GREG ADLER SEIZES VICTORY IN ICONIC MINT 400 OFF-ROAD RACE
Compton, California (March 7, 2017) – 4 Wheel Parts President and CEO, Greg Adler, raced to the 4400 Class win in this past weekend’s Mint 400 off-road race in the grueling desert just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Teaming up with off-road racing icon, Rob MacCachren, the duo attacked the three 116-mile loops in a blistering time that saw them completing the 348-mile race nearly an hour ahead of their nearest competitor. The victory came just three weeks after they battled to the finish line in the King of the Hammers event in Johnson Valley, California.
“I can’t say enough about our team,” said Adler. “We made the decision to run the Mint 400 after Hammers and Brian Kirby and Justin Bodewitz busted their tails preparing to get us ready to race. Racing over 500 miles of some of the most grueling terrain imaginable in the last three weeks, this car has taken a ton of abuse. The guys gave us a great car and we had zero issues the entire day.”
Taking the start, MacCachren set a pace that saw the #4444 quickly put a 20-minute gap on the field before turning the car over to Adler for the second and third laps. As the course deteriorated and became littered with vehicles that had succumbed to the desert and attrition, Adler increased the lead with each subsequent lap in bringing home the Team 4 Wheel Parts Ultra4 to the checkered flag and a resounding class win.
“We had a lot of fun racing today,” Adler said. “We hopped in the car with a nice lead and set off to find our pace, keep moving forward and not make any mistakes. As the race went on, the course got rougher, but as we were counting down the miles to the finish, it started to sink in that we were headed to our first Mint 400 win. Some of my first races in the early ‘90s were at the Mint 400, so to come back here and bring home a win is extremely special. This really is a bucket list moment for me.”
For Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts, the triumph put the exclamation point on a week of Mint 400 festivities that exemplified the renaissance of the iconic event as it has returned to its former glory. The week kicked off with the 4 Wheel Parts vehicle procession that saw the #4444 leading the field of competitors down the famed Las Vegas strip on Wednesday and continued through Friday with a festive contingency party.
“The Martelli Brothers have brought The Mint 400 back from the ashes to become the biggest desert race in the nation,” said Adler. “They have restored the Mint 400 to glory with its pageantry and a nod toward tradition. Honoring the history of the sport and paying homage to the legends that laid the foundation, not only for this event, but for off-road racing, make it a truly distinctive experience. We’re proud to be a part of this historic race and look forward to attending for years to come.”
Follow Greg Adler Motorsports on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Team4WheelParts.com.
Greg Adler Motorsports is Supported by:
4 Wheel Parts · BFGoodrich Tires · ODYSSEY Battery · MagnaFlow Exhaust · AMP Research / AVS · LUND · Rigid Industries · G2 Axle & Gear · Bushwacker · Makita Industrial Power Tools · Impact Racing · MasterCraft Safety · King Shocks · K&N Filters · FiberwerX · AAM
About 4 Wheel Parts
4 Wheel Parts is the global leader in truck, Jeep, SUV and off-road performance products. With 78 locations across the U.S. and Canada and growing, 4 Wheel Parts Service Centers install all the products they sell. Maintaining the nation’s largest inventory of off-road tires, wheels, suspension products, and accessories, 4 Wheel Parts serves customers across the country and around the globe. Life is Better Off-Road™. Visit them at 4wheelparts.com or call toll-free 877-474-4821.
4 WHEEL PARTS SPONSORING AND COMPETING IN 2017 MINT 400 OFF-ROAD RACE
Compton, California (February 28, 2017) Global leader in off-road performance product sales and installation, 4 Wheel Parts, is among the sponsors of the Mint 400 held March 1-5 at the Nevada state line, with multiple activities scheduled in Las Vegas. In addition to leading the vehicle procession down the famed Las Vegas Strip, 4 Wheel Parts President and CEO Greg Adler will compete in the “The Great American Off-Road Race” on Saturday, March 4.
The annual Polaris RZR Mint 400 presented by BFGoodrich Tires began in 1968 with six classes and today it boasts over 20 as it attracts the sport’s elite from around the country. Team 4 Wheel Parts driver Greg Adler returns to the iconic event in his #201 4400 Class Jeep after completing the King of the Hammers Race earlier in the month.
The event also marks the fifth straight year 4 Wheel Parts participates as a sponsor of the Mint 400 Vehicle Parade featuring race vehicles in a procession down the Strip on Wednesday, March 1. Powered by ODDYSSEY Battery, the 10-mile parade will give off-road enthusiasts an up close look at over 350 of the world’s most rugged off-road vehicles before they compete.
“The Mint 400 has a rich history dating back to the origins of off-road racing in the wide open Nevada desert,” said Greg Adler, President and CEO of 4 Wheel Parts. “Kicking off the festivities with 4 Wheel Parts Vehicle Parade presented by ODDYSSEY Battery with all that horsepower roaring down the Strip is quite a sight for fans. When you combine that with contingency and activities right in the heart of downtown on Fremont Street, it’s developed into so much more than an off-road race. We’re proud to share in the continued legacy of this storied event.”
Thursday, March 2 at 11 a.m., time trials sponsored by Method Race Wheels will commence and teams competing in the Pit Crew Challenge will have a chance at 7:30 that night to qualify and compete in the single elimination contest. The Limited Race gets underway at 6 a.m. Saturday, March 4, with the Unlimited class race beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The Mint 400 began in 1968 and after a 20-year hiatus, the legendary race resumed in Las Vegas in 2008. The 400-mile battle pits the world’s premier off-road racers against each other. Among the stars who have competed in past races are actors Patrick Dempsey and James Garner and celebrated off-road champions Mickey Thompson and Walker Evans.
Greg Adler Motorsports is Supported by:
4 Wheel Parts · BFGoodrich Tires · ODYSSEY Battery · MagnaFlow Exhaust · AMP Research / AVS · LUND · Rigid Industries · G2 Axle & Gear · Bushwacker · Makita Industrial Power Tools · Impact Racing · MasterCraft Safety · FOX Racing Shox · K&N Filters · FiberwerX · AAM
About 4 Wheel Parts
4 Wheel Parts is the global leader in truck, Jeep, SUV and off-road performance products. With 77 locations across the U.S. and Canada and growing, 4 Wheel Parts Service Centers install all the products they sell. Maintaining the nation’s largest inventory of off-road tires, wheels, suspension products, and accessories, 4 Wheel Parts serves customers across the country and around the globe. Life is Better Off-Road™. Visit them at 4wheelparts.com or call toll-free 877-474-4821.
GREG ADLER AND TEAM 4 WHEEL CONQUER KING OF THE HAMMERS
Compton, California (February 15, 2017) – 4 Wheel Parts President and CEO, Greg Adler, stepped out from behind his desk and into the driver’s seat to take his #210 Ultra4 Jeep to the finish line of what is widely considered the world’s most challenging single day off-road race – The 2017 King of the Hammers – this past weekend. The annual off-road pilgrimage drew tens of thousands of enthusiasts to the Johnson Valley Lake bed to race, cheer on competitors and celebrate off-road culture and lifestyle during the weeklong festivities.
For Adler, his focus of leading the Transamerican Auto Parts significant marketing efforts throughout the week quickly shifted on Friday as he competed in the nearly 200-mile competition in which he faced a course that combined the high-speed challenges of open desert racing with technical rock crawling through canyons and over boulders in seemingly unpassable conditions. With the race’s opening miles covering an extensive desert portion of the course, he enlisted desert racing icon and multi-time winner of the Baja 1000, Rob MacCachren, to share duties behind the wheel and while MacCachren lived up to his reputation as one of the fastest men on four wheels in the dirt, the team faced its initial challenge of the day as the #210 approached the first serious rock obstacle.
“We got off to a strong start with Rob Mac tearing through the field and putting us to a top five position, but a fitting broke inside the fuel cell and stopped the car at race mile 60,” said Adler. “The team got the situation fixed and we were up and running, but by then we were almost three hours off the pace. At that point, we decided to shift into finish mode and make sure we brought it home to the finish line.”
Now on the move, MacCachren found a pace that would set the tone for the day as he found the race pace with his meticulous driving style and expertise.
“We learned a lot from Rob throughout the week,” said Adler. “Of course, he’s fast and can drive anything, but he has an incredible attention to detail. He’s taking on this challenge with the same painstaking approach he takes to everything he races. It’s been a tremendous experience pre-running and racing with him.”
At about the halfway point in the race, Adler began his stint behind the wheel and immediately began attacking the signature trails that have become an iconic feature of the event. As he made short work of Backdoor, Sledgehammer, Jackhammer and Chocolate Thunder, he headed toward the final and most challenging obstacles that stood in the way between him and the finish line. In those closing few hours, Adler was able to work his way through the final set of challenges before he made the last turn toward home, finishing with a time of eleven hours and twenty seven minutes. Of the 122 Ultra4 vehicles to take the start that morning, he was one of just 50 official finishers in this year’s edition of the epic race with a final position of 31st.
“This certainly wasn’t where we wanted to be in the final standings today,” said Adler. But in a race like this, where the odds are stacked against you, to finish is a great accomplishment for this team.”
For Team 4 Wheel Parts, the result capped a week that saw Greg Adler’s brother, Kevin bring home his #4830 Legends Class Car to the finish line in the prior day’s Smittybilt Every Man Challenge. Kevin Adler was also one of 50 cars to complete the race among a crowded field of 133 vehicles.
“What a week,” said Greg Adler. “I couldn’t be more proud of my brother, Kevin. We brought home two cars and had a great time racing together and that’s what being out here is all about.”
Follow Greg Adler Motorsports on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Team4WheelParts.com.
Greg Adler Motorsports is Supported by:
4 Wheel Parts · BFGoodrich Tires · ODYSSEY Battery · MagnaFlow Exhaust · AMP Research / AVS · Lund · Red Kap · Daystar Products · G2 Axle & Gear · Bushwacker · Makita Industrial Power Tools · MasterCraft Safety · Fox Racing Shox · K&N Filters · Fiberwerx · GoPro · AAM
About 4 Wheel Parts:
4 Wheel Parts is the global leader in off-road truck, Jeep and aftermarket performance products. With 78 locations across the U.S. and Canada and growing, 4 Wheel Parts Service Centers install all the products they sell. Maintaining the nation’s largest inventory of off-road tires, wheels, suspension products, and accessories, 4 Wheel Parts serves customers across the country and around the globe. Life is Better Off-Road™. Visit them at 4wheelparts.com or call toll-free 877-474-4821
TRANSAMERICAN AUTO PARTS ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION BY POLARIS INDUSTRIES, INC.
Transamerican Auto Parts (“TAP”, “Transamerican” or “ the “Company”), the world’s leading manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, and installer of aftermarket parts and accessories for trucks, Jeeps®, SUVs and four-wheel drive vehicles, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Polaris Industries, Inc. (“Polaris”), a public company on the NYSE (PII) based in Medina, Minnesota. Polaris is a global off-road leader with popular vehicles such as RZR®, RANGER®, SPORTSMAN® and Polaris GENERAL™.
“Polaris is a terrific fit for TAP,” said Transamerican President and CEO Greg Adler. “Scott Wine, CEO of Polaris and his team share our enthusiast-based culture of ‘We Own it. We Sell it. We Live it.’ and our collective customers share a passion for the off-road.” TAP will continue to operate as it does today under the leadership of Adler and the current management team. “TAP is committed to expanding our footprint of retail, distribution and industry leading brands,” stated Adler. “Our focus will remain in the growing truck and Jeep category while adding the adjacent power sports accessory segment and other potential synergies with Polaris. The strength of Polaris will fuel TAP’s growth plans and ensure a long and successful future for all TAP employees, partners and customers.”
Jefferies acted as lead financial advisor to Transamerican. Houlihan Lokey also served as financial advisor to TAP and Sullivan & Cromwell acted as TAP’s legal advisor. BofA Merrill Lynch acted as exclusive financial advisor to Polaris, and Faegre Baker Daniels LLP acted as Polaris’ legal advisor.
About Transamerican Auto Parts
Transamerican Auto Parts is the world’s leading manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of aftermarket parts and accessories for trucks, Jeeps, SUVs and four-wheel drive vehicles. Transamerican operations are comprised of 75 4 Wheel Parts retail locations in North America, Transamerican Wholesale sales and distribution, Dealer Services International and the Transamerican Manufacturing Group which includes Smittybilt, Rubicon Express, G2 Axle & Gear, Pro Comp, LRG Rims and Poison Spyder. We Sell It. We Own It. We Live It. For more information about Transamerican Auto Parts, Dealer Services International and Transamerican Manufacturing Group,, please visit: transamericanautoparts.com.
About Polaris
Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) is a global powersports leader with annual 2015 sales $4.7 billion. Polaris fuels the passion of riders, workers and outdoors enthusiast with our Ranger®, RZR® and Polaris GENERAL™ side-by-side off road vehicles; our SPORTSMAN® and Polaris ACE® all-terrain off-road vehicles; Victory® and Indian Motorcycle® midsize and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot® moto-roadsters; and Polaris RMK®, INDY®, SWITCHBACK® and RUSH® snowmobiles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments and accessories sold under multiple recognizable brands, and has a growing presence in adjacent markets globally with products including military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles.
LEGENDARY GLEN HELEN RACEWAY TO HOST 4 WHEEL PARTS ULTRA4 OFF-ROAD GRAND PRIX
Compton, California (June 10, 2016) – This weekend, Ultra4 Racing and Team 4 Wheel Parts will be storming the hillsides of Southern California’s Glen Helen Raceway with the 6th edition of the 4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix. 4 Wheel Parts President and CEO, Greg Adler along with brother, Kevin will be among the more than 100 Ultra4 vehicles slated to take on this second event in the 2016 Ultra4 Trail-Gear Western Regional Series June 10-11.
Legendary Glen Helen Raceway has hosted a significant number of prolific two and four-wheel off-road events, but none more grueling than the hybridization of rock crawling with short course and desert racing, with competitors racing against the clock in a Grand Prix format with a $10,000 purse on the line. The closed course event conducted across the venue’s sprawling hillside landscape will provide spectators the opportunity to enjoy the event from multiple vantage points, providing them an up close and personal perspective of the same vehicles that compete annually in the King of the Hammers race. Greg Adler, a veteran of Ultra4 competition, will be campaigning a vehicle owned by Brent Goegebuer, who has been sidelined due to a violent crash at the 2016 King of the Hammers.
“This is going to be the first time I’ve had a chance to race in Brent’s car,” said Adler. “We know it’s fast and capable and against some serious competition, I think we’ll be a strong contender. I know Brent wants to be behind the wheel this weekend and I’m sure we’ll see him back at it soon. This weekend we’re going to bring the team together and give it everything we’ve got to put his car on the podium.”
As the series’ final visit to Southern California for the year, the 4 Wheel Parts Grand Prix represents a cherished opportunity for competitors to earn a coveted invitation to the marquee King of the Hammers event as well as tally valuable points toward the Nitto National Championship. For Greg Adler, his presence in the race also serves to further represent 4 Wheel Parts as the industry leader in the truck, Jeep and SUV performance aftermarket.
Kevin Adler will be pitted alongside his brother as he campaigns his Smittybilt Every Man Challenge #4602 Jeep in the Pro Comp stock class. While his limited class vehicle based on a factory Jeep JK doesn’t boast the horsepower or suspension travel of the Ultra4 cars, he will be taking on the very same course as his unlimited class brethren.
“We can prepare for every contingency, but during the course of the race there are countless challenges on the track,” said Kevin Adler. “We’re taxing the equipment beyond anything it was built for and putting every part of the vehicle to the test. It’s going to be a battle of attrition and we’re going to set our sights on being one of the last men standing when the dust settles.”
The event’s two day format features Friday afternoon qualifying sessions to determine Saturday’s preliminary starting position with racing kicking off at noon on Saturday.
Ultra4 weekend passes are available for $20. The Glen Helen facility offers no-charge dry camping for spectators with the purchase of a weekend pass. Saturday’s action packed day of racing features UTV, Legends, Stock and Modified 4-wheel drive vehicles in addition to the marquee Ultra4 division.
Please visit Ultra4racing.com for a complete listing of the weekend’s events, driver rosters and additional information about Ultra4 racing and the 4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix.
4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix
- June 10-11, 2016
- Glen Helen Raceway
- 18585 Verdemont Ranch Rd.
- San Bernardino, CA
About 4 Wheel Parts
4 Wheel Parts is the global leader in truck, Jeep, SUV and off-road performance products. With 75 locations across the U.S. and Canada and growing, 4 Wheel Parts Service Centers install all the products they sell. Maintaining the nation’s largest inventory of off-road tires, wheels, lift kits, and accessories, 4 Wheel Parts serves customers across the country and around the globe. Life is Better Off-Road™. Visit them at 4wheelparts.com or call toll-free 877-474-4821.
