad Lovell, and Bailey Cole to compete and win on the toughest off-road course in the country.

This year, the Every Man Challenge race took place on Friday, Feb 2. First off the line were Brent Harrell and Kent Fults—both top drivers in the 4800 Legends Classwhile Legends Class and Modified Class competitors were intermixed for the start, based on their qualifying times. The Stock Class as a whole started at the rear of the pack because they are traditionally slower on the course. In total, 163 vehicles started the Every Man Challenge race.

While Kent and Brent both led the field for part of the race, other players like Logan Goodall, Wood Rose, and Jeremy Jones all put pressure on the front-runners throughout the day. In the end, two-time Unlimited Class king, Randy Slawson, took the checkered flag in his 4800 Legends Class car with an official time of four hours, 46 minutes, and 41.129 seconds, including a 10 minute penalty.

“Though the Every Man Challenge race was originally intended for anyone to break into the off-road racing scene, it has become highly competitive and innovative, with competitors building cars specifically to be top competitors in each class.”

Nitto Race of Kings

The third and final rock race of the 2024 King of the Hammers was the Nitto Race of Kings. Among the top competitors were previous kings Loren Healy, Shannon Campbell, Jason Scherer, and Erik Miller, along with reigning back-to-back king, Raul Gomez. But it wasn’t any of the previous kings who secured the pole position in qualifying. Rather, it was Cade Rodd, long-time 4800 Legends Class racer who just recently moved into the Unlimited Class field.

Off the line first, Cade was on a mission, hitting the first few rock canyons with vengeance, making moves to distance himself from his fellow competitors right off the bat. But Cade’s front-running position didn’t stick. By mid-race, the race lead had swapped between Cade and a handful of other drivers a number of times, including Jason Scherer, Casey Currie, and Raul Gomez, as well as Kyle Chaney who was racing his UTV in the Unlimited Class.

As any fan of racing can attest, things can change very quickly, especially when competitors are facing over 200 miles of some of the toughest terrain. And that couldn’t have been more true of this year’s Race of Kings.

While everyone was watching the drama unfold in the front of the pack, Raul Gomez’s brother, long-time Unlimited Class racer, JP Gomez, was making moves from the back. Having taken a tumble in the rock canyon dubbed Chocolate Thunder during qualifying earlier in the week, JP started the race in one of the last positions off the line. But all of the races at King of the Hammers are based on elapsed time, not on who crosses the finish line first, and JP knew that if he kept it clean, didn’t get stuck in an obstacle or behind other competitors, and pushed for time, he had a shot at moving up the field. By the end of the day, however, he had not only moved up in the field—he had made up enough time to put himself in contention for a podium finish.

“As any fan of racing can attest, things can change very quickly, especially when competitors are facing over 200 miles of some of the toughest terrain. And that couldn’t have been more true of this year’s Race of Kings.”

JP crossed the finish line physically second, with an elapsed race time of six hours, 27 minutes, and 44.737 seconds. Kyle Chaney crossed the finish line for the Race of Kings physically first, sparking talk of a potential first in King of the Hammers history—a UTV winning the Unlimited Class race. His elapsed race time was six hours, 37 minutes, and 40.604 seconds, putting him in the position to beat as the clock ticked down for everyone still moving on course. However, following a review of penalties accrued on the race course, it was found that Kyle had gained over 50 minutes by not hitting certain virtual checkpoints along the way, pushing him back in the pack with a 52-minute, 10-second penalty for an official race time of seven hours, 29 minutes and 50.604 seconds.

As more racers finished their races, it quickly became clear that JP Gomez had taken the King of the Hammers crown for the first time in his race career, dethroning his brother and joining the exclusive ranks as the ninth official King of King of the Hammers!

Joining JP on the podium were Brett Harrell and John Webb.

An absolutely amazing event brought to an amazing conclusion, we can’t recommend experiencing King of the Hammers for yourself enough! Dates for next year’s event have yet to be announced, but we’ll certainly be putting it on our 2025 calendars as an event not to miss as soon as those dates become available!

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2024 Progressive King of the Hammers Presented by Nitto and Powered by Optima Batteries Race Results

Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship

4900 Cam-Am Pro Mod UTV Class
1)   Kyle Chaney #191
2)   Philip Blurton #944
3)   Matt Zeiler #247

4900 Can-Am Open UTV Class
1)   Mitch Guthrie #51
2)   CJ Greaves #33
3)   Paul Wolff #7018

4900 Can-Am Pro Stock Turbo UTV Class
1)   Brock Heger #1896
2)   Nathan Parker #151 (rookie)
3)   Robby Gordon #3461

4900 Can-Am Sportsman Stock UTV Class
1)   Zach Szymik #777
2)   Benjamin Heiting #9009 (rookie)
3)   Martin Duffy #1993

4900 Can-Am Pro Stock NA Class
1)   Alvin (AJ) Hoover #3947
2)   Kurtis Morris #475
3)   Tim Moynagh #1000

Every Man Challenge Race

4500 Yukon Gear & Axle Modified Class
1)   Duane Garretson #26
2)   Shad Kennedy #29
3)   Steve Crawford #4532

4600 Currie Enterprises Stock Class
1)   Bailey Cole #4654
2)   Loren Healy #2567
3)   Alex McNeil #4675

4800 Branik Motorsports Legends Class
1)   Randy Slawson #4848
2)   Woody Rose #22
3)   Jeremy Jones #4837

Nitto Race of Kings
1)   JP Gomez #82
2)   Brett Harrel #4456
3)   John Webb #4468
4)   Erik Miller #21
5)   Dan Fresh #8
6)   Vaughn Gittin Jr. #25
7)   Tad Dowker #906
8)   Kyle Chaney #191
9)   Kevin Sterns #11
10) Cade Rodd #7

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Editor’s Note: A version of this article appeared in TREAD May/June 2024.