The Reject Average 500

The Reject Average 500 started as a name I gave to one of our favorite adventures, a multi-day off road journey from California through Nevada and into Arizona. Over the years more people joined, the routes got longer, the equipment got better, and what started as a trip with friends became something we looked forward to every year.

Three days. California to Nevada to Arizona and back. Is it actually 500 miles? Sure, if you count driving to the starting point and getting lost once or twice. The mileage isn't really the point. The point is getting people into something that, from the outside, looks almost impossible to access.

We use Can-Am Mavericks, side by side off road vehicles that look intimidating if you've never been near one. The truth is they're far more accessible than they appear. My friends at RentMeFun.com will deliver one to your house. But then what? Where do you ride? What trails can you use? What happens when something breaks? How do you navigate hundreds of miles through the desert?

That knowledge has always lived inside the off road community. If you're outside that world, the barrier to entry feels enormous. Most people experience these machines through a one or two hour guided tour somewhere like St. George, Utah, or Winter Park, Colorado. That's a great introduction.

What we've been doing with Reject Average is different. We go for days. Hundreds of miles of desert, rocks and open terrain, with radios in every vehicle, lunch stops along the route and a chase truck carrying parts and equipment. You get the feeling of an off road race without actually racing anyone. Pure fun is the objective.

My obsession with all of this started in a completely ridiculous way. Years ago, when I was producing television, Dax Shepard came into my office to pitch a show. He wanted to race the Baja 1000 solo. He had already bought a race car. When I asked what possessed him, he said he had watched a documentary called Dust to Glory and bought the car the next day. Dax is a compelling person. By the time he finished talking I was completely in. We were making this show. That night I went home and watched the documentary myself.

The next morning I called my friends and family. "We are racing the Baja 1000!" Dax ultimately couldn't do it because NBC wouldn't release him from the safety provisions of his Parenthood contract. The television show went away. My terrible idea did not.

One year later, four friends and I found a race team that provided a vehicle and headed to Mexico. None of us had ever raced anything. One of my friends, Ken, had never been inside a race car until he arrived in Mexico. I do not recommend this preparation strategy.

I rolled the vehicle in the first fifteen miles. Mark and Ken proceeded to roll it another four or five times. We lost lights, radios and body panels. A wheel fell off. At one point some locals pulled us out of a swamp with a truck. After more than a thousand miles, somewhere around two in the morning, we were sitting in the back of a chase vehicle arguing over who had to get back behind the wheel. At the start of the race we had practically drawn straws for the privilege of driving first. Now everyone was trying to convince someone else to go. Our Baja 1000 ended at mile 1,067 when we lost a hub and a fuel line. I was completely hooked.

Over the years I started renting off road vehicles and taking my kids out into the desert. My daughter Briana became particularly obsessed with driving them, partly because she quickly discovered she was better at it than both of her brothers. On one of our early California to Vegas trips she drove most of the route and stayed right with the group the whole way. At every stop someone would tell her how great she was doing. I could literally watch her confidence growing in real time.

That became one of my favorite parts of these trips. The machines are extraordinary. They climb things that don't look climbable and cross terrain you would never attempt in a normal vehicle. But the machines are only part of it. Spend time out there and you find a tight knit community of people who love getting outside, helping each other and having a good time. We've done versions of these trips a dozen times.

In 2027, we're opening it up to all.

The Reject Average 500 starts in Newberry Springs, California. Day one goes off road to Primm, Nevada. Day two continues into Arizona, finishing near Lake Havasu. Day three brings everyone back across the desert to Newberry Springs. Full chase support, radios, parts and vehicles available through our partners.

You don't need to be an off road racer. That's the entire point. You just need to be willing to get a little dusty.