The 2014 Mint 400 desert race in Las Vegas next weekend has set a new record for entries with 300 total as of this morning, 57 of which are trophy trucks. It's going to be one hell of a field for this year's event.

I spot plenty of rigs based on Fords, GMs, and Rams, along with a bunch of buggies, at least one Jeep, and a .

The Local Motors crew gave me a sparkly Gazoo helmet and promised me a good time if I'd just shut…

"This is an incredible field, maybe the most competitive field in history. Not just in the car count, but in talent. We have several former Mint 400 Champions including Bryce Menzies, BJ Baldwin, Robby Gordon, and Andy McMillin, as well as former and current champions stacked throughout the massive field of different class competitors. This is going to be an incredible weekend of racing," said Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli.

Between this boost in participation at the Mint, for the SCORE races, and the first official meeting for the just days away I have a great feeling about the future of desert racing.

The 2013 Baja 1000 race may be over and we've seen a few good highlight reels, but true fans now…

The flags drop next saturday, March 15th with the limited class running from 6:00am to 12:00pm, and the "unlimited" running from 1:00pm to 10:00pm, all in Las Vegas local time.

The Mint 400 takes place over four 100 mile laps with rock, silt, and dirt making up a strong majority of the terrain. Being such malleable material, each lap is a different experience for the trucks that usually take at least seven and a half hours to finish the race.

For some reason they also have a model contest which is popular too, this year's "Miss Mint" pageant garnered over .