Randy Slawson Becomes the First 4-Time Race of Kings Winner
Slawson was one of only two to officially finish the toughest course ever at King of the Hammers Powered by OPTIMA Batteries...
Randy Slawson became the first four-time winner of the Race of Kings on Saturday, Feb. 7, surviving more than 13 hours of racing to claim victory at the 2026 Griffin King of the Hammers powered by OPTIMA Batteries.
Eighty-one competitors started the Race of Kings, only five teams finished the entire course, and Slawson was one of only two to officially finish the three-lap course within the allotted time, underscoring the severity of what organizers described as the toughest course in event history. Josh Blyler finished second, 23 minutes, 4 seconds behind Slawson.
The Race of Kings combined high-speed desert sections with the extreme rock trails of Johnson Valley. The third and final “mystery lap,” revealed to competitors the day before the race and with no pre-run, featured mostly new rock trails and proved decisive as mechanical failures, rollovers and bottlenecks eliminated nearly the entire field.
Racers Dropped Off One by One, Lap by Lap
Early in lap one, Paul Wolff surrendered the physical lead after stopping in the desert. By the midpoint of the lap on corrected time, Loren Healy led a tightly packed front group that included Darian Gomez, JP Gomez, Jason Scherer and Vaughn Gittin Jr. Healy maintained the corrected-time lead at the end of lap one, with none of the leaders having yet attempted Backdoor, which was run uphill this year.
In lap two, Scherer surged to the physical lead through Outer Limits, then suffered a broken steering rack in Sledgehammer, triggering bottlenecks and eliminating multiple contenders. Jack Hammer and surrounding trails further thinned the field, with major mechanical failures sidelining several top runners.
By mid-lap two on corrected time, Tad Dowker emerged as the leader, followed closely by Tom Wayes, Darian Gomez, Healy and Casey Currie. As daylight faded, attrition continued to mount, setting the stage for an all-out survival test on lap three.
The third lap proved decisive. New trails, including Slip N Slide, The 5-Minute Trail, and Ball Peen, created massive pileups, with more than 10 vehicles stuck in a single section at Ball Peen. Multiple leaders rolled or suffered mechanical failures.
Third Place & Beyond Determined by Which Racers Made It the Furthest
Three additional teams, Aaron Smith, Max Gordon, and Pip Justice, completed the entire course after the official time limit. Event organizers recognized their achievement given the unprecedented difficulty of the race.
Due to the extreme attrition, final classification beyond second place was determined by progression through the course before the official end of the race at 10:00 p.m. Wolff was officially classified third, having progressed the farthest among the remaining competitors. All teams that commenced the third lap had their progress assessed and ranked based on distance completed.
Slawson Continues His Domination of the Race of Kings
Slawson’s victory marked his fourth Race of Kings title, adding to previous wins in 2013, 2015 and 2021.
“This is what King of the Hammers is supposed to be about,” Slawson said. “If you’re going to call it the hardest race in the world, this one earned it. Thirteen-plus hours, this tops them all.”
Blyler added, “That was insane. We probably winched for three hours straight. The course was nasty, but it was great. Congrats to Randy, that was a hell of a race.”
