John Pellissier oral history interview, 2025 February 24, 2025 March 24

Oral history interview with John Pellissier conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on February 24, 2025 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Pellissier talks about growing up in Las Vegas, spending his formative years driving in the desert with his father, which grew into attending off-road races with his uncle and dirt biking with his cousins. He got involved in off-road racing as an adult, which led to him getting involved with S.N.O.R.E., where he has now spent over a decade being involved on the Board of Directors in various positions. He has been the Sergeant at Arms, Vice President, and is the current President. He speaks about the environmental impact for both racers and wildlife, and how the Bureau of Land Management has not always been supportive of desert racing. He has learned how to effectively 'lobby the hobby' and make sure that we continue to protect the environment, while still giving off-road racing a chance to thrive. He speaks about S.N.O.R.E. reaching 56 years of consistent operation as a non-profit, and how he hopes to see the group continue to grow and put on more races in the desert.

In the second interview with John Pellissier conducted by Stefani Evans and Bethany Dayton on March 24, 2025, Pellissier talks in detail about the Mint 400 race and its history and growth. The race originally ran from the Mint Hotel, into the desert, and through Moapa. After land and permit issues arose, the race was moved to be closer to the Speedrome (now Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and through Jean. While he was President of S.N.O.R.E., Pellissier and other board members did research and found that the copyright for the Mint 400, originally owned by Norm Johnson, was available, and made the decision to purchase the rights for $20,000. S.N.O.R.E. put on their first Mint 400 race in 2008, running the original track through Moapa. It was a huge success and they were able to run the race for two more years, moving to the Jean track after the first year. With the newfound success, S.N.O.R.E. was not able to keep up with what the Mint 400 now demanded, and decided to sell the copyright to Josh and Matt Martelli. He speaks about his hope for the future of the Mint 400, and says it will continue to be the biggest off-road race in North America, save the Baja 1000. Digital audio and transcript available.