Before off-road racers tackled the 549 miles of desert terrain of Nevada, they first had to qualify for starting positions for the 2011 Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno race. The premiere classes, Class 1400 and 1500, didn’t simply draw their start positions – they had to earn them. Leading the pack was Kyle Conlon with a time of 4:15:627. Finishing just tenths of a second behind Conlon was Ray Griffith with a time of 4:15:728. Third overall but first in Trick Truck, or Class 1400, was Jesse Jones with a time almost five seconds off from second-place Griffith with a time of 4:20:134.

Tech and contingency is tomorrow at the host hotel Aliante Station Hotel and Casino in North Las Vegas. The race begins on Friday morning, with dirt bikes and ATVs leaving the line at 5:45 a.m. and cars and trucks leaving at 9:30 a.m. The race has an approximate time limit of 24 hours, though the lead bikes and trucks should at the finish line sometime Friday afternoon into evening.

The race has over 270 entries, with Trick Truck drivers such as B.J. Baldwin, Chad Ragland, brothers Tim and Troy Herbst, Larry Roeseler, Mark McMillin, John Swift, Steve Olliges, Jason Voss, Will Staats, Mastercraft’s Robbie Pierce, Steve Sourapas, Rick Geiser, Rick D. Johnson, Jerry Zaiden, Jesse Jones, Roger Norman, Mark Weyhrich, Steve Strobel and Scott Whipple are among the ranks of the Trick Truck racers. The Class 1500 drivers include 2010 defending class champion Chris Kemp, as well as a host of big-name drivers such as Gary Weyhrich, Chuck Hovey, Sam Berri, Shannon Campbell, Mike Childress, Pat Dean, T.J. Flores and Steven Appleton.

For more information, visit BITD.com. Be sure to check back with Off-Road.com for coverage of race.

2011 Vegas to Reno Qualifiers
1. Kyle Conlon – 4:15:627
2. Ray Griffith – 4:15:728
3. Jesse Jones – 4:20:134
4. Chuck Hovey – 4:20:476
5. Mike Childress – 4:24:217
6. Richard Boyle – 4:25:702
7. BJ Baldwin – 4:26:237
8. Steve Strobel – 4:26:248
9. Greg Nunley – 4:26:707
10. Mark Hutchins – 4:27:255
11. Tim Herbst – 4:27:429
12. Steve Sourapas – 4:27:739
13. Adam Householder – 4:28:349
14. Jason Voss – 4:29:450
15. TJ Flores – 4:31:540
16. Todd Tuls – 4:32:970
17. Steve Croll - 4:33:352
18. Roger Norman – 4:35:249
19. Ryan Poelman – 4:37:005
20. Troy Herbst – 4:37:175
21. Shawn Croll – 4:37:330
22. Jerry Zaiden – 4:37:372
23. Pat Dean – 4:37:775
24. Chris Kemp – 4:38:279
25. Rick D. Johnson – 4:39:751
26. Garrick Freitas – 4:40:556
27. Mark McMillin – 4:41:178
28. Mark Weyhrich – 4:41:223
29. Shannon Campbell – 4:41:491
30. Sam Berri – 4:42:523